Salvation and secularization carved in stone

Rock sculptures in Chongqing's Dazu district date back more than 1,000 years and shed light on day-to-day life in China back then

Dazu Rock Carvings, also known as the Dazu Stone Sculptures, is the general term for all the stone carvings in Dazu district, Chongqing municipality.

Up to now, 75 rock carving clusters, comprising more than 50,000 statues, have been announced as protected cultural relics, among which the most characteristic are the carvings in Beishan, Baoding, Nanshan, Shimen and Shizuan mountains.

The first carvings date back to the early Tang Dynasty (618-907).There are some later carvings from the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960), but they flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), continued to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, an artistic practice that has lasted for more than 1,000 years.

They are representative works of Chinese late-period cave art and the last monument of world cave art from the ninth to 13th centuries.

Rooted in the fertile soil of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the Dazu Rock Carvings absorbed the essence of early cave art and explored new expressions of the art.

With their distinct characteristics, the carvings show the great changes in and development of cave temple art and religious beliefs in the Tang and Song dynasties.

Together with the Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes, they form a complete history of Chinese cave art. On Dec 1, 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings were listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Beishan Mountain Rock Carvings

The largest cluster of rock carvings is located at Beishan, 1.5 kilometers north of Dazu. Wei Junjing, governor of Changzhou, was the initiator of the first carvings at the site during the reign of Jingfu in 892 during the late Tang Dynasty.

Later, more carvings were added under the auspices of local officials, gentry, scholars and monks. The cluster on its present scale was completed in 1162 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

With Buddha Bay as the center, the site also includes Buddha Ear Rock, Guanyin Slope and Yingpan Slope. Buddha Bay stretches for a long distance, with 290 grottoes as dense as beehives. It is divided into two sections: South and North.

The grottoes and statues are known for their exquisite and elegant craftsmanship, with special emphasis on the Guanyin statues. They are even hailed as an art exhibition hall for Tang and Song stone carvings.

Baoding Mountain Rock Carvings

Baoding Mountain Rock Carvings are located 12 km northeast of Dazu. They were first initiated by the monk Zhao Zhifeng and his followers from 1174 to 1252 during the Southern Song Dynasty and were completed over a period of more than 70 years. The complex is a group of tantric Buddhist statues.

The rock carvings have a grand scale and rich content, with clear and understandable inscriptions. The carvings are known for their grand scale, aesthetic quality and rich diversity of subject matter as well as for being well preserved.

They show reverence for Buddhism, understanding of Confucian filial piety as well as being an expression of secular life.

Nanshan Mountain Rock Carvings

Nanshan Mountain Rock Carvings are located on the top of Nanshan Mountain, formerly known as Guanghua Mountain, 1 km south of Dazu.

Numbering 15, the grottoes were carved during the Shaoxing period (1131-1162) of the Southern Song Dynasty. The rock carvings are the most complete set of carvings that depict the Daoist pantheon in China.

Shimen Mountain Rock Carvings

The 16 grottoes of the Shimen Mountain Rock Carvings are located 19 km east of Dazu. They were carves from the Shaoqing period of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) to the 21st year of the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Shimen Mountain Rock Carvings are the most representative of the fusion of Buddhist and Daoist sculptures in the Dazu Rock Carvings. They are of great value for studying the relationship between Buddhism and Daoism and the artistic styles of Buddhist and Daoist cave sculptures.

Shizuan Mountain Rock Carvings

The 10 Shizuan Mountain Rock Carving clusters are located 20 km southwest of Dazu.

They were created between 1082 and 1096 during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Shizuan Mountain Rock Carvings are a merger of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism sculptures, which is extremely rare in Chinese cave art.

They have irreplaceable value for studying the blending of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and the evolution of traditional Chinese culture.