Talkkok

Last week, I was on a business trip to WUXI (无锡) , an old city in Jiangsu province of China. Split into halves by Lake Taihu, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. Wuxi earned its nickname “Pearl of Lake Tai” because it’s built on the shore of Lake Tai with beautiful sceneries. Wuxi was also dubbed “little Shanghai” because of its close proximity to the city and its fast urbanization and booming economy.

WUXI was 3000 years old,one of the oldest in China. The GDP per capita was ¥73,053 (ca. US$10,689) in 2008. Wuxi is one of the top business cities in China. According to Forbes ranking, Wuxi is in the third position for best business cities in Mainland China in 2008.

The people here buy cars or expensive items with cash. I did see one Chinese took out one stack of few inches thick 100 notes to pay for his Hugo Boss clothings. I stood there looking in awe.

The center of the city is filled with modern high rise buildings which may destroy the traditional atmosphere for one thousand years and the market is being redeveloped in a postmodern style.

But luckily they do have something worth visiting in WUXI….This is it:

The main attraction is the Grand Buddha:

The Lingshan Grand Buddha sits on the site of an ancient Buddhist Temple- Xiangxiang Temple of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The outdoor bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is 88 meter high.

The grand Buddha acquire its name because of the location on the small Lingshan Mountain. The grand Buddha is made of tin and bronze, taking advantage of bronze’s quality of erosion resistance.

The Lingshan Grand Buddha was built according to the thirty-two features of the Buddha in the sutra. The grand Buddha looks at all flesh with an affable smile. His right hand has a fearless seal with hand lifted and the center of the palm outside, which symbolizes removal of sufferings. And his left hand has a wishes seal with hand lifted, the center of the palm outside, and the thumb and the forefinger in the ring type like “OK”, which signifies giving of happiness. Sedate, dignified and delicate, the Buddhist statue has a solemn and satisfactory shape, showing the Buddha’s feature of mercy.

If you still cannot imagine the gigantic structure,then look at this next photo:

I was in a state of awe when i looked at the giant statue for the 1st time. I joined a local trip arranged by the hotel. The whole excursion only cost me RMB150. If you go by yourself, the entrance fee is already this price. This is because the tour agent can buy the ticket at significant lower price thus they can still make money by charging me only at 150. What a win-win situation,isn’t it?

Annually, millions of tourists are visiting this sacred site, some for prayer purpose,etc…..

According to the tour guide, each leave engraving costs about RMB10 million and this is for sure only for those filthy rich people.

Besides this Buddha, other attractions are following:

This fountain is giving the visitors a performance on an hourly basis. The performance is depicting the birth of the Buddha. Just look at the following photos’ sequence, then you understand better of the performance.

And you actually can collect the holy water during the fountain performance:

And there is a museum dedicated to Buddhism history and relics:

And you can find lots of unique souvenirs sold in the Grand Buddha statue:

This is a chance for you to choose which wish you wish to have. All you need to do is throw your coin on it. I tried few times but never got it…..nabei…!#$%^&*() /…….This remind me of the funfare game.

Next attraction in the site is the Ling Shan Brahma Palace (灵山梵宫):

Other attractions are following:

I started the visit at 1000 and finish about 1430. It is really a must see if you happen to be in WUXI.

Rating: 8/10

To be continued…..