Shibao Mountain 石宝山

About Shibao Mountain

The grottoes are cut into cliff faces on Shibaoshan and were first carved in 850 CE, with work continuing over more than 320 years; 17 caves and 233 carved figures have been recorded to date. In 1961 they were placed, alongside the Dunhuang Mogao, Datong Yungang and Luoyang Longmen grottoes, in the State Council's first group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. Jin Yong is credited with calling them a 'treasure of the southern skies' (南天瑰宝).

The carvings mix court scenes from the Nanzhao kingdom with Buddhist devotional figures. Cave 2 shows a Nanzhao king in ceremonial dress attended by armed retainers, while later caves hold devotional images such as the 'Nectar-Bestowing Guanyin' of Cave 7 and the Azhaye Guanyin of Cave 13, a figure carved in a regional style distinct from Central Plains Guanyin imagery. A carved figure in Cave 9, identified in Xinhua's reporting as a Persian, is cited as evidence of contact along the historic Southwest Silk Road and Tea Horse Road routes that passed through Jianchuan.

What to look for

• Cave 2's carved court scene of a Nanzhao king in ceremonial dress, attended by guards and retainers
• The 'Nectar-Bestowing Guanyin' (甘露观音) figure in Cave 7, whose expression local scholars call the 'Jianchuan smile'
• The Azhaye Guanyin of Cave 13, carved in a distinct Dali regional style
• The Cave 9 figure identified as a Persian, cited as evidence of historic Silk Road-era contact

Location & getting there

Getting to Shibao Mountain

Check which interiors and courtyards are accessible. Active places of worship and protected monuments may have different visitor rules.

• Search for 石宝山 with 大理白族自治州 and 剑川县.