Chongqing >> Dazu Grottoes

Attraction Typ: Historic Site

Location: about 160 km from city

Recommend: 4 Star

Dazu Grottoes

Dazu Grottoes are the only ones that were implemented according to an overall design among over 100 grottoes in China.

Dazu Grottoes (Chinese: 大足石刻; pinyin: Dàzú Shíkè) refers to all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County. All of these 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, 165 kilometers from Chongqing. Although some Dazu grottoes were originally built during the Tang Dynasty, large-scale development began in the Song Dynasty. The grotto art of Dazu County incorporates elements of the three major religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

The Dazu Grottoes enjoys equal popularity with theYungang and Longmen Grottoes and the carvings there are very distinguished both at home and abroad. Among the rock carvings, there are more than 5,000 statues and over100, 000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs. The collection is composed of the rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shizhuanshan and Shimenshan.

The grottoes on the Beishan Mountain and Baodingshan Mountain are the largest in scale, richest in content and most refined in artistic skill. Besides, the Baodingshan Grotto is the best preserved one and is a key cultural relic site under state protection. Many of the carvings in Baodingshan Grotto reflect religious doctrines and another set of carvings reflects Confucianism, specifically filial piety.

In 1999, UNESCO listed Dazu Stone Carvings as a world cultural heritage site. One point to be noted is that the Dazu Grottoes are the only ones that were implemented according to an overall design among over 100 grottoes in China.