CHINA. Lehsan: Leshan, located in the southwest of Sichuan’s basin, one of the world’s best landscapes of China is known for its natural, cultural, and contemporary attractions, and destination full of exotic local gastronomic delights. The Transcontinental Times introduced you to Mount Emei and the Mount Emei Scenic Area earlier and we bring to you a few more attractions.
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Cultural attractions – Dongfeng Weir (The Thousand Buddha Cliff)
Located 3 km from Jiajiang County, Sichuan Province is Dongfeng Weir, the Thousand Buddha Cliff that is situated on the bank of Qingyi River, where a river passes between two mountains that face each other. There are more than 2400 stone-carved statues in 162 caves, accompanied by ancient inscriptions. Dating back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Dongfeng Weir is a nationally protected cultural relic and is a valued cultural inheritance that continues to empower local people.
Contemporary Attractions – Night Cruise on the Three Rivers
The Night Cruise on the Three Rivers travels through the Minjiang, Qinyi, and Dadu Rivers. It is the first large-scale nighttime tourism project in Leshan, as well as the largest single nighttime tourism project in Sichuan Province. Step-by-step, it unveils the Leshan Giant Buddha and showcases the magnificent ancient city of Jiazhou through visual and auditory interpretations through light and sound.
There are night landscapes built along the river, including the Zen City, Traditional Chinese Painting Landscape, Five Colored Buddha Light, Buddha in Heart, Sleeping Buddha Waking Up, the Millennium Ancient Buddha Reading Road, and the Giant Buddha Scenic Area in Lingyun Mountain. Together, they were awarded as one of the Top Ten Cultural Tourism Landmarks in Sichuan.
The cruise through the landscapes tells a story of the time-nurtured city and its journey through different dynasties, slowly improving with developments. Its ancient city walls are linked together in both light and shadow like golden ties on the clear water. The buildings and lights standing by the river reflect the magnificent, simple outline of vicissitudes of this ancient city over time.
Unique Mount Emei Drama Fantasy City
Masterminded and presented by Wang Chaoge, a famous Chinese director, the Unique Mount Emei Drama Fantasy City, located in Emeishan City of Sichuan Province is a large-scale experience drama,. The immersive time-shifting experience reunites audience members with dreamlike scenes that have long been in their memories.
The Unique Mount Emei Drama Fantasy City is composed of three major parts. The Theater Above the Clouds overlooks the earthly world, similar to how the Golden Summit of Mount Emei would look down through the clouds at the rest of the world. Meanwhile, The Theater in the Clouds evokes a feeling of walking through clouds in fantasy land.
Renovated from old village houses, The Theater below the Clouds is an earthly world that tells a story of time and space. Visitors enter the earthly world before climbing to the heavens, where they can experience the spiritual realm in the clouds as they reach the summit.
Moruo Drama Cultural and Creative Park
Sitting against the Sui Mountain and facing the Dadu River, Leshan’s Shawan District is named after the famous mountain and beautiful river that it boasts. It was also once the home of Guo Moruo, the first President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A prolific writer and acclaimed cultural master, Moruo’s cultural spirit has been passed down from generation to generation in this river town. The park was born on the bank of the Dadu River, and is located in the first section of the Yunnan-Sichuan National Tourist Scenic Road and is made up of 12 pavilions, each with its own special theme.
Food Destinations
As night falls, the Shangzhongshun Cultural Arcade near the Leshan Port lights up and is bustled with crowds of avid diners. Strolling along the old street lined with antique houses with flying eaves and archaistic decorations, it is easy to feel the ancient rhymes of the centuries-old streets. Their different time-honoured restaurants are scattered across the area, offering signature dishes to the diners coming from home and abroad.
Old HongKong style signboards and colorful shining neon lights are dotted with trending elements beyond imagination, attracting a wave of fans, most of who simply come for a bite of the local delicacy that they dream of. Walking leisurely on the riverside square and overlooking the sleeping Buddha in the distance, visitors can enjoy the unique night view of the three rivers quietly flowing by. It is here that the classic and modern elements collide and blend, resulting in a unique experience that cannot be enjoyed anywhere else.
Leshan’s Leshan Flavour Immersive Experience Center
At the heart of the Shangzhongshun Cultural Arcade is the Leshan Flavour Immersive Experience Center. It explores the city’s past and present food resources by taking inspiration from fresh, sweet, hot, and spicy flavours of local foods and presenting them as immersive food scenes for visitors to experience.
