Chongqing- You might have visited or heard of the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But did you know that the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor is dotted with many other ancient rock carvings?
On September 29, the 2026 Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor Premium Tourism Routes - "Dazu Rock Carvings, the World Heritage" Themed Promotion Event got underway in Chongqing.
Cultural and tourism administrations from Chongqing and Sichuan, representatives from districts and counties along the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, and major cultural and tourism enterprises participated in the event, which integrated ancient rock-carving resources along the corridor and explored pathways for coordinated cultural heritage development.
Dazu Rock Carvings were promoted at the event (photo/the organizer)
At the event, the audience was introduced to the aesthetic art of Dazu Rock Carvings, which has endured for thousands of years. Boasting more than 50,000 statues and over 100,000 inscriptions, the carvings are valued for their artistic achievements, historical significance, and reflection of cultural exchanges in ancient China. It was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999.
Sharing the same origin, the Anyue Stone Carvings also tell a remarkable story of over 100,000 statues dating from the Tang and Song dynasties — ranging from the Tang Dynasty Reclining Buddha to the Purple Bamboo Guanyin, known as the "Oriental Venus."
Moreover, Rongchang District presented its national-level intangible cultural heritages like Rongchang Pottery, Grass Linen, and Folding Fans.
Tongliang Dragon Dance at the event (photo/ the organizer)
Known as “China’s First Dragon”, Tongliang Dragon Dance was also staged at the event, which vividly brought the artistic imagery of dragons carved in stone to life. At the same time, the folk traditions of dragon lantern crafting and dragon dance blessings from Anju Ancient Town of Tongliang District were introduced.
According to the introduction, Dazu and Anyue have jointly developed China's first cross-provincial grotto and stone carving heritage tourism route, weaving together premium sites including Baoding Mountain, Beishan, and Nanshan in Dazu with Mingshan Temple and Pilu Cave in Anyue — stringing the grotto cultural resources into a coherent chain that benefits visitors.
Meanwhile, the construction of the Sichuan-Chongqing Grotto Temples National Heritage Park has been incorporated into China's "14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Heritage Protection and Technological Innovation" and the "14th Five-Year Special Plan for the Protection and Utilization of Grotto Temples," making it the country's first pilot area for a national grotto temple heritage park. The "Overall Plan for the Sichuan-Chongqing Grotto Temples National Heritage Park" has passed expert review.