大足石刻

Why this place

The Dazu carvings are unusual among Chinese rock-carving sites because they bring Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian figures into the same groups — a deliberate statement of religious coexistence from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. The sculpture is more narrative and more human-scaled than the earlier cave sites.

What to see

• Baodingshan — the great horseshoe-shaped niche with its thousands of figures
• The Nirvana Buddha at Baodingshan, 31 metres long
• The Thousand-Hand Guanyin at Baodingshan, with over a thousand actual hands
• Beishan's smaller caves, which are quieter and finer in detail

What to eat

• Chongqing hotpot, once you are back in the city
• Dazu's own 'ding' dishes and the local farm food

How to plan

One day from Chongqing.

Best time

March–May and September–November