Dazu Rock Carvings
(Source: english.cqnews.net)
The Dazu Rock Carvings contain all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County. The collection is composed of the rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan and Shizhuanshan, all of which are of the highest artistic attainment and demonstrate the most exquisite skills.
Dazu County, reputed as “the county of rock carving”, is located at the southeast of Sichuan province. It is 271 kilometers (about 168.4 miles) from Chengdu on its west and 167 kilometers (about 103.8 miles) from Chongqing on its east. The whole county has an area of 1,400 square kilometers (about 540.5 square miles), and it covers a history of 1,230 years since it came into existence in 758 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The Dazu Rock Carvings began in 650 during the Tang Dynasty and continued into the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). It is as famous as the Mogao Cave in Dunhuang, Gansu Province. The rock carvings in these places are very distinguished both at home and abroad. Among the rock carvings, there are more than 5,000 statues and over 100, 000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs. The Buddhist statues dominate in the rock carving group, while Taoist and the Confucian stone figures can also be seen.
Beishan Rock Carving
It is 2 kilometers (about 1.24 miles) away from the northwest of Dazu County. Carvings in this part include An Assembly of Oriental Beauty since it enjoys good preservation and elaborate craftsmanship. Tourists can see the graceful statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, crowned as The Oriental Venus. Rock carvings in this part reveal the common Buddhist faith. Standing here for a while, one may feel it is really a Buddhist palace.
Baodingshan Rock Carving
It is 15 kilometers (about 9.32 miles) from the northeast of Dazu County. It is made up of 13 groups of stone carving figures, totaling nearly 10,000 cliffside figures. In this part, magnificent rock figures in different shapes compose a story. One will see some original and ethnic Buddhist rock features.
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