Qianfo Cliff: A Historical Treasure and Natural Beauty of Sichuan

📍Location: Qianfo Cliff, Lizhou District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province 🚗Travel: Recommended to drive or take the bus 🈺️Opening Hours: 8:30-17:30 🎫Ticket Price: 💰50 yuan (Winter discount event, with a chance to purchase tickets for 1 yuan) Attraction Introduction: Guangyuan Qianfo Cliff, located on the left bank of the Jialing River, is an important part of the Jianmen Shu Road National Scenic Area. The cliff carvings are distributed along a 420-meter-long cliff, reaching up to 84 meters in height, with the highest niche being 45.5 meters above the ground. There are a total of 13 layers, with more than 950 niches and over 7,900 Buddha statues. These carvings began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and flourished from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, especially during the Tang Dynasty. During the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, and Qing periods, the focus was mainly on coloring. It is the largest grotto group in Sichuan and is known as the 'Exhibition Hall of Stone Carving Art through the Ages'. In 1935, due to the construction of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, some carvings were damaged. In 1961, the Qianfo Cliff carvings were listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 2012, it was rated as a national 4A-level tourist attraction. Little Knowledge Share: The Tang Dynasty cliff carvings of Guangyuan Qianfo Cliff have the following characteristics: ✅One Buddha, two Bodhisattvas, two disciples: The main shapes are pointed arch and round arch, and the carvings are simple yet exquisite. The Buddha statues often have square or round faces, with a solemn and amiable expression, three neck folds, broad shoulders, and a robust, rounded figure. ✅Clothing and attire: Most wear a kasaya that covers both shoulders. This style of clothing appeared in small quantities during the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan period, became popular during Empress Wu's reign, and after the Kaiyuan period, it became the only form of Buddha attire. ✅Plump and rounded: The 'open face' of Buddha statues is a characteristic of Buddhist carvings after the prosperous Tang period, with high spiral hair buns and a plump, full face. ✅Artistic techniques: The grotto carvings are mainly high-relief, with some niches using through-carving and hollowing techniques, giving the statues a more three-dimensional feel. When visiting cultural attractions, in addition to taking photos and checking in, it is more important to understand the historical stories behind them, to feel the wisdom of the ancients, and to broaden one's horizons and ways of thinking. The spectacular sight of Qianfo Cliff makes one admire the wisdom of the ancients; after a thousand years of weathering, many carvings have become unrecognizable, and some have even been destroyed, which is deeply moving. Cherish the present, feel the history.