The Dazu Rock Carvings, this seriously underrated attraction

"The Dunhuang of the North, the Dazu of the South" The Dazu Rock Carvings are one of the World Cultural Heritages and also the only World Cultural Heritage in Chongqing, truly worth a visit! On the Baoding Mountain of Dazu, exquisitely carved cliff statues are silently hidden among the mountains and fields, blending the essence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The lifelike stone carvings and murals are breathtaking! The carvings have preserved an immortal civilization in the most ancient way ✅ About Transportation: 📍: Dazu Rock Carvings Scenic Area, Baoding Town, Dazu District, Chongqing City 🚗 Self-driving, navigate to - Shengshou Temple Gate No. 3, there are a few parking spaces at the entrance, but not many self-driving visitors usually, enter from the temple — towards the Dazu Rock Carvings Museum, the scenic area is right next to the museum) 🚌 Bus: Take bus 205 in Dazu urban area to Shengshou Temple ✅ About Tickets 🎫 Ticket: Baoding Mountain Scenic Area (main scenic area) -- 110r Half price for students Through ticket: 135r (Baoding Mountain Carvings + Beishan Carvings) ✅ About Visiting: No entry after 4:30 pm You can reserve 2-3 hours to slowly experience it inside, if possible, you can hire a guide for explanation, or find explanatory audio online! The secular characteristics of religious art are vivid and astonishing Highlights: (Actually, they are all highlights) 1️⃣ Thousand-Hand Guanyin Statue Built during the Southern Song Dynasty, it is the pinnacle of Guanyin statues and the largest Thousand-Hand Guanyin statue in the country. Upon entering the Buddha cave, one is attracted by the nearly thousand hands and the huge main statue, which after gilding restoration is elegant and majestic, with a thousand hands for a thousand people, each unique! 2️⃣ Sakyamuni Nirvana Mural The Buddha statue is in a reclining position, only revealing the upper half of the Buddha's body which is 31 meters long, while the lower half extends into the mountain. The Buddha's face is serene with eyes slightly closed. This Buddha statue is the largest half-body reclining Buddha statue in the world. 3️⃣ Folk Stone Carvings Blending Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism The Baoding Mountain stone carving area is different from most grottoes as it has various divine and Buddha statues as well as many folk stone carvings that are both ethnic and life-like. There are carvings of chicken-raising women, cattle-herding pictures, flute-playing women, and many other realistic life scenes.