In
Dazu county of Chongqing city, reputed as Land of Stone
Sculptures, there are more than 50,000 stone sculptures
scattered in 40 places. The collection of statures located
at the foot of Baoding Hill and North Hill is the largest
in scale and
highest in artistic value. The statues sculptured in the
Song Dynasty are the best preserved and most well-known
for their characteristics, tastes and interesting plots.
Started in 1179 AD, the carving of statues lasted over
70 years till 1249 AD.
In
1999, the Dazu Stone Sculptures was declared the World
Cultural And Natural Heritage by the UNESCO Heritage Committee.
Baoding Hill: Stone statues were scattered over an area
of 2.5 square kilometers, particularly in Dafowan where
most valuable sculptures were concentrated. Dafowan is
a huge gorge in U shape with a length of 500 meters. Stone
sculptures were hewn out along the cliffs. The most outstanding
of them are the "Thousand-Arm Goddess
of Mercy" and the Sleeping Buddha. The former holds
in her 1007 hands various objects such as Buddhist magic
formulas, weapons of ancient times, musical instruments,
jade ornaments, silk fabrics, production tools, and articles
for daily use. Her arms and hands look exquisite and graceful
in their myriad postures: raised or down, extended or
withdrawn, relaxed or clenched etc. This fully shows the
extraordinary talent and skill of ancient artists. The
Sleeping Buddha is grand and imposing. Other attractions
include Xiaofowan, Daota, Wansuilou, Shengshousi etc.
Shengshousi (Temple of Sacred Longevity) constructed at
the
foot of the Hill, is made up of lofty halls and pavilions
with double eaves and exquisite carvings.
Weimo Hall stands at the top and houses a sleeping statue
of Weimo, a lay Buddhist, and 77 round shrines with small
Buddhist statues above a stone platform. The Temple is
surrounded by luxuriant cypresses.
North Hill: The cliffs at Fowan covered with stone carvings
along its 250 meter length are honey-combed with niches.
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