Craftsmanship Ghost Axe - The Life and Narrative of Stones
The artistic shock of Dazu Rock Carvings lies in its transformation of hard rocks into epic paintings full of life rhythm and grand narrative.
Baoding Mountain: a meticulously designed mandala dojo
This is the core of the World Cultural Heritage, planned and constructed by the Song Dynasty monk Zhao Zhifeng over a period of more than 70 years, resembling a stone carved comic book.
The Thousand Armed Thousand Eyed Guanyin Statue is known as the "national treasure among national treasures". On the cliff surface of 88 square meters, 1007 hands and eyes with different postures and holding different artifacts are carved, covered in gold foil and shining brightly. Their exquisite layout and fine carving can be regarded as a unique wonder in the world of grotto art.
Shakyamuni nirvana holy relic painting (reclining Buddha): a 31 meter long half body reclining Buddha, only depicting the upper body of the Buddha, with the lower body hidden in the rock, giving people a distant and imaginative aesthetic experience. More than ten disciples' statues ahead, with different expressions of grief and grief, are highly artistic and infectious.
Yuanjue Dojo and Cattle Herding Picture: The design of the cave in "Yuanjue Dojo" is exquisite, with a concealed drainage system and a scientific mechanical structure, showcasing the astonishing wisdom of ancient craftsmen. The painting 'The Shepherd's Cow' vividly metaphorically depicts the process of shepherds taming cows, depicting the ten stages of spiritual adjustment for practitioners. It integrates profound Zen principles into a scene full of pastoral poetry, achieving a perfect unity of secularization and artistry.
The disguised form of prison and the disguised form of parental kindness: The ideas of karma, filial piety ethics, etc. are carved out through visually striking and story like scenes, like an ethical textbook from the Song Dynasty society, making it unforgettable.
Beishan: A finely crafted Tang and Song Dynasty statue art gallery
The Beishan stone carvings were excavated even earlier, lasting for more than 250 years, and can be called the "Tang and Song Stone Carving Art Exhibition Hall".
The Wheel Turning Scripture Collection Cave is widely recognized as the "pearl on the crown of Chinese grotto art". The statues inside the cave are coordinated as a whole, with distinct personalities, especially the Bodhisattva statue, which has a graceful face, elegant temperament, gorgeous clothing, full of youthful vitality and inner wisdom, representing the highest aesthetic peak of cave art in the Song Dynasty.
Shuiyue Guanyin: Sitting freely on the Diamond Platform, with a leisurely and elegant posture, the background is decorated with purple bamboo and a clean bottle, creating a beautiful atmosphere of "moon in water, flower in the mirror". It is a model of Eastern female beauty in stone carvings.
Integration of Ideas - The Harmonious Map of the Three Teachings on the Cliff
The unique value of Dazu Rock Carvings lies in its rare focus on the collision and integration of China's three major mainstream ideological systems.
The ethical admonition of Confucianism: In Baoding Mountain, niches such as "The Subtle Form of the Sutra on the Gratitude of Parents" vividly promote filial piety through continuous images, which is a stone carving illustration of Confucian ethical thought.
The cause and effect cycle of Buddhism: "The Disguise of the Hell" and other works showcase the Buddhist worldview of retribution for good and evil through stunning visual images, which have a strong educational function.
The local deities of Taoism, such as Shimen Mountain and Shizhuan Mountain, are concentrated in the carving of Taoist deity statues such as the Jade Emperor, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and the Old Lord of the Supreme Court, as well as Confucian sages such as Confucius and the Ten Philosophers. They coexist harmoniously with Buddhist statues and intuitively reflect the social trend of "three religions in one" in the Song Dynasty, which is also unique in the history of world religious art.
Photography tips:
To shoot Thousand Armed Guanyin, a wide-angle lens is required, preferably in weather with uniform lighting to avoid strong contrast between light and dark.
The light inside the Beishan Wheel Scripture Cave is relatively dim, and the use of flashlights is prohibited (as it may damage the painting). It is recommended to increase the camera sensitivity appropriately or use soft lighting on site.
The panoramic view of the reclining Buddha needs to be taken on the observation deck, combined with the composition of incense burners or trees in the foreground, to better reflect its grandeur.
The details of stone carvings, such as the face and clothing patterns of bodhisattvas, are suitable for capturing with telephoto lenses, and the side light can better showcase the three-dimensional sense of carving.
