Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings: A Beautiful Tragedy

“Dunhuang in the North, Dazu in the South.” Chinese grotto art began in Dunhuang during the Former Qin Dynasty and ended in Dazu during the Southern Song Dynasty. The Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings are the most exquisite of the Dazu Stone Carvings. They were carved between 1174 and 1252 during the Southern Song Dynasty by a monk named Zhao Zhifeng. Zhao Zhifeng (1159–1249) was a monk from Milang Township in Changzhou (now Dazu, Chongqing) during the Southern Song Dynasty. At the age of five, Zhao Zhifeng shaved his head and became a monk to cure his mother’s illness. He followed his master to cure illnesses with water and spread the teachings of Buddhism. At the age of 16, he traveled to Shengshou Benzun Temple in Mimu Town, Western Sichuan, where he studied under Liu Benzun, a Buddhist layman from the late Tang Dynasty, for three years. In 1179, Zhao Zhifeng returned to his hometown to spread the teachings of Liu Benzun. Inspired by the Buddhist atmosphere and exquisite stone carvings in Dazu, Zhao Zhifeng decided to build a large Buddhist Tantric temple with stone carvings in Dafowan, Baoding Mountain, which is shaped like an inverted U. After 1185, Zhao Zhifeng, as the chief designer, raised funds, organized monks, and hired craftsmen to plan and design the Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings. After more than 70 years, over 10,000 statues were carved, creating a unique Buddhist paradise. The Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings are a representative work of late Chinese cliff carvings and the last monument and beautiful tragedy of ancient Chinese and world grotto art.