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Dazu Rock Carvings  |
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 Dazu County, located in the southeast of Sichuan province, is 271 kilometres away from Chengdu and 163 kilometres away from Chongqing. "Dazu" here means "harvest and abundance."
The stone carvings in Dazu date to the Tang and Song dynasties, and continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties. The stone carvings in Dazu are typical grotto carvings from later historical periods. Now, it enjoys equal popularity with the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes.
The general term of "Dazu Rock Carvings" refers to all the cliff-side carvings in Dazu County, which includes the carvings in Beishan (including Beita), Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shizhuanshan and Shimenshan. Baoding Grotto, 15 kilometres northeast of the county seat, is the largest and best preserved one and is a key cultural relic site under state protection.
There are 100,000 images in this group of stone carvings, which are found at 70 sites about 14 kilometers from Chongqing. Most are Buddhist but there are Confucian and Taoist images. The carvings not only include the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva, but also include that of monarchs, ministers, military officers, high and low-ranking officials, jailers, executioners, monks, rich and poor people, and folk art performers. The earliest grotto was carved in the early Tang Dynasty and most of them have a history of over 1000 years.
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.
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