Chongqing Dazu Rock Carvings

The Dazu Rock Carvings consist of all sculptures and carvings in the Dazu District of Chongqing. The Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, among which carvings in Mount Beishan, Mount Baoding, Mount Nanshan, Mount Shimen and Mount Shizhuan are the most characteristic. The earliest carvings were begun in the early Tang Dynasty, got developed in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and reached its acme in the Song Dynasty. The Dazu Rock Carvings are the last monumental artistic attainment in the history of carving art in the world, representing the most exquisite skills of carving art from the ninth century to the thirteenth century AD.

Rooted in the rich Bashu culture and the quintessence of carving art of previous dynasties, the Dazu Rock Carvings have brought forth new ideas and techniques with increasingly more exquisiteness, ushering in a new era of carving art. With both distinctive religious and secular features, the Dazu Rock Carvings showcase the symbolic Chinese-style carving art. On December 4, 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings were inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO.