# Mengshan Giant Buddha (蒙山大佛)

Taiyuan, Shanxi Province · North China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/mengshan-giant-buddha
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥35
- **Opening hours:** 8:00–17:00 (March 20–October 20); 8:30–16:00 (October 21–March 20)
- **Time needed:** 2–4 hours
- **Getting there:** No direct bus route; taking a taxi is recommended
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Temples

## About Mengshan Giant Buddha

Mengshan Giant Buddha is located about 20 km southwest of Taiyuan. With a history of nearly 1,500 years, it is the earliest stone-carved Buddha statue in the world. The statue stands more than 60 metres tall, about 10 metres taller than the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, once regarded as the “largest Buddha in the world,” and it is over 100 years older. Three legendary episodes make the Giant Buddha especially compelling. First, Empress Wu Zetian once ordered a huge kasaya robe made for the statue, decorated with gold, silver and jewels that lit up the cliffs and illuminated the mountains and rivers. Second, after Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty, Li Yuan, paid respects to the Giant Buddha one day, he dreamed that night of Buddha light shining everywhere, which strengthened his resolve to raise an army and ultimately achieve his great cause. Third, the Mengshan Giant Buddha vanished from history for several centuries. At the end of the Yuan dynasty, the Buddha, which had flourished for more than 800 years, disappeared amid the wars. During a place-name survey in the 1980s, people discovered that a spot called Dadu Cliff, in Sidi Village, was the body of the Western Mountain Giant Buddha. After protective development and restoration, this Buddha, which had been lost for more than 600 years, once again appeared before the world.

## Tips from the guidebook

- Dawn Moon over Mengshan: The moon rises early and sets late over Mengshan. Its clear light over the mountains has long been known as “Dawn Moon over Mengshan.”

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1792. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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