Culture Tour
In the history of art of sculpture in China, the stone work found in the caves of Ba-Shu region occupy a position of prime importance. This region, whose name derives from two ancient kingdoms of China, now the Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality, was in the old one that becomes more developed economic and cultural well where Taoism and Buddhism was reported earlier and the construction of caves began prior to other areas, for this reason there are a greater number of caves and are spread in a wider area. In this region have discovered more than 200 sets of caves in over 50 districts.
Construction began in the dynasties of the South and North (420-589), reached its highest development under the Tang and Song (618-1279) and completed during the Ming and Qing (1368-1911). Their artistic value is only comparable with those of the Mogao (in Dunhuang, Gansu), Longmen (in Luoyang, Henan) and Yungas (in Datong, Shanxi).
Among the caves of Ba-Shu region, those are the most important Dazhu by the artistic and cultural value of his sculptures and reliefs. Dazhu is known as “Land Registration in Stone” and “A Treasury of Art Sculpture of China.” Read the rest of this entry »