RECLINING BUDDHA
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If there was only one reason to come to Zhangye, here she is. This complex - 23,000 m 2 - of sumptuous temples and immense historical value (Emperor Kubilay, the first of the Yuan dynasty, would have been born), contains in its largest building a real jewel, a 34.5-meter long Buddha, which would be the longest in the world (or at least China). Built in 1098, its wooden structure, covered with a kind of plaster, has crossed the ages, no less than ten centuries in total! Besides, it's the same Buddha that Marco Polo would have seen and that he tells in his book about the World's Imagination. During the Cultural Revolution, red guards did not have the courage to deteriorate it, but they were still digging a tunnel, as to prove that Buddha sounded hollow. These minor damage was repaired afterwards and the small holes you see on the side of the huge statue are aeration. The rest of the complex presents interesting collections related to the history of the silk road and the spread of Buddhism in China.
An unavoidable visit.
Au Musée, une maquette du Bouddha couché permet d'en comprendre la structure creuse dans laquelle était conservée des manuscrits. Lors de la révolution culturelle, les gardes rouges en ont détruit une partie. Mais plusieurs documents et tableaux ont été sauvés par une dévote qui a aujourd'hui sa statue dans les jardins.