The Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area, also known as the Dazu Rock Carvings World Heritage Park and Baodingshan Rock Carvings Scenic Area, is located in Baoding Town, Dazu District, Chongqing. It spans a core area of 1,100 mu (approximately 73 hectares).

The Dazu Rock Carvings refer to the collective term for cave temples and rock statues within Dazu District, forming a large-scale cluster that integrates Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism sculptures. The Baodingshan Rock Carvings Scenic Area centers on the Baodingshan Rock Carvings, encompassing Millennium old temple such as Shengshou Temple and Guangda Temple, alongside cultural institutions like the Dazu Rock Carvings Museum, ancient streets, and Song Dynasty-style shopping districts. It is a world heritage site that combines sightseeing, tourism, and cultural immersion.

The Baodingshan Rock Carvings Scenic Area exhibits distinct characteristics:

• Diverse Themes, Unified Narrative: Thousands of statues depict unique themes without repetition. Niches and grottoes are interconnected both doctrinally and artistically, forming a cohesive narrative of teachings and practices.
  
• Lifelike Artistry: Statues depict everyday life with vivid realism, such as the Baomuyunenzhongjing Bianxiang (Sutra of Parental Gratitude), Cattle Herding Diagram, Flute-Playing Woman, and Drunkard’s Scene. These works blend educational depth with aesthetic beauty. Notably, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue, with its 1,007 intricately arranged hands resembling a radiant peacock tail, is hailed as a “miraculous spectacle of the world.”

On May 8, 2007, the Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area was officially designated as a National AAAAA-Level Tourist Attraction by China’s National Tourism Administration.

Name Origin

In the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945), the Revised County Annals of Dazu County (Republic of China Era), compiled by local scholar Chen Xishan, was sent to the Chinese Academic Classics Institute—then relocated to Beibei, Chongqing—for printing. Yang Jialuo, the institute’s director, attached profound significance to the historical records of rock carvings documented in the book. In April of the same year, he organized a “Dazu Rock Carvings Expedition Team,” comprising 15 renowned scholars such as Ma Heng, Gu Jiegang, He Sui, and Fu Zhenlun, to conduct field research in Dazu.

The seven-day expedition meticulously cataloged grotto numbers, measured dimensions, sketched decorative motifs, determined periods, and evaluated the cultural significance of the Beishan and Baodingshan rock carvings. The team concluded that these carvings “could stand alongside Yungang and Longmen as three major sites” and were “comparable in significance to the discovery of Dunhuang.”

The name “Dazu Rock Carvings” was first officially adopted by this expedition team and has been used continuously ever since.

Development History

• The Dazu Rock Carvings, primarily Buddhist-themed cliff carvings, are most renowned for the Baodingshan and Beishan cliff sculptures. Their creation began in the first year of the Yonghui era of the Early Tang Dynasty (650 CE), continued through the Late Tang, Five Dynasties, flourished during the Song Dynasty, and saw additional carvings during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This process culminated in a vast rock carving cluster that integrates the essence of Chinese rock art, featuring the integration of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism—representing the pinnacle of China’s late-stage cave art.
  
• In the 23rd year of the Jiaqing reign (1818), Zhang Shu, appointed as magistrate of Dazu County, dedicated his leisure time to exploring Baodingshan twice and ascending Beishan and Nanshan mountains multiple times. He compiled the Annals of Dazu Epigraphy (now housed in Xi’an Beilin Museum). Some materials in this book remain highly valuable for Dazu Rock Carvings research today. Due to his pioneering efforts, Zhang Shu is recognized as the first scholar to focus on Dazu Rock Carvings studies.
  
• On March 1, 1935 (24th year of the Republic of China), The Eastern Magazine published “Ancient Rock Carvings in Dazu, Sichuan,” credited to photographer Liu Yunhua. This marks the earliest known historical photograph of the Dazu Rock Carvings.
  
• In January 1940 (29th year of the Republic of China), the Society for the Study of Chinese Architecture (SSCA), led by Liang Sicheng and Liu Dunzhen, conducted an architectural survey in Sichuan and Xikang. Upon hearing of the cliff carvings in Dazu during their stop in Tongnan, they diverted to investigate. The SSCA spent approximately five days studying the Beishan and Baodingshan carvings.
  
• In 1945 (34th year of the Republic of China), Chen Xishan, a local Dazu scholar, submitted the Revised County Annals of Dazu (Republic of China Era) to the Chinese Academic Classics Institute, then relocated to Beibei, Chongqing, for printing. Yang Jialuo, the institute’s director, highly valued its documentation of rock carving history.
  
• The Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area officially opened to the public in the early 1980s.
  
• In April 2015, the Baodingshan Rock Carvings Scenic Area was renamed the Dazu Rock Carvings World Heritage Park.
  
• The park formally opened to visitors in June 2015.
  
• In June 2022, the Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Center commenced operations.

Geographical Setting

The Baodingshan Rock Carvings Scenic Area is located in Baoding Town, Dazu District, Chongqing, with a core scenic area spanning 1,100 mu (approximately 73 hectares).

Climate Characteristics

Dazu District, where the Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area is situated, has a subtropical monsoon climate. It is mild and humid, with an average annual rainfall of 900–1,100 millimeters.

Major Attractions

• Dazu Rock Carvings Museum
  
  A specialized cave temple museum showcasing the development of global cave art and the essence of Dazu Rock Carvings. It spans 18,000 m² with 5,000 m² of exhibition space. The architecture integrates elements from Dazu Rock Carvings’ motifs, embodying the unique Tang and Song dynasty architectural styles.
  
• Digital Cinema
  The Dazu Rock Carvings Digital Cinema features two immersive theaters:
  
  • 4K Wide-Screen Theater: Screening The Grandeur of Dazu (23 minutes). The film narrates the millennium-long history of cave-carving at Dazu and highlights the craftsmanship of ancient artisans, emphasizing its cultural significance in Chinese cave art.
    
  • 8K Dome Theater: Screening Dazu Rock Carvings (18 minutes). With 8K resolution and immersive technology, the film offers a 360° view of dozens of exquisite grottoes, showcasing Dazu’s reputation as the “final masterpiece of Chinese cave art.”
    
• Baodingshan Rock Carvings
  
  Carved between 1174–1252 CE (Southern Song Dynasty’s Chunxi to Chunyou eras), these carvings were overseen by the eminent monk Zhao Zhifeng. Centered around the Large and Small Buddha Bays, they span 2.5 km with over 10 small-scale cave clusters. Renowned for their grand scale, rich content, secularized themes, and cohesive layout, they represent the pinnacle of late Chinese cave art. Designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1961 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.
  
• Small Buddha Bay (Xiaofowan)
  
  Located to the right of Shengshou Temple, originally named “Shengshou Benzun Hall” or “Dabao Pavilion,” it is a stone-masonry structure built with dressed stones. The site includes 9 numbered carvings, such as the Great Sutra Catalog Pagoda, Filial Piety Sutra Transformation Tableau, and Vairocana Hall. Most carvings break free from stone block boundaries, sculpted directly onto flat surfaces. As the second-largest cluster after the Large Buddha Bay, it served as Zhao Zhifeng’s dedicated meditation and ritual site for devotees. Its content overlaps with the Large Buddha Bay but differs in layout and scale, leading scholars to consider it the “prototype” for the larger carvings.
  
• Shengshou Temple
  
  Adjacent to the Small Buddha Bay (Xiaofowan) to the east and separated from the Large Buddha Bay by a path to the west, this temple was also founded by Zhao Zhifeng during 1174–1189 CE (Southern Song Dynasty’s Chunxi era). Rebuilt after wars in the late Song and Ming dynasties, it became a renowned Buddhist site in eastern Sichuan. The current complex, built in the Qing Dynasty, follows the “Qi Tang” (Seven Halls) layout of Han Chinese temples from the Song Dynasty. Nestled against mountains, its seven main halls—Mountain Gate, Heavenly Kings, Shakra, Mahavira, Three Sages, Avalokitesvara, and Vimalakirti Halls—are arranged along a central axis, flanked by side chambers, forming a multi-courtyard quadrangle. A masterpiece of mountain-side temple architecture, it houses cultural relics from the Southern Song to Qing dynasties, including stone carvings, wood sculptures, clay statues, inscriptions, and ink paintings. Designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1961.

Transportation

• Self-Drive:
  Chongqing-Chengdu Expressway (G5013) → Dazu East/West Exit → Baotang Avenue → Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Center
  
• Plane:
  Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport → Chongqing Airport T2/T3 Long-Distance Bus Station → Dazu Bus Station → Transfer to Bus 205/Taxi → Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Center
  
• Train:
  Dazu South Railway Station → Transfer to Bus 204 (alight at Telecom Bureau Station)/Bus 206 (alight at Hongsheng Square Station) → Transfer to Bus 205 (board at Telecom Bureau Station)/2015 Shike Special Line (board at Hongsheng Cultural Square Station)/Taxi → Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Center
  
• Bus:
  Dazu Bus Station → Transfer to Bus 205/Taxi → Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Center
  (Bus tickets can be booked via Yuke.com Chongqing Highway Passenger Transport Ticketing Network.)

Recommended Route
Visitor Center → Museum → Baodingshan Rock Carvings → Shengshou Temple