I'm so excited, I regret not coming here sooner! The most beautiful Buddha statue of the Northern Song Dynasty!
Anyue Stone Carvings, located in Anyue County, Ziyang City, Sichuan Province, are hailed as a 'treasury of ancient Chinese carving art', known for their grand scale, rich themes, and exquisite craftsmanship. This group of stone carvings, hidden deep in the hills of central Sichuan, spans the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, witnessing the blending and development of Buddhist and Taoist cultures!
🍀 Must-visit attractions:
① Xuanmiao Temple
A national key cultural relic protection site, it was built between the 6th year of the Kaiyuan era and the 7th year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty. Its uniqueness lies in the *Buddha-Taoist niches*, where Laozi and Sakyamuni are ingeniously carved together in the same grotto, showing a historical scene of religious harmony. The most eye-catching is the sculpture of Laozi herding cattle, vividly recreating the life scene of the Taoist founder, which is breathtaking.
② Reclining Buddha Temple
Centered around a 23-meter-long full-body stone-carved reclining Buddha from the Tang Dynasty, it is the largest full-body reclining Buddha statue of the Tang Dynasty in the country. The Buddha's expression is serene, with smooth lines, surrounded by many exquisite cliff carvings and inscriptions, creating a solemn and serene atmosphere for meditation.
③ Yuanjue Cave
As the essence of Anyue Stone Carvings, Yuanjue Cave is famous for its intricate layout and delicate carvings. The cave is filled with lifelike statues of Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and others, especially the twelve Yuanjue Bodhisattvas, whose dignified demeanor and elegant drapery are considered the epitome of Song Dynasty stone carving art.
🍀 Detailed address:
Anyue County, Ziyang City, Sichuan Province. The specific stone carving sites are distributed in different townships within the county, such as Xuanmiao Temple in Tongxian Town, Reclining Buddha Temple in Wofu Town, Yuanjue Cave in Yueyang Town, etc. It is recommended to use navigation software for precise positioning.
🍀 Transportation strategy:
① Self-driving: Depart from Chengdu and travel about 150 kilometers along the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway or Chengdu-Anshun-Chongqing Expressway to reach Anyue County, then follow the navigation to the stone carving sites.
② Public transportation: First take the high-speed train to Ziyang North Station, then transfer to a long-distance bus to Anyue County, and then choose local taxis or chartered cars to the stone carving scenic areas. Some popular attractions like Yuanjue Cave are accessible by public bus routes.
🍀 Food recommendations:
① Anyue Rice Rolls: A local specialty snack made from high-quality rice, steamed to a fine and smooth texture, served with spicy or sour and spicy sauce, delicious and not to be missed.
② Lemon Feast: Anyue is known as the 'Hometown of Chinese Lemons'. Local restaurants have innovatively launched a lemon feast that incorporates lemon elements into various dishes, such as lemon fish, lemon chicken, lemon ribs, etc., which are sour, sweet, appetizing, and refreshing.
🍀 Recommended nearby attractions:
① Mingshan Temple Carvings: About 30 kilometers away from Anyue County, it is dominated by Tang Dynasty cliff carvings, especially the magnificent Medicine Buddha and Thousand-Handed Guanyin.
② Huayan Cave: Not far from Yuanjue Cave, the cave houses a grand Huayan Three Saints statue and many exquisite stone carvings, another masterpiece of Song Dynasty grotto art.
③ Lezhi Baoguo Temple: Located in Lezhi County adjacent to Anyue County, it is a long-standing Buddhist temple with a tranquil environment, ancient trees reaching to the sky, and a great place for quiet contemplation, worship, and leisurely health preservation.
The stone carving of Anyue began in Nanxun Wudi in two years, more than 1,500 years ago. Anyue is the hometown of stone carving in China. The magnificent statue of Youxin Tang Dynasty and the exquisite statue of the two Songs are famous in the world. It has the status of Shangcheng Yungang, Longmen and Dazu stone carving in the history of Chinese stone carving art.
The Reclining Buddha Courtyard is one of the largest Tang Dynasty statues in Bayan area. Anyue giant sleeping Buddha opened the first river to create a large statue of Bayan. It has given important demonstrations and influences to the Buddhist statue art in the southwest and even the whole country. The scenery is particularly beautiful and the photos are very good. A good place to take pictures and punch in the baby
Remember that when you are a child, you must go to the place where you are going every year is Yuanjuedong; Growing up, friends from other places to see Anyue Stone Carvings must see also Yuanjue Cave. Every time I go to see it, I really feel the shock. It is a tourist attraction that is still unsatisfactory. It not only makes us feel the perfect integration of nature and humanistic landscapes. We have also deeply learned the esoteric nature of Buddhism. Every Buddha statue has its unique story and morals, which makes people feel enchanted. The scenery on the way also makes people sigh the ghostly work of nature from time to time, which is really a great place to linger.
Anyue stone inscription is wrong, everyone has a chance to see.
Anyue stone carving is a treasure trove of ancient Chinese stone carving art. It is mostly the mature and heyday of stone carving art in China, with high sculpture art value, portrait style in addition to a few simple, rough Wei Jin style, most of the body full, elegant and luxurious Tang style, there are some fine and beautiful, the characteristics of the Song Dynasty. Among them, there are also the original creations of Anyue people, who have many bold breakthroughs in religious rituals with their own unique ingenuity, superb skills and observation and understanding of life.
2022-11-02 11:07 Fujian engineers pay attention to Anyue County as a county in Ziyang City, Sichuan. In recent years, with a large number of grotto stone carvings have been found, this is also known as the "home of Chinese stone carving art". Of course, there is no such thing as Anyue. There are so many stone carvings. And they are beautifully shaped and lifelike.