Full travelling
information of Chongqing
Grotto Art in Dazu County
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 (Dafeng, Dazu)".
The work of Dazu Rock Carvings began in the first year of Yonghui in the
Tang Dynasty (650A.D.), and continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Now, it enjoys equal popularity with theYungang 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 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 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 carved 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 carvings offer to visitors is not only the wonderful enjoyment 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 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. One point
to be noted is that the Dazu Grottoes are the only ones that were implemented
according to an overall design among over 100 grottoes in China.
Admission Fee: RMB 88
Opening Hours: 08:40 to 17:00
Recommended Time for a Visit: One and a half hours
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 (Dafeng, Dazu)". 
Many
of the carvings in Baoding Grotto reflect religious doctrines and another
set of carvings reflects Confucianism, specifically filial piety. What
the carvings offer to visitors is not only the wonderful enjoyment 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 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. One point
to be noted is that the Dazu Grottoes are the only ones that were implemented
according to an overall design among over 100 grottoes in China.