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. |