Dazu Rock Carvings - The Last Monumental Works in the History of World Grotto Art

Enjoying a comparable reputation with the top four grottoes in China (Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes, and Maijishan Grottoes) and being rated as one of the eight grottoes in the world, the Dazu Rock Carvings (“大足石刻” in Chinese), also known as Dazu Caves or Dazu Grottoes, located 167km from the city center of Chongqing. It is the one and only UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in Chongqing municipality. The Dazu Rock Carvings consists of 75 cave temple sites, including more than 50,000 statues, being protected for their historical, artistic, and scientific values at different levels, representing the pinnacle of Chinese cave temple art between the 9th and 13th centuries. Among them, rock carvings of Baodingshan (宝顶山), Beishan (北山), Nanshan (南山), Shimenshan (石门山), and Shizhuanshan (石篆山) are exquisitely sculpted with the most distinctive style.

The Dazu Rock Carvings started in the early Tang Dynasty, went through the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and then experienced its golden time in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasty. At the time when cave art in northern China fell into decay, the Dazu Rock Carvings undoubtedly created another peak in the history of Chinese cave art, extending the history of Chinese cave art for more than 400 years. Since then, there have been no such large-scale rock carving events in China or even in the world. Therefore, the Dazu Rock Carvings are also known as the last monument and swan song in the history of the world’s grotto art.

2 Days Chongqing Dazu Tour with UNESCO Heritage Site Dazu Rock Carvings

Itinerary: Chongqing/Dazu
Highlights: Dazu Rock Carvings, Baodingshan Rock Carvings, Beishan Rock Carvings, Hongya Cave, Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing Light Rail, Ciqikou Ancient Town, E'ling Park, etc.

Fifteen kilometers northeast from Dazu center, Baodingshan Rock Carvings was constructed by the famous monk Zhao Zhifeng in the Song Dynasty for more than 70 years. As one of the most famous Tantric Buddhist shrines in China, there is an old saying that goes like “Go North, climb the Emei Mountain; Go South, reach the Baoding Mountain.” The centerpiece of the Baodingshan rock carvings is the U-shaped Grant Buddha Bay, also known as Dafowan (“大佛湾” in Chinese). Nearly ten thousand statues are carved along the east, north, and south cliffs, which are approximately 500 meters in length and 8-25 meters high. Like a picture scroll with endless photographs, the content of Baodingshan rock carvings is mainly Buddhist scripture stories, each niche related to the other but not identical.

The Buddha statues at Baodingshan are novel in conception, skillful in carving, and rich in secular characters. Religious treasures come one after another, including the representative work - Niche of Sakyamuni Entering Nirvana, one of the wonders of Buddhist art in the world - Avalokitesvara with Thousand Hands, striking image of Buddhist Wheel of Life, scientific designs of Three Saints of Huayan School of Buddhism and Cave of Full Enlightment showed craftsmans’ ingenuity.

In addition, niche content and their expression approach are striving to visualize reality. For instance, Niche of Parental Love Sutra contains ten groups of carvings, including scenes like begging for a son, carrying a child, and going into labor, etc., depicting parental love in bringing up children with plots linking to each other as a picture-book. These carvings are vivid and impressive. They were the outcome after Buddhism had been localized in China. Taking another example, the Ritual Site of Buffaloes heights 570cm and stretches 2910cm. The group of carvings, comparing the Buffalo to man’s heart and the herdsman to the person who practices Buddhism, expound the gradual process of moderating and subduing the mental activities of Buddhists.

In addition to the uncanny quality of grottoes’ masterpieces at Grant Buddha Bay (Dafowan), there are also many highlights you can’t miss while visiting Baodingshan Scenic Area:

• Watch a 4K film with English subtitles to learn about the history and development of Dazu rock carvings, and enjoy an 8D view of spectacular grottos at the dome theater
• Take a leisure stroll at Dazu Rock Carvings Museum (大足石刻博物馆) to gain insights into the whole thread of world cave temple art and the basic characteristics of Dazu Rock Carvings
• Visit Shengshou Temple (圣寿寺) to admire the exquisite temple architecture, which was rebuilt at the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

1.5km north to Longgang Town of Dazu, with an altitude of 545.5m, Beishan is also called Longgang Mountain in the past. Beishan Rock Carvings is the initial of Dazu Rock Carvings. They were first created by Wei Junjing, prefect of Changzhou, in 892 A.D. of the late Tang Dynasty. Until 1162 A.D. of the Southern Song Dynasty, the existing scale of Beishan Rock Carvings was formed, and it centered around Fowan. The rock carvings are numbered and divided into two sections: No.1 ~ No.100 are in the south section, while No.101 ~ No. 290 are in the north section. There are over 5,000 statues on a 500m long cliff, with a height of 7 to 10 meters. The grottoes are very dense, just like a hive, and all of them are delicate and carved with high sculpture skills.

The crowning jewels of Beishan rock carvings are the statues of Avalokitesvara. They are ornamental and artistic, with diverse looks and postures. The most emblematic ones are the Avalokitesvara with a Rosary, Avalokitesvara Watching the Moon Reflection in the Water, and Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara, etc.

Beishan rock carvings can be visited both during the day and at night. An additional visual experience is provided by the scenic spot’s usage of colored light to illuminate the stone statues. Besides, if you have enough time and stamina, don’t forget to follow the downhill trail to visit the Duobao Pagoda (多宝塔) to see the giant cliff statues of Beishan, the Two Buddhas of the North Pagoda.

• Private Car (Top Recommended): The most convenient way to Dazu is taking a private car there, and this will only take about 1.5-2 hours.
• Coach: Coach from bus stations in Chongqing downtown to Dazu will take 1.5hrs ~ 2 hrs, and the ticket ranging about ¥50~¥60. After arriving in Dazu, you can take bus No.205, and the last stop is the entrance to the Baodingshan Rock Carvings scenic area. There will be one every 20 to 30 minutes, and the bus ride will take about an hour.
• Train: Chongqing West Railway Station, Chongqing North Railway Station, and Shapingba Railway Station offer high-speed trains to Dazu South Railway Station. The train ride only takes about 25-45 minutes. But getting from Dazu South Railway Station to the Baodingshan Rock Carvings takes about 2.5-3 hours by bus or 1 hour by taxi.

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Baodingshan Rock Carvings to Beishan Rock Carvings

Baodingshan Scenic Area is about 11km northeast from Beishan Scenic Area, taking 25 minutes ride by car/taxi and over 1 hour by public bus No. 2015.

Get around Baodingshan and Beishan Scenic Area

Beishan Scenic Area is not large, a walking tour can be completed in about 1 hour. Baodingshan Scenic Area is relatively large, and the tourist center is far away from the central spot, Dafowan. Baodingshan Scenic Area runs two kinds of vehicles: tourist buses and sightseeing buses. ¥ 22 for a round trip, it is recommended to buy.

Usually, it takes one day to visit the essence of the Dazu Rock Carvings. For most travelers, Baodingshan Scenic Area is the first stop. It contains a wide range of highlights, including exquisite and marvelous rock carvings at Dafowan, antique and elegant architectures in and around Shengshou Temple, and specialist grottoes museum - Dazu Rock Carving Museum, Baodingshan Scenic Area takes 3~6 hours to explore. If you still have time and energy, the tranquil Beishan Scenic Area, possessing the earliest built rock carving niches - Vaisravana Devaraja, is also worth a visit. The grottoes are very dense, just like a hive, and all sculptures were delicately carved with high sculpture skills. The Avalokitesvara statue is a bright spot.

2 Days Chongqing Dazu Tour with UNESCO Heritage Site Dazu Rock Carvings

Itinerary: Chongqing/Dazu
Highlights: Dazu Rock Carvings, Baodingshan Rock Carvings, Beishan Rock Carvings, Hongya Cave, Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing Light Rail, Ciqikou Ancient Town, E'ling Park, etc.

There are two hot travel destinations connecting Dazu, Chongqing and Chengdu, which means travelers can arrange all highlights in between and around the two cities if they have enough time. Recommended days to spend in Chengdu and Chongqing are widely ranged for there is so much to see and explore nearby, for instance, Hongya Cave, Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing Light Rail, etc., in Chongqing, the Giant Panda Base, Jinli Old Street, Leshan Giant Buddha, Emei Mountain, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Sanxingdui Site in and around Chengdu. Moreover, the luxury and splendid Yangtze River Cruises vacation also takes the Chaotianmen Dock at Chongqing as one of their essential terminals.

Check more about 1~5 days Chongqing Tours >> | 2~7 Days Chengdu Tours >>

More Tourist Idea: Most visitors travel Chongqing City before boarding their downstream Yangtze River cruise ship at night (18:00-21:00). If you are going to have such a tour too, remember to leave yourself enough time to catch your ship at Chaotianmen Dock.