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In October, Baoding Mountain is crisp in autumn, passing through the lush woods and climbing the mountain road to the famous Dazu stone carved Baoding Mountain Area. The world's largest stone half-body reclining Buddha statue, the peacock king with spread wings and spirit, more than 50,000 statues, more than 100,000 inscriptions... On the cliffs of the southwest mountains, these exquisite stone carvings with a history of more than 1,000 years attract tourists from all over the country.
This is a map of the sacred relics of Shakya Nirvana taken in the Dazu Stone Carved Treasure Peak Mountain Area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Qianlei
Dazu stone carvings are the general name of all stone carvings in Dazu District, Chongqing. In Dazu District, known as the "hometown of stone carvings", stone carvings are distributed in nearly 100 places in the region, especially the stone carvings of Beishan, Baoding Mountain, Nanshan, Shimen Mountain and Shijishan are the most distinctive. These statues were built in the early Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Two Song Dynasties, and stretched to the Ming and Qing dynasties, lasting more than 1,370 years. "The Dazu stone carvings are masterpieces of late Chinese cave art and the last monument of world cave art from the 9th to the 13th centuries." Li Xiaoqiang, deputy director of the Dazu Research Center of the Dazu Stone Carving Research Institute, said.
"This is the first time I have seen a thousand hands Guanyin with a thousand hands, and it is really shocking." Ms. Xie, a tourist from Anhui, stopped in front of the statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands and marveled repeatedly. Generally speaking, as long as the statue of Kannon has ten hands, it can be called "Thousand Hands Guanyin". On the stone cliff of 88 square meters in Chongqing, there is a statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands, the palm contains a glance, most of the hands hold magic weapons, a thousand postures, brilliant.
Li Xiaoqiang said: "The statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands is relatively common in Chinese Buddhist statues, but such a veritable, three-dimensional stone carving of Guanyin with a thousand hands is rare in the world, and this statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands is a combination of carving, painting and gold plastering, which has a history of more than 800 years. ”
This is a statue of the Thousand Hands Guanyin taken in the Dazu Stone Carving Baoding Mountain Area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Qianlei
Not far from the statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands, stands the majestic Huayan Three Sacred Statues. Walking to the 7-meter-high statue, I saw Manjushri holding a 1.68-meter-high seven-level pagoda, with his arms hanging in the air, and the weight of the pagoda and hands was nearly a thousand catties, and the ancient craftsmen skillfully used the principles of building mechanics, put the corner of the cassock on the forearm, and drooped diagonally down to meet the knee, forming a triangular stable structure, so that the Manjushri hand pagoda will not fall for thousands of years.
"In addition to the stone carvings of Buddha and Bodhisattva, there are many statues depicting the secular life and folk customs of the people at that time, which is also a major feature of the Dazu stone carvings." Li Xiaoqiang told reporters.
If you want to understand the secular characteristics of the Dazu stone carvings, you have to mention the cow herding statue on Baoding Mountain. This niche is based on the reality of herding cattle in the mountains of the ancients, following the natural bending of the mountain rock, depicting vivid and realistic images of cow herders whipping and driving cattle, sleeping soundly, cows running wildly with their tails up, licking their hooves, etc., and its unique folk atmosphere brings tourists into poetic folk life.
"In addition to the cattle herding diagram, stone carvings such as chicken raising girls and piper girls also show the secular side of Dazu stone carvings." Li Xiaoqiang said, "Dazu stone carvings not only have unique artistic value, but also a kind of historical memory inheritance, through these ancient stone carvings, we can see the daily social life of China from the 9th to the 13th century." ”
This is a statue of the "Pied Girl" taken in the Dazu Stone Carved Baoding Mountain View Area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Qianlei
Dazu stone carvings have experienced thousands of years of ups and downs, but still strong, not only relying on the superb carving technology of the ancients, but also benefiting from the careful care of stone carving research and protection personnel, in Chongqing Dazu Stone Carving Cultural Relics Hospital, there is such a group of researchers who "see a doctor" for cultural relics.
"Before the restoration of the Thousand Hands Guanyin, we found that it had 34 'diseases' through the 'Wen Object Examination', and it took us 8 years to restore it and restore it to its brilliance." Chen Huili, director of the Protection Engineering Center of the Dazu Stone Carving Research Institute, said that the expert team has completed the rescue protection of cultural relics through traditional craftsmanship combined with modern technical means such as three-dimensional scanning and micro-environmental meteorological monitoring.
In recent years, the Dazu Stone Carving Research Institute has continued to innovate scientific and technological means for the protection of cultural relics, and has built a comprehensive Dazu Stone Carving Cultural Relics Hospital integrating the diagnosis and detection of cultural relics diseases, protection and restoration, and the digitization of cultural relics. "Cultural relics restoration is like people going to the hospital to see a doctor, after the completion of the cultural relics hospital, more 'sick' cultural relics have been restored and revitalized." Chen Huili said.
Reporters: Liu Zitong, Zhou Wenchong, Wu Nan
Video: Li Qianlei, Liu Zitong
Planning, editing: Wang Li, Li Minghui
Poster: Lee Ming-hui
Xinhua News Agency and Chongqing Branch co-production