Lingshan Giant Buddha

A great place to celebrate New Year's Eve. A good place for families or couples to celebrate. However, parking fees double during the Spring Festival; I wonder what the legal basis is.

In that instant of standing at the Buddha's feet and looking up, I understood the meaning of "guidance." As incense smoke slowly rose, the bronze robes seemed to flutter gently in the breeze; the eyes, looking down upon all beings, were lowered, yet that gaze softly lifted one up. The mountain scenery, the sound of bells, and the swirling smoke all became silent footnotes. Step by step, I ascended the path to the clouds, as if traversing a jumble of thoughts. Touching the lotus petals, I suddenly felt not that I was on a pilgrimage, but that the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon, through this compassionate statue, smoothed away the clamor of countless lifetimes into a shimmering light. Turning to descend the mountain, a gentle breeze seemed to waft through my sleeves—the Dharma is not in the distant heights, but in the moment I looked back and saw my own reflection.

Buying tickets online in advance is cheaper than buying them on-site. The same goes for the vegetarian buffet: 60 yuan on-site and 50 yuan online one day in advance. It is recommended to walk along the central axis to the Buddha first, then to the Brahma Palace and the Mandala. If you are not in a hurry, you can walk slowly without taking a car. The whole walk can be done in about 3 hours without getting tired.

The Buddha is high enough so you can take photos from almost any angle. If you want to take a full-body photo, the square or Xiangfu Temple would be a good choice, but there are really a lot of people. I prefer the busts of the Buddha I took at Jiulong Guanyu and Wuyin Mandala, especially the photo of the Buddha on the relief of the demon-subduing Buddha and the Buddha in the distance, and the photo of the group of cute little monks in front of the Ashoka Pillar with the Buddha.

I visited Lingshan Scenic Area when it was first built. Although the scenery was beautiful, the traffic was chaotic. I visited it again after a few years and found that it had improved significantly. This practical guide provides tourists in need. Transportation: Foreign tourists can take the Leyou Line 2 from Wuxi Station or Nianhua Bay, and the fare is 10 yuan. The disadvantage of Leyou Line 2 is the long waiting time (each train is 45 minutes to 1 hour apart), but the advantage is that it has few stops. Attached Figure 1 shows the timetable of Leyou Line 2, which may be subject to temporary changes. Please check in advance. There are several other buses such as 88 and 89 at the entrance of Lingshan Scenic Area, among which Route 88 also starts from Wuxi Station (not reaching Nianhua Bay). There are many stops (41), but the intervals are short and the fare is two yuan. As long as it is not a weekend or holiday, there will be seats available no matter you get on the bus at Nianhua Bay or Wuxi Station. It takes about 15 minutes to drive from Nianhua Bay to Lingshan Scenic Spot; it takes about 1.5 hours to drive from the railway station to Lingshan Scenic Spot during non-peak hours. Performances: The performances at Lingshan Scenic Spot include the auspicious chants in the Brahma Palace, the pagoda raising ceremony, and the Nine Dragons Bathing. After arriving at the scenic spot, please go to the visitor center to take photos and check the performance time. Since there are not many performances, you need to arrange the order yourself, otherwise you may miss it or wait too long. It is important to remind you that you cannot go in the opposite direction when visiting the Brahma Palace. You can only see the Ascension Pagoda first and then the Auspicious Hymn. After watching the Auspicious Hymn, you can only follow the flow of people and walk out of the Brahma Palace. If you want to see the Ascension Pagoda, you have to enter the Brahma Palace again. The performances are included in the ticket price. Visitors who are exempt from admission fees (such as people over 70 years old) need to pay an additional 50 yuan to watch the Auspicious Song. The tower ascension and Nine Dragons Bathing take no more than 10 minutes each; the auspicious chant, including the time spent entering and exiting, takes about half an hour. Shuttle bus: Tourists with limited time or bad knees who can’t walk up 200 steps should choose the shuttle bus. There are two types of shuttle buses, 30 yuan and 40 yuan. The 30 yuan one is more suitable because there are more buses and it is convenient (you only need to wait for a few minutes), unlike the 40 yuan train (there are fewer buses). The shuttle bus allows you to get on and off multiple times and goes to all major attractions including the Big Buddha. Just tell the driver where to go. You can only go up to the top of the Buddha, not down. You have to walk down the stairs by yourself. After the shuttle bus arrives at the top of the Buddha, you need to walk down one floor and then take the elevator to the foot of the Buddha. Attractions: See the map in Figure 2 for the main attractions. Food: There is a vegetarian buffet in the Brahma Palace, which costs 60 yuan per person. There are 20 to 30 kinds of hot and cold food, as well as drinks and fruits. I personally tested the taste and it is good. There is a vegetarian restaurant near Buddha's Hand Square that serves vegetarian noodles and vegetarian buns. I haven't tried it, but it's said to be quite good. Luggage: Luggage can be stored at the Visitor Center for free and can be picked up before 4:30 pm. Duration: 3 hours at the fastest and 6 hours at the slowest.

It is worthy of being a 5A-level scenic spot. The scenery inside is pleasant. The 88-meter Sakyamuni Buddha statue is 18 meters higher than the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan. It is really spectacular. Going up the steps, you can see many tourists and believers bowing every three steps. There are three free performances in the scenic area. The first one is the Nine Dragons Bathing in the square not far from the entrance. The second one is the auspicious chant inside the Lingshan Brahma Palace. The reliefs in the Brahma Palace are very beautiful. The third one was because I spent too much time playing before, so I didn’t catch up, so I didn’t know where to watch it. Finally, I visited the lying seal mandala, where there are many Buddhist Buddhas to see! One thing to note is that if you have enough time, you can take a slow walk, and then don’t buy tickets for the scenic area tour bus. It doesn’t take much time to walk. 30 yuan can only take a battery car, and 40 yuan can take a small train. It’s still a bit tasteless. The scenic area has three major parts, which is actually not very big! Finally, I wish you all a good time!

This is the Five Seals Mandala in Lingshan Scenic Spot in Wuxi. It is the most worthwhile building to appreciate in Lingshan Scenic Spot. Standing in the rippling water of perfume, it is an authentic Tibetan cultural landscape. It is a Tibetan-style building that can be seen in the Jiangnan area, which is quite different from the Jiangnan style. You can experience the mystery of Tibetan culture, and the prayer flags will echo it. There are paintings, murals, wood carvings, thangkas, angry Buddha statues, wall decorations, and a sense of gold plating... All the charm of Tibetan style is here.

The Lingshan Giant Buddha, which I have been longing to visit for several years, is finally here. The ticket price is discounted during the epidemic. I heard on the way that it is very big inside, but after entering, I was a little disappointed. It seems that I have seen everything at a glance. The Buddha is very spectacular, and there is also a Nine Dragons Bathing Performance. The exterior of the Brahma Palace is very beautiful, and the interior is magnificent. The only thing is that the exit of the scenic area is particularly annoying. The merchandise area and the food area, where you can get out in two minutes, make you walk in an S shape, which can take 10 minutes. I know it is for shopping, but the ground is still very slippery, and you have to turn around and around. It's really annoying. I have only been to this place once.