Dazu Stone Carvings
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Dazu Rock Carvings
Dazu Rock Carvings The steep hillsides of the Dazu area contain an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to the 13th century. They are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. They provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. English FrenchArabicChineseRussianSpanishJapaneseDutch Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings © OUR PLACE The World Heritage Collection Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Dazu Rock Carvings Outstanding Universal Value Brief synthesis The steep hillsides in the Dazu area near Chongqing, contain an exceptional series of five clusters of rock carvings dating from the 9th to 13th centuries. The largest cluster at Beishan contains two groups along a cliff face 7-10m high stretching for around 300m. There are more than 10,000 carvings dating from the late 9th to the mid-12th century which depict themes of Tantric Buddhism and Taoism. Inscriptions give insight to the history, religious beliefs, dating and the identification of historical figures. The late 11thcentury Song dynasty carvings at Shizhuanshan extend over 130m and depict Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian images in a rare tripartite arrangement. The Song dynasty carvings at Shimenshan dating from the first half of the 12th century extend along 72m and integrate Buddhist and Taoist subjects. At Nanshan the Song dynasty carvings of the 12th century extend over a length of 86m and depict mostly Taoist subjects. The culmination in terms of expression of Tantric Buddhism is found in the U shaped gorge at Baodingshan which contains two groups of carvings dating from the late 12th to the mid-13th century near the Holy Longevity Monastery. The very large group to the west stretches for about 500 metres and comprises 31 groups of carved figures depicting themes from Tantric Buddhism as well scenes of herdsmen and ordinary life. The carvings are known for their grand scale, aesthetic quality and rich diversity of subject matter as well as for being well preserved. Standing as an example of the highest level of Chinese cave temple art dating from the 9th to 13th centuries, the Dazu Rock Carvings not only underline the harmonious coexistence in China of three different religions, namely Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, but also provide material proof that cave temple art has increasingly shed light on everyday life. Large numbers of carvings and written historical materials within the heritage site show the great changes in and development of cave temple art and religious beliefs in China during that period.
Dazu Rock Carvings
In Dazu County, some 165 kilometers away from Chongqing, are more than 40 sites of stone carvings with over 50,000 statues of Buddha completed from the late Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty. The grottoes on the Beishan Hill and Baoding Hill are the largest in scale, richest in content and most refined in artistic skill. Construction began on the Beishan Hill in the late Tang Dynasty and lasted for more than 250 years, with some 300 niches containing some 10,000 statues of Buddha being carved. The cave bearing the openwork octagonal "soul chariot" which symbolizes the eternal turning of the wheel of Buddhist law is the most fantastic piece of work. Right in the center of the cave is the statue of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, which is flanked by more than 20 statues including the Buddha of wisdom and universal benevolence. Samantabhadra, or Bodhisattva of Universal Benevolence, was meticulously designed and executed with refined lines to give her a womanly image with graceful features, soft skin, gentle and tranquil expression and elegant posture. Her typical image of an Eastern beauty has won her the description as the "Venus of the East". The carvings on Baoding Hill, dating back over 800 years, are magnificent. In the vicinity of the Baoding Hill are over 10,000 Buddha statues, mostly found near Dafowan, which is a horseshoe shaped gully about 500 meters long. Here, on the cliffs between 15 and 30 meters high, rows upon rows of large-size carvings can be found either on the cliff face or inside the caves. In 1999, the stone grottoes in Dazu entered the world cultural heritage list.
Dazu Rock Carvings
Dazu Rock Carvings contains all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County. The collection is composed of the rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan as well as 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 168 miles (about 271 kilometers) from Chengdu on its west and 104 miles (about 167 kilometers) from Chongqing on its east. The whole county has an area of 540 square miles (about 1,400 square kilometers), and it owns a history of more than 1,200 years since it came into existence in 758 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Dazu Rock Carvings was built from 650 in the Tang Dynasty and continued to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). It is as famous as the Mogao Caves 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 50,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs. The Buddhist statues dominate in this rock carving group, and the Taoist and the Confucian stone figures can also be seen. Dazu Grottoes Beishan Rock Carving It is 1.2 miles (about 2 kilometers ) away from the northwest of Dazu County. Figures in this part are something like 'an Assembly of Oriental Beauties', 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 that it is really a Buddhist palace. Baodingshan Rock Carving It is 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) from the northeast of Dazu County. It is made up of 13 groups of stone carving figures, totaling nearly 10 thousand cliffside figures. In this part, magnificent rock figures in different shapes compose a story. One will see some original and ethnic Buddhist rock features. Nanshan Rock Carving Standing at the southeast of Dazu County, the Taoism doctrine is the main theme in this part. Taoist gods' figures are carved vividly. The cave of Sanqing demonstrates the Taoist gods' ranking in the Song Dynasty (960－1279). Therefore, tourists will be impressed by these colorful clay creations.
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1 The Dazu Rock Carvings are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings located in Dazu County southwest of Chongqing City, the reputedly "county of rock carvings".
2 Listed as a World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs.
3 The Dazu Rock Carvings[1] (Chinese: 大足石刻; pinyin: Dàzú Shíkè) are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century AD, depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs.