In Dazu County, some 165 kilometers away from Chongqing, are more than 40 sites of stone carvings with over 50,000 statues of Buddha completed from the late Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty. The grottoes on the Beishan Hill and Baoding Hill are the largest in scale, richest in content and most refined in artistic skill. Construction began on the Beishan Hill in the late Tang Dynasty and lasted for more than 250 years, with some 300 niches containing some 10,000 statues of Buddha being carved. The cave bearing the openwork octagonal "soul chariot" which symbolizes the eternal turning of the wheel of Buddhist law is the most fantastic piece of work. Right in the center of the cave is the statue of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, which is flanked by more than 20 statues including the Buddha of wisdom and universal benevolence. [China.org.cn]

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