The Dazu Rock Carvings bring history to life on stone

⛩ The Dazu Rock Carvings are a collective name for 141 cliffside carvings within the Dazu District of Chongqing, among which the Baodingshan carvings are considered the essence. They were carved from the sixth year of Chunxi in the Southern Song Dynasty to the ninth year of Chunyou (1179-1249), under the supervision of the high monk Zhao Zhifeng who devoted over 70 years to their construction. These carvings are a rare large-scale Buddhist Tantric grotto sanctuary in China, known for the saying 'Emei in the upper court, Baoding in the lower court'. 🕋 The Dazu Rock Carvings are represented by the 'Five Mountains' grottoes of Beishan, Baoding, Nanshan, Shimen Mountain, and Shizhuan Mountain, each with its unique characteristics. Beishan grottoes are known as 'China's gallery of Guanyin statues', Baodingshan grottoes are the only large-scale grottoes in the country with a unified conceptual layout, Nanshan grottoes are the nation's finest Taoist statues, Shimen Mountain grottoes feature both Buddhist and Taoist figures, and Shizhuan Mountain grottoes are rare 'syncretism of three religions' figure areas. 🛕 The Dazu Rock Carvings are located over 90 kilometers from the downtown area of Chongqing, about an hour's drive away. Currently, the open areas for visitors are Baodingshan and Beishan. Travelers usually visit Baodingshan first and then Beishan, with a half-hour drive between them. ⛰ The Baodingshan carvings include Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian themes, composed of dozens of grottoes, resembling a historical scroll of Southern Song society life. The most important feature is the secularization of the stone carving art. The statues are centered around the Great Buddha Bay, displaying the unique style of Tang Dynasty grotto art, known for its robust and vigorous modeling. In 1961, the Baodingshan rock carvings were announced as the first batch of 'National Treasures'. 🌈 Highlights: Thousand-Handed Guanyin: A national treasure that guards the mountain, it is also the Guanyin with the most hands in the world, said to have 1007 hands. Carved in the middle and late Southern Song Dynasty, it has been over 800 years. The sculpture is finely crafted and gilded on an 88 square meter cliff face, shining like a peacock's tail, unparalleled today. Viewing the Amitayus Sutra Transformation Tableau: One of the largest niches in Baodingshan, it is 21.6 meters wide and 8 meters high, with a total of 169 figures carved inside. The upper part depicts the prosperity of the Western Pure Land, the middle features the images of the three saints of the West, and the rest are carvings of the three grades and nine births and the 16 contemplations. The Deeds of the Principal Liu: Carved by Zhao Zhifeng for his mentor, Principal Liu (named Ju Zhi), it features 67 statues, about 10 meters high and 24 meters wide, divided into three layers and 14 scenes, depicting the cultivation journey of the ancestor Liu. The Nirvana of Sakyamuni: Also known as the Reclining Buddha, it is 31 meters long, showing only half of the body. Its composition has the wonder of 'the intention is there but the brush is subdued, a painting beyond the painting', giving a sense of hidden beauty. In addition, there are statues of Dharmapala, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the vast treasure towers, the Huayan Three Saints, the Nirvana of Sakyamuni, the filial piety transformation tableau, the hell transformation tableau, the Perfect Enlightenment sanctuary, the Herding Ox sanctuary, and others, with lifelike figures and profound implications.