Dazu Grottoes / Dazu Stone Carvings



Located in Dazu County, is 271 kilometers away from Chengdu and 163 kilometers away from
Chongqing. the stone carvings of Dazu, chiefly consisting of Buddhists images, are the art of religious
nature. More than 50,000 figure statues are scattered over 75 spots. The subjects are different with each
other and are placed in sequence.

The work of Dazu Rock Carvings began in the first year of Yonghui in the Tang Dynasty (650A.D.), and
continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dazu Stone Carvings' Grottoes represent a beautiful gem in
the grotto arts of China.

There are more than 50,000 Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian rock carvings and 100,000 characters of

inscriptions dotted around Dazu. All the Cliffside carvings, ingeniously conceived with a great originality, are well known for their variety in subject
matter, richness in content, and their co-existence of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

Among them, two rock carvings, which are the most famous as well as the biggest, are Baodingshan and Beishan. There are nearly 10,000 stone
statues in Beishan. They mainly gather in Fowan, which is a U-shaped section of about 500 meters long and looks like a new moon. These rock
carvings here were excavated in the Jingfu time of the Song Dynasty (A.D.892). They underwent the Five Dynasties, the Southern Song Dynasty and
the Northern Song Dynasty. These statues are lifelike and excavated elaborately. The most wonderful statues are several statues of Guan Yin, Wen
Shu and Pu Xian. The rock carvings in Baoshishan are also rare in the grotto art of China.

With rich images as well as inscriptions, the Dazu Grottoes are regarded as an art treasure house
that fully reflected the society, philosophy, religion and folklore of that time. In 1999, UNESCO listed
Dazu Stone Carvings as a world cultural heritage site.