Over 60,000
carved stone figures relating mainly to Buddhism are spread
around 76 places within Dazu County 160 kilometers to the
west of Chongqing. The content and craftsmanship are best at
Beishan and Baoding hills. The art of Dazu, which emerged in
the late Tang Dynasty (6l8-907AD) and flourished in the Song
Dynasty (960-1127) represents an important chapter in
China's cultural and religious history.
Beishan
(or Longgang Hill) has 29O shrine caves in all. The most
well known of them is the Xinshenche (the Wheel of the
Universe) Cave. In the center shrine stands the Buddha, with
jingbaoping Guanyin, Duoluo, Manjusri, yuyin Guanyin,
Ruyizhu Guanyin, Samantabhadra, riyue Guanyin and suzhushou
Guanyin. They are created in a symmetrical manner and proper
order, as though they were an integral whole. The eight
statues of Bodhisattvas have the features of
well-proportioned bodies, exquisitely luxurious garments and
distinct characters.
Baoding
(Treasure Peak) Mountain, fifteen kilometers northeast of
Dazu, is well known for its comprisal of more than ten
thousand magnificent sculptures. Those located in Dafowan
are best preserved and most numerous. Dafowan is a U-shaped
range of hills about fifteen to thirty meters high and some
five hundred meters long. The statue carved on the eastern,
southern and northern cliff sides of the valley are
patterned in accordance with the terrain of the hills,
resulting in natural and magnificent structure. Consisted of
more than l5, 000 stone sculptures in l9 groups of the
Buddhist stories, the statues in this grotto look so
marvelous that each of them is portrayed in different pose
and with a different expression. The Yuan Jue Grotto at the
hilltop was created in a whole rock, so it is quite
specious.
In the treasure of Dazu
stone sculptures, the well designed groups of nineteen grand
reliefs cover a wide scope of artistic themes, and
most of them present Buddhist figures as human beings and
depict scenes from everyday life. They are rarely seen in
any other part of the world.