From the South Gate of Geumjeongsan, you can extend your walk to take in Seokbulsa Temple, with its Buddhist statues built into the rock face and panoramic views over the city.

BBC: South Korea��s second city

The city of Odense was the childhood home of Hans Christian Andersen and it still looks the part, with cobbled streets, gothic spires and eccentric statues dedicated to its famous son.

BBC: Nine culture-filled weekends in Europe

As Stephen Batchelor has recently shown, the open-minded, non-authoritarian side of Buddhism, too, quickly succumbed to its theocratic side, gasping under the weight of those heavy statues.

NEWYORKER: The Big Reveal

The country's largest independent record label has just released its first album in the United States, by a band called Rebuilding the Rights of Statues.

NPR: China's Latest Export: Anti-Establishment Music