Lingshan Giant Buddha is situated in the national tourism resort of Taihu Lake, in Wuxi, covering an area of 30 hectare. After walking from the parking lot in the big orchard of Lingshan Mountain to the Zhaobi square, the magnificent Buddha is within eyesight, surrounded by mountains from three sides. The Buddha enjoys excellent geographical advantages, for it faces Taihu Lake in the south, backs Lingshan Mountain, with Qinglong Mountain on the left and Baihu Mountain on the right, being really the best place for Buddhism.
The construction of Lingshan Giant Buddha was finished on November 15th 1997, and there are altogether 100,000 eminent monks and disciples at home and abroad watching the opening ceremony.
Linshan Buddha, 25 kilometres from the city’s downtown area, the Lingshan Sakyamuni Buddha (Lingshan dafo) stands solemnly at the site of famous Tang Dynasty Xiangfu Temple, which was ruined after a series of ancient wars. The bronze icon is 250 feet long, 100 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty. Entirely made of tin and copper, the statue weighs more than 700 tons. On the left side, the Shiwuwei seal is supposed to reduce suffering in the world while the Yuyuan seal on the right delivers happiness. The character on the Buddha’s chest represents solemnity and virtue. With the nearby Tiahu Lake and a beautiful range of hills, the Lingshan Buddha attracts the faithful, as well as travelers, especially from Hong Kong and Japan, the former of which are said to have contributed some $150,000 towards the construction of the site.