LESHAN - CHINA
Fraser Coast Sister City LeshanThe Hervey Bay Chamber of Commerce proudly recognises the Fraser Coast Sister City relationship with Leshan in China and supports the main objective of the Sister City arrangement of economic cooperation. In the Chinese context, this arrangement implies a commitment to enhancing economic and commercial interests in the two areas on a mutually beneficial basis.
Leshan is located where the Dadu, Minjiang, Qingyijiang rivers meet in Sichuan Province China, about 120 kilometers from Chengdu – the capital of the Sichuan Province. It has a territory of approximately 12,800m2 with a population of 3.25 million.
The city is a mix of old and new China with the older parts of the city containing many markets that serve the local population. They line the streets and offer a variety of foods as well as the freshest vegetables in the area. Farming is still the main industry of the outlying areas and the markets are a big part of everyday life in the area. Everything from poultry and fish to a wide variety of local produce is abundant.
In direct contrast, the newer skylines of Leshan are decorated with high-rise office towers and apartment buildings. With the industries of medicine and chemistry, electronics, construction, and decorating materials and tourism as its four economic pillars, the government leaders are determined to build Leshan into an international city with world-renowned tourist attractions.
With Mount Emei and the Leshan Grand Buddha in the centre, the land of Leshan is clustered with many scenic resorts, nature reserves, and forest parks, and key historical sites under protection. Mount Emei (Emeishan) is an area of exceptional cultural significance as it is the place where Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely through the East.
The Golden Summit, Mount Emei’s main peak at 3,079.3 meters above sea level, seems to almost touch the sky. There are four classic scenes at the Golden Summit: the sea of clouds, the sunrise, the “Buddha rays”, and the “saint lamps.” The first Buddhist temple in China was built on the summit of Mount Emei in the 1st century CE.
