Today, we went to see the Giant Leshan Buddha and this evening, we went to see the Sichuan Opera and Folk Art show.
This was another one of the must-see experiences for me on this trip, and I was happy I took the trouble to do it. We all boarded the coach for our trip and headed off. I must say I enjoyed seeing the motorway toll booths on our drive to Leshan. They had been built using the old-style roofs that adorn many of the temples and pagodas we have seen, and they looked great.
River Cruise.
When we arrived in Leshan, we boarded a boat for an 'Aquatic Tour' of the Minjiang and Qingjiang Rivers. We set off and were very quickly downstream, looking up at the Giant Leshan Buddha. We sped past quickly, allowing us only a short view, but when we turned around and began to fight the strong current, we got a much better and more extended view of the Buddha.
It was amazing to see how small the people descending to the Buddha's base looked as they made their way down the steep steps. Our local guide told us that to view the Buddha, we would have to climb to the top of the Buddha, climb down one side, climb up the other side and then retrace our steps, climbing it all over again to return to the coach. He told us that this is the only way you can see it and that you can not turn back once you have started.
After viewing the Buddha from the river, our boat struggled against the tide to return us to the dock we had set out from. We were rewarded with a buffet dinner in a restaurant overlooking the river before going to the Giant Leshan Buddha.
Leshan Giant Buddha.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre tall stone statue built between 713 and 803 BC. It is carved out of a cliff face of cretaceous red sandstone at the confluence of the Min and Dadu Rivers. After lunch, we were taken to a small market where the people who didn't fancy climbing up and down the Buddha could look around and have a beer, a glass of wine or both.
I had already decided that although I wasn't sure I could make the climb, I would give it a go. The Giant Leshan Buddha was one of the things I had come to see, and I hadn't come this far to bottle it out at the last minute. Dave and John were both going as well, but as we set off with our guide, Mel decided she couldn't let me struggle on my own and came with me to make sure I was okay.
After a short walk, we soon arrived at the entrance to the park where the Buddha was sitting. It soon became apparent that the local guide's description of how much climbing we would have to do had lost something in translation. The walk to the top of the Giant Buddha was a lot easier than he had described, and anyone on our tour could easily have gotten to the top.
When we arrived at the top of the Buddha, we found that you do not have to climb down the Buddha to the base if you don't want to. There were several places where you could pose for photos next to the head of the Buddha, and there were also gardens, a pagoda, and several smaller monuments that could be seen without any difficult climbing.
Chinese ladies once again asked Mel if she would pose for photos with them; they seemed fascinated by her blonde hair and good looks. I will have to start charging them to take their picture with her.
I decided that I would continue down the steep steps to the base. The walk was supposed to take around 1½ hours. I think this is because people keep stopping for photos, and the path is not wide enough to pass as they do. Mel and I arrived at the base of the Buddha, where Dave and John had already arrived. We all posed for photos and then made the climb back up. This was much harder than it looked, as the steps were very steep and uneven. Helped by Mel and several rests and water breaks, I climbed back to the top.
It took me a while to get my breath back, and my legs felt jelly, but I was glad I had done it. We walked through a lovely garden and saw the cave where the monk who had started to build the Buddha lived. Mel, Dave, and John then climbed further to see the Lingyun temple, but I stayed to rest, as my legs still felt jelly.
When we left, we walked down through some gardens and back to the car park and market where we had left the rest of the tour group a few hours before. It seemed they had all been forced to drink large amounts of alcohol to stave off the sun and prevent sunstroke. As I arrived back with Mel, I was greeted by a round of applause and much cheering for managing the climb of the Buddha.
Photos from the Leshan Buddha.
Sichuan Opera and Folk Arts Performance.
This evening, I joined a small group of my fellow travellers to go and see the Sichuan Opera and Folk Art Performance. Before taking our seats as special guests, we were taken backstage into the dressing room. There, we saw and met the artists who were getting ready before the show.
The first act was a shadowgrapher who made some magnificent hand-figure displays on a large screen on the stage. Next up were some folk art displays of costumed people telling a story, including a fire-breather. They were followed by musicians playing some authentic local tunes before some masked performers put on a show in which the speed at which the face changer changed faces was incredible. Even the comedy face changer was funny. Throughout the show, a couple would come on stage and perform as a hen-pecked husband and his wife. It was hilarious; even in Chinese, we could understand the humour. I would highly recommend this show to anyone going to the area.