Enormous and impassive, Dafo (the Great Buddha) peers out from under half-lidded eyes, uncaring of the sightseers swarming round his head, clambering over his toes and nearly capsizing their boats in their eagerness to photograph his bulk. Touted as the world's largest Buddhist sculpture at 71m tall, one thing the statistics can't convey is the feeling of seeing this squat icon, comfortably seated with his hands resting on his knees, growing as the ferry nears and first appreciating the effort of hand carving it from the surrounding red sandstone cliffs, which took more than ninety years.

Work on Dafo was started by the monk Haitong in 713, who felt that the image would protect boats navigating the rough waters below Lingyun Hill . After Haitong blinded himself to convince the government to hand over funds, the project was continued by the monks Zangchou and Weigao , who designed the Buddha's robes and hair to shed water and incorporated an internal drainage system to reduce weathering. Once construction started, temples sprang up above the Buddha at Lingyun Shan and on adjacent Wuyou Shan , and today you can spend a good five hours walking between the sights. Ferries (¥15) leave Leshan docks to Lingyun and Wuyou from about 8am until mid-afternoon (last ferries back around 6pm). Most people start at Wuyou, the route described below, but you'll encounter tour parties going either way. Dafo's admission fee is ¥40, with a further ¥2 each to enter individual temples along the way.