Dazu
county, located in the
southeast of the Sichuan
province, is 271
kilometers away from
Chengdu and 163
kilometers away from
Chongqing. "Dazu" here
means "harvest and
abundance (Dafeng,
Dazu)".
The work of Dazu Rock
Carvings began in the
first year of Yonghui in
Tang dynasty (650A.D.),
and continued until Ming
and Qing dynasties. Now,
it enjoys equal
popularity with Yungang
and Longmen Grottoes.
The general term of
"Dazu Rock Carvings"
refers to all the
cliffside carvings in
Dazu county, which
includes the carvings in
Beishan (including
Beita), Baodingshan,
Nanshan, Shizhuanshan
and Shimenshan. Baoding
Grotto, 15 kilometers
northeast of the county
seat, is the largest and
best preserved one and
is a key cultural relic
site under state
protection.
There are more than
50,000 Buddhist Taoist
and Confucian rock
carvings and 100,000
characters of
inscriptions dotted
around Dazu. 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
caved in the early Tang
dynasty, and most of
them have a history over
1000 years.
Many of the carvings in
Baoding Grotto reflect
religious doctrines, and
another set of carvings
reflects Confucianism,
specifically filial
piety. What the caving
offers to visitors is
not only the wonderful
enjoy of the magnificent
art but a Buddhist
teaching like this: One
can free himself from
earthly worries by
self-cultivation and
does not need to go
beyond his own inner
world to find the truth
of Buddhism. There are
also many other carvings
at the site that tell
Buddhist doctrines
through the lives of
ordinary people.
With rich images as well
as inscriptions, the
Dazu Grottoes is
regarded as an art
treasure house which
fully reflected the
society, philosophy,
religion and folklore of
that time. In 1999, Dazu
Stone Carvings were
listed as a world
cultural heritage site
by UNESCO. And one point
have to be pointed that
the Dazu Grottoes are
the only ones that were
implemented according to
an overall design among
over 100 grottoes in
China. |