2003-07, Leshan Giant Buddha《乐山大佛》

Stamp Title: Leshan Giant Buddha
Serial number: 2003-7
Values in set: 1 (Souvenir Sheet )
Denomination: 8.00 yuan
Date of issue: 28th Apr. 2003
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of S/S stamp: 50*65 mm
Size of S/S: 145*90 mm
Printing process: gravure-engraving
Printer: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing House

Background
Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest carved stone Buddha of the world, is situated in the west cliff of Lingyun Mountain of Leshan, Sichuan Province. According to historical records, a notable monk named Haitong started its construction in 713 AD (the first year of the reign of Kaiyuan) of the Tang Dynasty. The work took 90 years.When it was new, the statue was covered with gold and colourful painting, with a thirteen-story pavilion to shield it. The pavilion was first called Giant Buddha Pavilion, then renamed Tianning Pavilion in the Song Dynasty, and eventually fell apart in the late Ming Dynasty. The Giant Buddha is located where the Minjiang, Qingyijiang and Daduhe rivers converge. Carved in the cliff, it is 71 metres high, its head reaching the top of the mountain and its feet resting on the riverside. Its instep is spacious enough for more than 100 people. In the viewers’ eyes, the stately, imposing, magnificent statue is a mountain, and the mountain a statue of Buddha. In 1996, Leshan Giant Buddha, which has witnessed 1,200 years of vicissitudes, was included into the World Cultural Heritage List.

2003-7 《乐山大佛》小型张
（1-1）T 乐山大佛 8元 820万枚
志号：2003-7M
发行日期：2003年4月28日
版别：影雕
小型张规格：145×90毫米
邮票规格：50×65毫米
设计者：王虎鸣
摄影：河川
设计：王虎鸣
雕刻者：阎炳武
印制厂：北京邮票厂

邮票赏析：
乐山大佛位于峨眉山东31公里的乐山市，依凌云山栖霞峰临江峭壁凿造而成，又名凌云大佛，为弥勒坐像，是乐山最著名的景观。乐山大佛开凿于唐玄宗开元初年(公元713年)。佛像高71米，是世界最高的大佛。大佛头长14.7米，宽10米，肩宽24米，耳长7米，耳内可并立两人，脚背宽8.5米，可坐百余人，素有“佛是一座山，山是一尊佛”之称。大佛面对岷江、大渡河和青衣江的汇流处，造型庄严，设计巧妙，排水设施隐而不见，使它历经千年风霜，至今仍然安坐在滔滔江水之畔，具有很高的艺术价值和丰富的文化内涵，是中华民族的文化瑰宝，是世界历史文化的宝贵遗产。但自明、清以来的数百年间，大佛饱受自然风雨侵蚀，以致佛身千疮百孔，面目全非。1962年，我国政府拨专款对佛像作全面维修，它那端庄清秀的真容才重见天日，以后大佛又被列为全国重点文物保护单位。1996年12月峨眉山–乐山大佛被联合国教科文组织遗产委员会列入《世界遗产名录》。目前，在联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会和国内外文物保护专家的指导下，这座屹立了1200多年的大佛的进一步维修保护工作正在有步骤地展开。

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