Dazu Rock Carvings

Dazu Rock Carvings*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii
Reference	912
Region†	Asia-Pacific
Inscription History
Inscription	1999  (23rd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Dazu Rock Carvings (Chinese: 大足石刻; pinyin: Dàzú Shíkè) are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century A.D., depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Listed as a World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs. The sites are located on the steep hillsides within Dazu County (near the city of Chongqing, China), with the high points being the carvings found on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan.

The earliest carvings were begun in 650 A.D. during the early Tang Dynasty, but the main period of their creation began in the late 9th century, when Wei Junjing, Prefect of Changzhou, pioneered the carvings on Mount Beishan, and his example was followed after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty by local and gentry, monks and nuns, and ordinary people during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-65). In the 12th century, during the Song Dynasty, a Buddhist monk named Zhao Zhifeng began work on the elaborate sculptures and carvings on Mount Baoding, dedicating 70 years of his life to the project.

The carvings were listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, citing "…their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. They provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism."

Gallery

Dazu rock carving on Mount Baoding

Dazu Bao Ding Mountain Rock Carvings

Bao Ding Mountain Buddha

External links

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre page

World Heritage Sites in China

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains · Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom · Classical Gardens of Suzhou · Dazu Rock Carvings · Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace · The Great Wall · Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang · Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties · Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Kaiping Diaolou and Villages · Old Town of Lijiang · Longmen Grottoes · Lushan National Park · Historic Centre of Macau · Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor · Mogao Caves · Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area · Mount Huangshan · Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan Irrigation System · Mount Tai (Taishan) · Mount Wuyi · Chengde Mountain Resort and its outlying temples including the Putuo Zongcheng Temple and the Puning Temple · Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian · Ancient City of Ping Yao · Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries · South China Karst · Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing  · Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and Kong Family Mansion, Qufu · Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing · Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas · Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun · Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Yin Xu · Yungang Grottoes

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