Dazu Rock Carvings

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dazu Rock Carvings on Mount Baoding
Location	Dazu District, Chongqing, China
Includes	Beishan Baodingshan Nanshan Shizhuanshan Shimenshan
Reference	912
Inscription	1999 (23rd Session)
Area	20.41 ha (0.0788 sq mi)
Buffer zone	211.12 ha (0.8151 sq mi)
Coordinates	29°42′4″N 105°42′18″E / 29.70111°N 105.70500°E / 29.70111; 105.70500
Location of Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing Show map of Chongqing Dazu Rock Carvings (China) Show map of China

The Dazu Rock Carvings^[1] (Chinese: 大足石刻; pinyin: Dàzú Shíkè) are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Dazu District, Chongqing, China. The carvings date back as far as the 7th century AD, depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Some are in rock-cut cave shrines, in the usual Chinese Buddhist style, but many others are rock reliefs carved into the open rock faces. Listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs.^[2] The sites are located in Chongqing Municipality within the steep hillsides throughout Dazu District, located about 165 kilometers west of the urban area of Chongqing. The highlights of the rock grotto are found on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan.