I will compare two iconic statues from two distinct religions, Buddhism and Taoism. The Buddhist statue I chose to examine is the Leshan Giant Buddha from the Tang Dynasty in China, while the Taoist statue is the Laozi statue from the Song period in China. Both statues are found in China and are great icons, but in the details of each statue are intricate differences that reveal important advancements and philosophies of their times. Both religious statues have an associated being behind them; Siddharth Gautama is the Buddha of Buddhism and Laozi is the founder of Daoism. Laozi was the founder of Daoism in the 6th century, during the Zhou Dynasty. Laozi is usually depicted as an old man riding an ox, with long white or gray hair. The philosophical system of Daoism emphasizes the individual, rather than communal, search for harmony with the dao. The Dao is the doctrine or prescriptive way; conceived as the void from which all reality emerges, beyond time and space, so vast that it cannot be described. The Dao spontaneously generated primordial energy (QI) and contemporary yin and yang. Laozi believed that social harmony would come if people attuned to the Way (The Dao). To be content, one must accept that change is the absolute reality and that all things and transformation are unified in the Dao. The best way to achieve understanding of the Way is through meditation, seeking stillness in nature, abandoning society and living the life of a hermit, going to the mountains and getting drunk or high on various substances. Many Taoists would retreat to the Boshan Mountains located on the Immortal Island in the East Sea. There is a Taoist myth that the Boshan Mountains give ...... middle of paper ...... artists and engineers. The Leshan Buddha and the Laozi statue essentially serve the same purpose, to commemorate an icon for their specific purpose. philosophical beliefs; both Laozi and Buddha are considered deities to be worshiped, deities that many believers follow and praise. The Leshan Giant Buddha appears to be an icon of a more social religion, Buddhism, so it is designed to accommodate heavy foot traffic. It also demonstrates how Buddhist society can harmonize and solve problems together; problems like the turbulent river and rocks. The giant statue of Laozi is the icon of a religion that promotes isolation from society to balance one's Dao, Daoism. Both are widely followed religions, Buddhism is much more followed. Visiting one of these statues would be breathtaking due to their immensity and level of importance in modern and ancient history.