Leshan

Leshan is a prefecture-level city located in the Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. Leshan is on the Southwestern fringe of the Red Basin in Southern Sichuan, about 120 km from Chengdu.

Leshan is home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral and the Leshan Teachers' College. Located beside Laoxiaoding, the highest hill in Leshan, is the No.2 high school (Tian Jiabin Experimental High School).

Ancestral home of the Chinese writer, academic and politician Guo Moruo is preserved in the Shawan District of Leshan.

The Leshan dialect, part of the Southern linguistic system, is very different from the dialects of other cities in the provence of Sichuan, which belong to the Northern system. Some researchers say the pronunciation of Leshan dialects are arichaic form of Chinese pronunciation.

Leshan is famous for Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone-carved buddha in the world, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is 71 meters (233 feet) tall, which is so big that one hundred people can stand on any one of its feet. He is depicted barefooted with drooping ears and has his hair arranged in a spiral topknot. His head is covered with 1021 buns of curly hair, each large enough to support a big round table. His chest is exposed and his hands rest on his knees. Carved from the side of the Lingyun Hill, with his head level with the cliff top, the gigantic stone sculpture faces Emeishan, with the rivers flowing below his feet. The rocks carved off the cliff to create the Buddha were deposited into the river. A sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the Leshan Giant Buddha to carry away the water after the rains so as to reduce weathering. A huge 13 storey wooden structure was built to shelter it from rain and sunshine.