China's Buddha statue culture has a long history, and each Buddha statue has a rich historical story and religious significance behind it, as well as a superb artistic achievement.
1. **Jiangxi Donglin Giant Buddha**
Located in Lushan Donglin Temple, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, it is the world's tallest golden Buddha statue, reaching a height of 48 meters and weighing 640 tons. The design of the Donglin Giant Buddha blends tradition and modernity, with a smiling Buddha and a kind posture, reflecting the meaning of Amitabha Buddha's introduction. In the process of preparation, it gathered the efforts and donations of countless believers, and it is a pure place with no traces of commerce.
2. **Pingdingshan Central Plains Giant Buddha**
Located in Lushan County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, it is currently the world's tallest Buddhist statue, with a total height of 208 meters, including 108 meters of Buddha body, 20 meters of lotus seat, 25 meters of Vajra seat, and 55 meters of Sumeru seat. This Buddha statue is made of bronze and gilded technology, and is known as the "Golden Buddha of Foshan", showing the grandeur and splendor of Buddhist culture.
3. **Anhui Jiuhua Mountain Tibetan King Bodhisattva**
Jiuhua Mountain is one of the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism and is famous for its worship of Jizo Bodhisattva. Jizo King Bodhisattva is regarded as the Great Wish Bodhisattva, and its statues are all over the temples of Jiuhua Mountain, especially the Golden Jizo Body Pagoda in the Flesh Treasure Hall, symbolizing the grand wish of Jizo King Bodhisattva that "hell is not empty, and vows will not become a Buddha", attracting many believers to come to worship.
4. **Sanya Nanshan Sea Guanyin**
Located in Sanya City, Hainan Province, it is the world's tallest statue of Guanyin on the sea, with a height of 108 meters, integrating three shapes, holding lotus flowers, golden books, and Buddhist beads, implying peace, wisdom and compassion. It stands between the blue sea and blue sky, and looks particularly solemn and sacred from the air or the sea.
5. **Leshan Giant Buddha**
Located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, it is a cliff stone carved statue excavated in the Tang Dynasty, 71 meters high, and is the world's largest stone carved sitting Buddha. The Leshan Giant Buddha is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the shape is magnificent, and it still stands tall after thousands of years of wind and rain, showing the outstanding skills of ancient craftsmen and a deep understanding of Buddhism.
6. **Wuxi Lingshan Giant Buddha**
Located in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, it is an 88-meter-high bronze statue, designed according to the 32 forms of Buddhist scriptures, and is one of the world's largest open-air bronze Buddha statues. The Lingshan Giant Buddha is backed by Lingshan Mountain and faces Taihu Lake, which is magnificent and is an outstanding representative of modern Buddhist art.
7. **Putuo Mountain Nanhai Guanyin**
Putuo Mountain is one of the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism, dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva, among which the statue of Guanyin in the South China Sea is 33 meters high, holding a willow bottle and nectar, facing the sea, guarding a side of tranquility. With its exquisite craftsmanship and solemn image, this Buddha statue has become a major symbol of Putuo Mountain.
8. **Mount Emei Shifang Puxian Bodhisattva**
Located at the top of Mount Emei, it is built to commemorate Mount Emei as a Bodhisattva dojo, 48 meters high, using copper casting and gold pasting process. The statue of Shifang Fugen is composed of ten heads, symbolizing the ten vows of Fuxian Bodhisattva, and is an important place for believers to make pilgrimages.
9. **Dunhua Jinding Buddha**
Located in Liudingshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Dunhua City, Jilin Province, it is a newly built giant bronze seated Buddha statue, with a total height of 48 meters, which is the highest open-air seated Buddha in Northeast China. The Jinding Giant Buddha sits in the north and faces south, with its back against the Mudanjiang River and facing the Changbai Mountains, which has far-reaching meaning and is a new landmark of local Buddhist culture.
10. **Hong Kong Big Buddha**
Located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, it is a bronze seated Buddha statue with a height of 26.4 meters and a weight of about 250 tons, making it the world's largest outdoor bronze seated Buddha. The Big Buddha sits on a three-tiered altar facing the vast sea, symbolizing the perfection of wisdom and compassion, and is one of Hong Kong's famous tourist attractions.
These Buddha statues are not only a symbol of religious beliefs, but also a treasure of Chinese culture, each of which contains a profound historical and cultural heritage, witnessing the spread and development of Buddhism in China, as well as people's prayers and pursuit of a better life.