The stone-carved Buddha towers over Xiashui village. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Towering above the landscape of Xiashui village, 16 kilometers outside of Guiyang, is a gigantic Buddha statue peering down at the scenery below.

Hewn out of the very living rock, little is known about the 50-meter-high statue. Legend has it that the statue was chiseled to ward off evil spirits lurking in the flowing waters of the Shalao River below. It is said that the Buddha protects the surrounding farm lands from flooding.

It is said the Buddha safeguards the farmland stretching at its feet from flooding. [Photo/chinanews.com]