Leshan CIty
Anyone who wants to experience a more relaxed China trip without missing other wondrous attractions can go to Leshan. Its captivating sceneries especially the Mount Emei Scenic Area is more than enough to take at least a day trip there.
Location
Leshan is a prefecture city located in the southern area of Sichuan Province. It is about 75 miles away from Chengdu and close to the Red Basin. Its name in Chinese means “Happy Mountain,” basically because it’s surrounded by this land form.
It is composed of 4 counties, 4 districts, 1 county-level city, and 2 autonomous counties. The biggest district is Shizhong, which also has the highest population density. The districts of Shawan and Wutongqiao, meanwhile, are considered to be metropolitan areas. The counties are Muchuan, Jiajiang, Jingyan, and Qianwei.
History
There’s not a lot of historical information about Leshan that’s available. One thing is for sure, though: it’s extremely old. It has been around since 3,000 years ago. Most of its stories are related to one of its huge attractions called the Leshan Giant Buddha, which is carved on a cliff opposite Mount Emie Scenic Area and atop the confluence of rivers.
The massive Buddha statue was built in 713 AD under the guidance of a Buddhist monk named Haitong. However, the construction stopped for more than 65 years because of lack of funding until someone decided to do so. The disciples of Haitong proceeded and completed the project in 805 AD. Haitong around this time had already passed away.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a work of art, majestic, and sacred that it appeared in several lyrics, poems, and other works of literature in China, especially in Leshan.
Climate
One of the reasons for the flourishing of flora and fauna in the area is the weather and climate. Leshan is blessed to enjoy a mild climate. This means that summers aren’t extremely hot and winters don’t stay too long. The temperature also doesn’t go into below-freezing point, and it seldom snows.
Precipitation is around 167 days in a year. The months of July and August are known to be wet times.
Specialty
In China, there are several types of languages or dialects, and Leshan has one of them. It is so different that it’s incomparable to that spoken by other people in the province. Researchers believe that their manner of speaking and words go back to ancient Chinese languages.
Because of the high influx of tourists, most of the people have learned to become entrepreneurial, and there are plenty of small stores that are found everywhere, particularly in destinations that are often visited.
Nevertheless, they are still able to retain some of their age-old habits and practices. For example, a unique card game Two Seven Ten is still being played especially by the older people. They consider this as a good alternative to another popular Chinese game called mahjong.
They also love to drink their teas. In fact, there’s a museum dedicated to it. You can also see various tea houses that are open almost 7 days a week. Nightclubs are not too common, though people take time to go out during Saturdays. On weekdays they retire around 11:00 p.m.
Moreover, the people tend to rest early. By 11 p.m.,
Cuisine
Sichuan, where Leshan is part of, is known to be one of China’s best cuisines; it’s described as spicy and truly flavorful.
In Leshan, one of the most well-known dishes is Jingtuan fish, which is composed of some fish bones and meat stewed with yulan, ham, and mushroom. Xiba bean curd is served in almost all types of restaurants, though the best authentic flavors is not found in the city itself but in a town located around 12 miles away from the center.
Another popular dish that visitors should try is the bang-bang chicken. The meat is usually from the breast, and it’s shredded and percussed on the barbecue stick. It is then topped by a spicy sauce.
A lot of streets in Leshan are populated by booths serving snacks such as the tofu jelly with beef and qiaojiao or the “raising legs” beef; people believe that diners couldn’t help but raise their legs because it’s incredibly delicious.
Attractions
The Mount Emie Scenic Area is a must for any tourist in Leshan. Its amazing collection of flowers, truly majestic surroundings, and long cultural and religious history made it part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1996.
Across it is another sight to behold: the Leshan Giant Buddha. It stands more than 70 meters in height with equal proportions around the shoulders. It is a Buddha that is resting peacefully with his hands on the knees.
Wutongqiao is a water town/village while the Luocheng is famous for its shape, which makes it look like a boat.
Transport
Transportation is no longer a problem as a lot of buses, some of which are private, come to Leshan on a daily basis. There’s a railway line that runs through Mianyang and Chengdu, as well as around Leshan. A new freeway that connects the city to Chengdu was also built.
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