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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.
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