Major Attractions Outside the City

Visitors have a view of the Leshan Giant Buddha statue across a river in Leshan, southwest China's Sichuan Province in this 2005 file photo. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

South of Chengdu, you can visit the Emei Mountain and the Leshan Giant Buddha. The 71-meter Leshan Giant Buddha was built in the year 803 during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). It is the biggest stone-carved Buddha in the world and was included on the World Heritage List. You can hop on a boat and enjoy the sight of the Buddha which is carved on a huge rock at the confluence of the Minjiang, Qingyi and Dadu rivers.

How to get there: It's about a two-hour drive from Chengdu to Leshan, where the Leshan Giant Buddha is located, via the expressway. Buses run between the two cities' bus stations, and there are buses bound for the resort area from the Leshan bus station.

Above: Looking over the mountain range of Emei from the Golden Summit. [Photo/Icpress] Below: A master of the Buddhist Academy of Emei Mountain reads a book in Emei Mountain, southwest China's Sichuan province, March 16, 2012. Established in 1927, the school, covering an area of more than 10,000 square meters presently, has courses mainly on Buddhism studying. [Photo/Xinhua]

28 kilometers from Leshan, Emei Mountain is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China and considered a good place to escape the summer heat. It's also a huge natural arboretum and a kingdom filled with wild animals. Four great spectacles of Emei include watching the sunrise from the Golden Summit, watching the thick clouds rise slowly among the mountain when the sky is clear blue, the Buddhist halos colored red, orange, yellow, green, black, blue, blue and purple that wrap around the foot of Sheshen Rock in the afternoon, and the Saint Lamp which is also part of the famous scenery. And for Kung-fu lovers, a martial arts festival is held here every year.

How to get there: Buses run from two bus stations in Leshan and the Leshan Giant Buddha resort to the Emei Mountain area. Or you can just take a taxi which only takes less than thirty minutes.

A new panda-themed hotel has opened at the foot of Emei Mountain, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Feb 25, 2013. The hotel is reportedly the first panda-themed hotel in the world. [Liu Zhongjun/Asianewsphoto]