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| Where Are the Giant Buddha and Lakes That Change Color According to the Time of Day? |
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Dear Editor: I have just returned from a wonderful trip to China. I saw all the regular tourist sights which were a dream come true for me. I would now like to plan another trip to the less well known places. Could you please tell me where the giant Buddha is and also the lakes that change color according to the time of day. Any tips on how to reach them would be very useful. C Barnfather ------------------------------------------- Dear C Barnfather, The giant Buddha you mentioned in your email to us is the Giant Buddha of Leshan, located on Lingyun Hill, east of Leshan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The solemn Buddha is 71 meters high and its head itself is 14.7 meters high. Its ear is 6.2 meters long, eye 3.3 meters wide, and shoulder 34 meters wide. Its head is covered with 1,021 chignons. Its middle finger is 8.3 meters long, and each of the feet is 11 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, large enough to accommodate more than 100 people sitting on it. The huge figure sits with his hands resting on his knees, his head reaching the hilltop and his feet the river, occupying the entire hillside. Mount Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha have now been unified into one scenic area and were put on the world cultural and natural heritage lists in 1996. There are several famous Lakes in China that change color according to time and seasons, the most famed one is also situated in the depths of the mountains in northwestern Sichuan Province. It is a fairyland called Jiuzhaigou -- Nine-Village Valley, which is the home of nine Tibetan villages. The valley is 50 kilometers in length. The place is dotted with more than 100 gorgeous lakes, which differ from others by having a high concentration of calcium carbonate, so that the lakebeds and embankments are all covered with crystals. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible despite depths of several dozen meters. Transportation to the the Giant Buddha of Leshan Railway: To get to Leshan by train, get off at Emei station. This station is 10 kilometers (about six miles) away from the gate of Mt. Emei, and 31 kilometers (about 19 miles) away from Leshan City. Road: It is 162 kilometers (about 100 miles) from Chengdu City (capital of Sichuan Province) to Leshan City if one travels by the expressway. Emei City and Leshan City, with a distance of 31 kilometers (about 19 miles) are connected by a freeway, and there is a regular bus every ten minutes. By water: There are many ferries to the site of Leshan Giant Buddha every day. Ferries to Yibin City, Luzhou City and Chongqing Municipality are available at Leshan Port. By air: Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) away from Leshan City by freeway. Many train and air ticket offices are set up in the city. Admission Fee: 70 yuan (Excluding 50 yuan for a boat trip) Transportation to Jiuzhaigou By Air: Take a plane to Chengdu Shuangliu international airport first and stay overnight in Chengdu, then leave Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou Jiuzhai-Huanglong airport by air again next day. Chengdu City center is 15 km away from the Shuangliu airport. By Train: There are direct trains to Chengdu from more than 10 main Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Kunming, Urumqi, Lanzhou and so on. You can take a train to Chengdu, Guangyuan or Jiangyou and then hop on a bus to Jiuzhaigou. But actually this journey will make you feel very tired and usually the train is not on time. By Bus: There is a ring road between Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou. When you arrive at Chengdu you can take a bus to Jiuzhaigou directly. The ring road of Jiuzhaigou is an important tour route of Sichuan 913 km long and with two directions (east and west). So there are two routes constituted the round-trip between Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou. West route: approximately 430 km Both of the two routes take 9-10 hours. The highway from Chengdu to Dujiangyan, Mianyang and Jiangyou is smooth and wide, which makes the winter tour to be possible. Admission Fee: 310 yuan (from April 1 to November 15), 160 yuan (November 16 to March 31) (china.org.cn November 15, 2006) |
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