Qianfo Cliff: A Historical Treasure and Natural Beauty of Sichuan
📍Location: Qianfo Cliff, Lizhou District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province
🚗Travel: Recommended to drive or take the bus
🈺️Opening Hours: 8:30-17:30
🎫Ticket Price: 💰50 yuan (Winter discount event, with a chance to purchase tickets for 1 yuan)
Attraction Introduction: Guangyuan Qianfo Cliff, located on the left bank of the Jialing River, is an important part of the Jianmen Shu Road National Scenic Area. The cliff carvings are distributed along a 420-meter-long cliff, reaching up to 84 meters in height, with the highest niche being 45.5 meters above the ground. There are a total of 13 layers, with more than 950 niches and over 7,900 Buddha statues.
These carvings began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and flourished from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, especially during the Tang Dynasty. During the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, and Qing periods, the focus was mainly on coloring. It is the largest grotto group in Sichuan and is known as the 'Exhibition Hall of Stone Carving Art through the Ages'.
In 1935, due to the construction of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, some carvings were damaged. In 1961, the Qianfo Cliff carvings were listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 2012, it was rated as a national 4A-level tourist attraction.
Little Knowledge Share: The Tang Dynasty cliff carvings of Guangyuan Qianfo Cliff have the following characteristics:
✅One Buddha, two Bodhisattvas, two disciples: The main shapes are pointed arch and round arch, and the carvings are simple yet exquisite. The Buddha statues often have square or round faces, with a solemn and amiable expression, three neck folds, broad shoulders, and a robust, rounded figure.
✅Clothing and attire: Most wear a kasaya that covers both shoulders. This style of clothing appeared in small quantities during the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan period, became popular during Empress Wu's reign, and after the Kaiyuan period, it became the only form of Buddha attire.
✅Plump and rounded: The 'open face' of Buddha statues is a characteristic of Buddhist carvings after the prosperous Tang period, with high spiral hair buns and a plump, full face.
✅Artistic techniques: The grotto carvings are mainly high-relief, with some niches using through-carving and hollowing techniques, giving the statues a more three-dimensional feel.
When visiting cultural attractions, in addition to taking photos and checking in, it is more important to understand the historical stories behind them, to feel the wisdom of the ancients, and to broaden one's horizons and ways of thinking.
The spectacular sight of Qianfo Cliff makes one admire the wisdom of the ancients; after a thousand years of weathering, many carvings have become unrecognizable, and some have even been destroyed, which is deeply moving.
Cherish the present, feel the history.
The Qianfoya Grottoes are on the Jialing River, which was chiselled in the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued until the Qing Dynasty. It lasted 1500 years and was known as the "Showcase of Stone Carving Art in the History". The cliffside is one of the ramps of Jinniu Road, and there are buses in the city.
The attraction features a perfect combination of natural and humanistic landscapes. Whether it is a picturesque landscape painting or a historic monument, visitors can immerse themselves in it.
The stone inscription of Qianfoya, on the Jialing River, on the ancient Jinniu Road, is mainly the stone inscription of Wei, Jin and Tang. The damage is more serious. The stone inscription is clear and beautiful. The 50 yuan ticket is too worthless. It takes about 1 hour to play!
Very convenient location with lots of shops and restaurants to choose from. And the traffic is very convenient, there are subway stations and bus stops nearby. It is very convenient for tourists to explore the city better.
Golden Buddha Cliff on Jinniu Road is the largest grotto group in Sichuan, with flexible image, variable content, beautiful shape and unique artistic style. Dayundong is the largest of them. Walking on the banks of the Jialing River, watching the stone cliffs, the mountains stretching north and south, its caves are full of stories, the thousands of Buddha cliffs are carved in the ancient road of history, although the prosperity of the ancient road has gone, but the history of the Bayan ancient road and the thousand Buddhas is still impressive.
Guangyuan Qianfoya Cliff Cliff statue is located on the east bank of Jialing River 4 kilometers north of the old city in Lizhou District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. It was drilled in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it was continuously drilled through the Western Wei, Beizhou, Yi, Tang, Wudai, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Its history of excavation, ranking first in Sichuan, is also the largest grotto group in Sichuan Province, known as the "showcase of stone art in all generations". Guangyuan Qianfoya cliff cliff statue, the full length 388.8 meters, the top of the cliff is 84 meters high, the highest part of the cave is45.5 meters from the ground, the cave is multi-level arrangement, up to 13 floors, there are 54 caves, 819 feet, the size of the statue more than 7,000 bodies. It covers an area of 7,800 square meters and a construction area of 480 square meters.
Located on the banks of the Jialing River, it is worth seeing. There is a history. It is Xingtang because of Wu Zetian. At present, the protection work is also good. There are several Buddhas and Buddhas that are very exquisite, especially one known as the Bodhisattva statue of "Oriental Venus", which is also one of the symbols of Guangyuan.