The Dazu Rock Carvings
Chongqing Region · China
After lunch, you’ll head to the Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, you’ll wander among over 50,000 statues and 100,000 inscriptions carved into the hillsides more than 1,000 years ago with the best local guide.
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1The Dazu Rock Carvings (Baoding Shan Site)
We have reached the zenith of our exploration: Baoding Shan, or Mount Baoding. This site is the most elaborate, well-preserved, and unified of all the rock carving groups in Dazu. …
Listen in the app2The Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin)
Our first major stop is one of the most spectacular sights in all of Chinese art: the Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy, or Guan Yin. Carved onto an 88-square-meter cliff face, this statue is a marvel of complexity and devotion. …
Listen in the app3The Reclining Buddha: Entering Nirvana
Continuing along the horseshoe path, we encounter the massive Reclining Buddha, a depiction of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) as he enters Nirvana. This carving is 31 meters long, making it one of the largest of its kind in…
Listen in the app4The Wheel of Reincarnation and Karma
Just beyond the Reclining Buddha lies a complex and descriptive carving known as the Buddhist Wheel of Reincarnation. This is a visual manifestation of the principle of 'causal retribution', or what we commonly call Karma. …
Listen in the app5The Sutra of Parental Love and Filial Piety
One of the most uniquely 'Chinese' sections of Baoding Shan is the group of carvings depicting the Sutra of Parental Love and Filial Piety. This area consists of ten coherent scenes that illustrate the sacrifices parents make for…
Listen in the app6The 18 Punishments of Hell and the Pure Land
Contrasting with the scenes of parental love are the dramatic depictions of the 18 Punishments of Hell. These carvings are among the most visceral and surreal in Dazu. …
Listen in the app7Shengshou Temple: The Spiritual Anchor
As you exit the Dafo Wan gully, you will find the Shengshou Temple, which serves as the spiritual and administrative anchor of the Baoding Shan site. This temple was originally built under the direction of the monk Zhao Zhifeng…
Listen in the app8Closing
Our journey through Baoding Shan has brought us face-to-face with the heights of human creativity and the depths of spiritual conviction. We have walked the 700-meter circuit of Dafo Wan, witnessing the vision that Zhao Zhifeng…
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What is The Dazu Rock Carvings?
The Dazu Rock Carvings is a place in Chongqing Region · China with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | Chongqing Region · China |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 29.7520, 105.7971 |
| Last updated |