The Leshan Giant Buddha on the east bank of Minjiang River in Leshan City, rests his feet where three rivers the Minjiang, Qingyi and Dadu-join. At 71 meters high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. According to records, the carving of this giant Buddha was begun in the first year of the reign of the Tang Emperor Tang Xuanzong (713 AD), and completed in the 19th year of Emperor Dezong (803 AD), a total of 90 years.

The solemn Buddha is 71 meters high and its head itself is 14.7 meters high. Its ear is 6.2 meters long, eye 3.3 meters wide, and shoulder 34 meters wide. Its head is covered with 1,021 chignons. Its middle finger is 8.3 meters long, and each of the feet are 11 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, large enough to accommodate more than 100 people sitting on it. The huge figure sits with his hands resting on his knees, his head reaching the hilltop and his feet the river, occupying the entire hillside.

Leshan statue is a work of art as well a work of creativity. If you look carefully you may find an internal drainage system was incorporated into the sculpture that is still in working order. Drainage pipes were carved in various places on the body, to carry away the water after the rains so as to reduce weathering.

Leshan Giant Buddha is as famous as the standing Buddha of Bamiyan in Afghanistan and they are regarded as part of the cultural heritage of mankind. It has now been unified into one scenic area and was put on the world cultural and natural heritage lists in 1996.