【国内文旅卷】世界文化遗产之峨眉山（中英双语）
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“公元1世纪，在四川省峨眉山景色秀丽的山巅上，落成了中国第一座佛教寺院。许多世纪以来，文化财富大量积淀。其中最著名的要属乐山大佛，它是公元8世纪时人们在一座山岩上雕凿出来的，仿佛俯瞰着三江交汇之所。佛像身高71米，堪称世界之最。峨眉山还以其物种繁多、种类丰富的植物而闻名天下，从亚热带植物到亚高山针叶林可谓应有尽有，有些树木树龄已逾千年。”以上是世界遗产委员会对峨眉山与乐山大佛的评价。1996年，峨眉山与乐山大佛一并被列入世界遗产名录。
峨眉山位于四川省中南部，因“如螓首蛾眉”，有着少女面容与修眉之喻。峨眉山与山西五台山、浙江普陀山、安徽九化山并称为中国佛教四大名山之一，是普贤菩萨的道场，自古就是著名的佛教圣地。
峨眉山上的佛教寺院始建于东汉，经过数代的发展，至唐代时日趋兴盛。因金顶上出现的“佛光”而被信徒看作是普贤菩萨祥瑞的“大光明”，故又有光明山之称。至明清时期，峨眉山迎来了佛教的极盛，大小寺庙近百座，僧侣数千人。峨眉山现有寺庙30余处，主要有报国寺、伏虎寺、白龙洞、清音阁、万年寺、洗象池、华藏寺等，佛事频繁、历史悠久、规模宏大。
峨眉山平地而起，最高峰为海拔3099米的万佛顶，相对高差达2600米，气势磅礴。也因此而保存着完整的植被分布带、古老珍稀的濒危物种多、特有种与模式种多，素有天然“植物王国”、“动物乐园”、“地质博物馆”之美誉。
乐山大佛位于四川省乐山市东南的凌云山栖鸾峰，前临岷江、大渡河与青衣江三江交汇点。大佛是依凌云山西侧悬崖雕凿成的巨型摩崖造像，史上原称为嘉州凌云寺大弥勒石像。乐山大佛始建于唐玄宗开元元年（公元713年），完成于唐德宗贞元十九年（公元803年），经过三代工匠的努力、耗时90年时间才完工。大佛正襟倚坐，俯瞰众生，双手抚膝，跣足踏江，雍容庄严。佛像通高71米，仅头部就高达近15米，脚背上可容近百人，是中国最大的石像。素有“佛是一座山，山是一尊佛”之称。
大佛初建时外部建有木构重楼，外部13重檐，内部实为7层，称大佛像阁。后世屡毁屡建，宋代改称天宁阁，直至明末毁于战火。如今的崖面与佛身上残存有许多桩洞与柱础，便是当年盛景的纪念。乐山大佛终成为露天大佛，俯瞰芸芸众生，保佑着波涛汹涌的江水中来来往往的船只。
大佛右侧石壁自上而下有栈道盘旋九曲，与大佛同时开凿。九曲栈道的第一折处存有经变图与楼台亭塔的石雕，刻工精细、形象生动，是研究唐代造像与建筑艺术的宝贵资料。
【全文翻译】
“The first Buddhist temple in China was built here in Sichuan Province in the 1st Century A.D. in the beautiful surroundings on the summit of Mount Emei. Over the centuries, the cultural treasures grew in number. The most remarkable is the Giant Buddha of Leshan, which was carved out of a hillside in the 8th Century and seems looking down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 meters high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. Mount Emei is also notable for its exceptionally diverse vegetation, ranging from subtropical to subalpine pine forests. Some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old.” This is the remark that the World Heritage Committee made when Mount Emei and Leshan Giant Buddha scenic areas were inscribed into the World Heritage List in 1996.
Mount Emei (literally, “Delicate Eyebrow”), located in the central and southern parts of Sichuan Province, derived its name from its beautiful scenery like a maiden’s look and her eyebrows. It is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, together with Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province, Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province, and Mount Jiuhua in Anhui Province. Mount Emei is regarded as the domain of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and has been a famous holy land of Buddhism.
Construction of Buddhist temples on Mount Emei began in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), and flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) after dynasties of development. The Buddha’s halo that appears from time to time on the Golden Summit of Mount Emei is considered by Buddhist followers as the “grand brightness” of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. For this reason, Mount Emei is also called “Mountain of Brightness.” During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, Buddhism reached its zenith in Mount Emei. At that time, there were nearly 100 temples with thousands of monks. Presently, the mountain still preserves more than 30 Buddhist shrines, including Baoguo Temple, Fuhu (crouching tiger) Temple, Bailong (white dragon) Cave, Qingyin Pavilion, Wannian Temple, Xixiang Pond, and Huacang Temple. Grand Buddhist rites are often held in those time-honored temples.
The highest peak of Mount Emei, the Wanfo (literally, “Ten Thousand Buddha”) Summit, rises 3,099 meters above sea level. Rising abruptly from the level ground, the magnificent mountain boasts an elevation difference as high as 2,600 meters. For this reason, it preserves a complete variety of vegetation distribution belts and many rare endangered species, endemic species and type species. The mountain has long enjoyed reputations such as “Paradise for Plants,” “Kingdom of Animals” and “Geological Museum.”
Leshan Giant Buddha, situated on the Qiluan Peak of Mount Lingyun in southeastern Leshan City, Sichuan Province, faces the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers. Historically known as the Stone Statue of Maitreya in the Lingyun Temple of Jiazhou, the Giant Buddha was carved out of a cliff in the west of Mount Lingyun. Begun in 713 (the first year during the Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty) and completed in 803 (the 19th year during the Zhenyuan reign of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty), the statue took three generations of artisans 90 years to carve. The Giant Buddha in sitting posture has his two hands placed on the knees and his bare feet stamping on the river, generating a graceful and majestic atmosphere. The statue rises 71 meters high overall, with the head measuring nearly 15 meters. His feet are large enough to accommodate nearly 100 people at one time. The Giant Buddha is the largest stone statue in China, hence the local saying: “The Buddha is a mountain, and the mountain is a Buddha.”
Initially, the Giant Buddha was roofed with a wooden building known as the Giant Buddha Pavilion, which had 13 layers of eaves outside and seven floors inside. After repeated destructions and reconstructions, the building was renamed Tianning Pavilion in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) until it was destroyed due to warfare in the late Ming Dynasty. So far, the cliff and the body of the Giant Buddha have still preserved many pillar holes and foundations, reminding people of its past glory. Today, the Leshan Giant Buddha sits in open air, overlooks all living beings, and protects boats cruising on torrential rivers at his feet.
A plank road zigzags downwards on the cliff to the right of the Giant Buddha, which is the famous Nine-turn Plank Road that was built together with the Giant Buddha. At the first turn of the plank road, there are exquisitely-crafted stone carvings that vividly depict Buddhist tales and buildings such as towers, pavilions, and pagodas, which are of high value for researching Tang-Dynasty sculpture and architecture.