Lingshan Grand Buddha

The Lingshan Grand Buddha is an 88-metre bronze standing Buddha at Mashan in Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on the northern shore of Taihu Lake. It was completed in 1997 and ranks among the tallest standing Buddha statues in China. The statue depicts Shakyamuni Buddha with the right hand raised in the gesture of dispelling fear, and its hollow bronze body was cast in sections and assembled on a stone base by a team of engineers and sculptors. The site sits at the foot of Lingshan hill, which tradition links with the monk Xuanzang, who is said to have visited the area and named it after the Indian Vulture Peak. The scenic area was developed in the 1990s and has since expanded to include the Xiangfu Temple, a Chan Buddhist complex rebuilt on earlier foundations, a large lotus-shaped Brahma Palace opened in 2008, and gardens, fountain shows and a Buddhist-themed exhibition on the life of the Buddha. A long processional road leads from the entrance to the statue, and visitors climb a flight of steps at the base, with an elevator to an observation platform at the feet and hand. The modern nature of the monument means it represents late-20th-century Chinese Buddhist revival rather than a medieval relic, but it draws large numbers of pilgrims and tourists. Planning a full visit means allowing most of a day to see the statue, the temple and the Brahma Palace, with the entrance fee covering the main grounds.