Inscribed: 1999

Location: Chongqing Municipality

Brief description: The steep hillsides in the Dazu area contain an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to 13th centuries. They are remarkable for their high aesthetic qualities, for their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and for the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period.

The stone carvings in Dazu date to the Tang and Song dynasties. There are 100,000 images in this group of stone carvings which are found at 70 sites about 14 kilometers from Chongqing. Most are Buddhist but there are Confucian and Taoist images. The stone carvings in Dazu are typical grotto carvings from later historical periods. They are important cultural relics and are under state protection.