Mengshan Giant Buddha, Cliff-carved Buddha statue in Jinyuan, Taiyuan, China

The Mengshan Giant Buddha is a 46-meter stone figure carved directly into a mountain face near Taiyuan. The monumental sculpture sits on a steep rocky cliff and is surrounded by pathways that make the artwork accessible to visitors.

Carving began under the Northern Qi, with completion placed at 569 CE; the cliff statue stood behind Kaihua Temple, founded in 559. Tang Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian visited in 657, and Li Keyong rebuilt its temple pavilion from 895. The temple was ruined at the end of the Yuan, and the buried torso was rediscovered in 1980.

The name Mengshan Dafo refers to the mountain and the figure. Tang Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian visited in 657 and gave jewellery, textiles and clothing; Li Keyong and Liu Zhiyuan later funded repairs. A 2013 ceremony draped a donated golden robe over the statue, removed after a few days because of wind.

The Buddha sits near the top of Mengshan, reached on foot from the Shi Di village side; the climb is on stone steps and paths, so allow time for the ascent. The statue faces outward from an open cliff niche 29.6 m wide, and the ground in front holds the remains of a building platform, so the best view of the face is from below. The site has been free to enter since it opened in October 2008.

The 12-meter head added in 2008 weighs about 140 tonnes and was modelled on Northern Qi Buddha heads unearthed locally. It is made of a lightweight material that looks like rock, while the body was consolidated with over 450 tonnes of grout.