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Dazu Rock Carvings, China

Mount Baoding Carvings, Dazu, ChinaMount Baoding Carvings, Dazu, China
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bao_Ding_Mountain_grotto1.JPG
Author: Gisling
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The Dazu Rock Carvings are some of the most exquisite ancient carvings in China. They are carvings from as early as 650 AD to the 12th century and depict art influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs.

In recognition of their Outstanding Universal Value, the Dazu Rock Carvings were inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 29 November to 4 December, 1999. The carvings were cited for their aesthetic quality as well as their rich diversity of subject matter, which touches both the religious as well as the secular, and their offering a glimpse into everyday life in China during their period of execution.

Dazu Rock Carvings, ChinaDazu Rock Carvings, China
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dazu_Stone_Carving.jpg
Author: Gisling
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The carvings are located in Dazu County, about 60 kilometers to the west of Chongqing, China. The two main sites of carvings are at Mount Baoding and Moung Beishan.

The earliest carvings were made in the early Tang Dynasty. However it was only during the 9th century, under the Prefect of Changzhou, Wei Junjing, that large scale carvings were carried out at Mount Beishan.

The work of carving rock art was continued after Wei Junjing, picked up by the locals as well as the gentry, monks and nuns.

In the 12th century, a Buddhist monk named Zhao Zhifeng spent 70 years doing elaborate carvings on Mount Baoding.

The rock carvings of Dazu were off limits to visitors until 1961, when local visitors were allowed to view them. Foreign tourists were only allowed to visit the Dazu carvings since 1980.

Golden Hands Buddha, Mount Baoding, DazuThousand Golden Hands Buddha at Mount Baoding, Dazu
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dazu_rock_carvings_golden_hands_buddha.JPG
Author: Truthven
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World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 29 42 3.996 E 105 42 18 in Dazu County, Chongqing, China
Inscription Year: 1999
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: I, II, III

Getting into Dazu

By bus, Dazu is located two hours west of Chongqing and four hours east of Chengdu. You should fly to Chongqing and catch a bus to Dazu. The fare is ¥4.

Exploring Dazu

Modes of transportation available to you include taxi, motorcycle-taxi and trishaw. Taxi fare starts at ¥3.00.

To take the hassel out of planning it yourself, make the arrangement with a travel agent in Dazu to visit the sites, or with a travel agent in Chongqing or Chengdu, where you can shop for more options.

List of World Heritage Sites in China

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Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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