Binzhou Giant Buddha, a thousand-year-old statue!

Binzhou Giant Buddha, also known as Binxian Giant Buddha, is located in the Great Buddha Temple Grottoes on the south bank of the Jinghe River, 10 km west of Binzhou City (formerly Bin County), Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. The Giant Buddha is an Amitabha Buddha statue, 20 meters high, with a head height of 5.2 meters, a hand height of 4.5 meters, a finger height of 2 meters, and a fingernail thickness of 0.5 meters. The Giant Buddha sits on a lotus platform, and its grandeur and exquisite carving are breathtaking. The Binzhou Great Buddha Temple Grottoes were built in the early Tang Dynasty during the reign of Li Shimin, more than 1,300 years ago, and are a national key cultural relic protection unit. The entire temple has 130 caves, scattered over a 400-meter-long three-dimensional rock face. The most famous of these is the Giant Buddha in the Great Buddha Cave, which is not only the largest Buddha in Shaanxi but also one of the largest Buddha statues on the Silk Road. There is a theory that the Giant Buddha was built according to the true appearance of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, but this theory is more based on folklore and historical speculation, and there is no conclusive evidence to support it. However, regardless of the truth, the Binzhou Giant Buddha attracts countless visitors with its unique artistic charm and profound cultural heritage. In addition to the Giant Buddha itself, the Great Buddha Temple Grottoes also include the Thousand Buddha Cave, the Arhat Cave, and other parts, which together form a large and exquisite group of Buddhist statues. These grottoes not only showcase the charm of Buddhist art but also witness the cultural exchange and integration on the ancient Silk Road. In recent years, the Binzhou Great Buddha Temple Grottoes have been successfully included in the World Heritage List as one of the sites of the "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Network" jointly declared by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, further enhancing its international reputation and influence.