Inscribed by UNESCO on the list as one of the World Cultural Heritages in December 1999, Dazu ("Great Plenty" or More mundanely as "Big Foor") Rock Carvings lie 163 kilometres away from Chongqing Municipality, which was established in March 1997. The carvings started in 892 and completed by the end of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) lasting more than 250 years. They are the excellent works of rock carvings produced during the later period of grotto arts in China.
     More than 50,000 pieces of carved rock figures are scattered 75 major sites in the 1,390-square-kilometre county. Those carved out of the rocks at Beishan (North Hill), The Baodingshan (Precious Peak Hill) and Nanshan (South Hill) are the most concentrated in number, the largest in scale, the finest in craftsmanship and the richest in contents. In 1961, they appeared on the list of the first group of important cultural relics under the state protection as announced by the State Council.
     Dazu Rock Carvings are in no way less important than other bug-name Chinese grottoes such as Dunhuang, Yungang and Longmen in Northern China.
     The Dazu Rock Carvings, mainly consisting of Buddhist images, are the commented as the "Oriental Carved Bible." However, there are also separate areas of Confucian and Taoist images, and caves in which the founders of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are placed together. Besides, there are statues of a commemorative nature of historical oersonages. What makes Dazu rock carvings unique is the large amount of statues, the refined carving techniques, the diversified subjects, the rich content and the excellent conservation.