Fuzhou version of the 'Leshan Giant Buddha'

Maitreya Rock Scenic Area is located in Niuzhai Village, Haikou Town, Fuqing City, about 10 kilometers from the urban area of Fuqing. It was historically known as Ruiyan Dan Cave and is a scenic area that combines both cultural and natural landscapes. Maitreya Rock features jagged rock peaks that either lie down or hang, separate or merge, with countless charming postures that leave people in awe. The main attractions of the Maitreya Rock Scenic Area include the Maitreya Buddha, Ruiyan Temple, and cliff carvings. The stone statue of the Maitreya Buddha was built in 1341 and completed in 1369. It is 9 meters high, 8.9 meters wide, and about 8 meters thick, carved in situ from a whole rock in its natural form. The stone Buddha sits cross-legged on the ground, with an open chest and exposed navel, and three small arhats are carved on its legs and waist. The statue is well-proportioned, with smooth lines and a perfect combination of form and spirit. Its exquisite stone quality, scale, and carving artistry are breathtaking! It is the largest three-dimensional stone seated statue of Maitreya Buddha in the country and was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 1996. Ruiyan Mountain has caves of various shapes, and there are about 100 cliff carvings from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties on the mountain, which have high artistic and ornamental value. The famous anti-Japanese general of the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang, once stationed his troops here, leaving many historical marks of the anti-Japanese war! The Ming Dynasty Prime Minister Ye Xianggao once studied here, leaving many touching stories. Ruiyan Temple was first built in 1222, destroyed in the late Southern Song Dynasty, and rebuilt in the early Ming Hongwu period. It was listed as the first batch of county-level cultural relic protection units in 1981, and in 1996, overseas Chinese invested more than ten million yuan to restore it to its original state.