On May 12, the inauguration ceremony of Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute (Dazu Rock Carvings Museum) was held in Baoding Mountain scenic spot, Dazu District. This marked an upgrade of the efforts to tap into and protect the Dazu rock carvings culture. The institute will further protect the cultural relics, tap into and rationally utilize Dazu rock carvings culture, and make positive contributions to building Dazu District into an international cultural and tourism city at a faster pace with local rock carvings as the core.

On May 12, the inauguration ceremony of Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute was held in Baoding Mountain scenic spot, Dazu District, Chongqing.

Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute (Dazu Rock Carvings Museum) was founded on a county-level cultural relics depository set up in 1952. In December 2019, according to a document issued by the Organization Establishment Committee of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, the institute was adjusted from an official institution directly under the People's Government of Dazu District to a deputy department-level institution directly under Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development (Chongqing Bureau of Cultural Relics) and entrusted to Dazu District for administration.

"We will take the establishment of the institute as an opportunity to protect, study, carry forward and make good use of Dazu rock carvings, and strive to build the institute into a world-renowned research institute," said the head of the institute.

In the protection of cultural relics, the institute will speed up the protection and restoration projects of several cultural relics, including the restoration of Fohui Temple in Shizhuan Mountain, the China-Italian cooperation project in Shucheng Cliff Rock Carvings, the protection, and restoration of Xiaofowan Rock Carvings, as well as the rescue of rock carving statues in Baoding Mountain and the surrounding areas of Beishan Mountain. At the same time, it will deepen the scientific researches, start the compilation of the New Master Record of Dazu Rock Carvings, etc. In addition, relying on big projects, abundant resources and big data, it will upgrade the tourism infrastructure of Dazu rock carvings, make full use of the cultural relics resources and speed up the construction of smart scenic spots.

"Through the combination of protection and rational utilization, we will make use of cultural relics. In the future, we will create a pattern featuring comprehensive tourism, great opening-up and covering the whole region with five rock carving scenic spots including Baoding Mountain and Beishan Mountain as the core and other scenic spots as supplements," the institute head said.