Dazu Baodingshan carvings 大足宝顶山石刻

About Dazu Baodingshan carvings

Large devotional images alternate with scenes about conduct, suffering and spiritual practice. The reclining Buddha, Thousand-Armed Guanyin and ox-herding sequence show the range of scale and subject. Begin with the museum interpretation, then take time with a few complete scenes instead of treating the entire carved valley as one photographic backdrop.

Baodingshan's carvings were made chiefly during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), constructed within about 70 years under the supervision of one man, Zhao Zhifeng. The site remained largely unknown outside the area afterward; the earliest documented research on it dates to 1944, and it was not reopened to the public until the 1980s. It lies on a limestone outcrop at an elevation of 500 metres, 15 kilometres north of the centre of Dazu District. Baodingshan forms part of the Dazu Rock Carvings, which were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999.

The site consists of two main parts joined by a temple, Shengshousi (圣寿寺); it holds more than 6,000 carvings across a mile and a half, representing a range of Buddhist schools of thought, including Huayan, Chan, Pure Land and Esoteric Buddhism, together with extensive carved Buddhist texts. Unlike cave sites such as Dunhuang and Yungang, Baodingshan has no caves or cave-like niches for its statues; at Great Buddha Bend the carved tableaux instead follow the natural curve of the rock, with reliefs as large as 26 feet high by 66 feet wide.

What to look for

• The reclining Buddha and Thousand-Armed Guanyin are major devotional images.
• The ox-herding sequence uses linked scenes to express Buddhist practice.

Location & getting there

Getting to Dazu Baodingshan carvings

Use the Dazu Rock Carvings Visitor Centre and its managed uphill transport to Baodingshan. The institute’s published route continues through the museum to Dafowan, or Great Buddha Bend, before returning through the designated exit.