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Dazu,
a small mountainous town west of
Chongqing, is famous for its stone
carvings, with more than 100,000 pieces left over from the Tang
(628-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties.
The well-preserved carvings are
representative of an ancient Chinese art tradition. They also take a
very important position in the religious, artistic and cultural history
of China. Stone carvings are found in more than 70 places scattered
throughout the county of Dazu. The largest, richest and most exquisite
collection of statues is at the foot of Baoding Hill and North Hill.
The
stone carvings along the Baoding Hill were hewn out from 1174 to 1249.
The row is 500 meters long and consists of nearly 10,000 statues, of
which the most distinctive and majestic are the "Thousand-arm
Goddess of Mercy" and the 31-meter long sleeping Buddha. These
stone carvings are unparalleled works of art in the world and were
included by
UNESCO
as a World Heritage site in 1999. |
