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Dazu Stone Sculptures
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 "A 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myriad postures: raised or down, extended or withdrawn,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.
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