Leshan, formerly known as Jiading, is a prefecture-level city located at the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers in Sichuan Province, China. Leshan is located on the southwestern fringe of the Sichuan Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km (75 mi) from Chengdu. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,235,759, of whom 662,814 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Shizhong district, as Wutongqiao and Jinkouhe districts are not conurbated yet.

In 1996, the Mount Emei Scenic Area, including the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone-carved buddha in the world, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Mount Emei is located within the county-level city of Emeishan, which is under the administrative jurisdiction of Leshan.The ancestral home of Chinese writer, academic and politician Guo Moruo is preserved in the Shawan District of Leshan.