When it comes to Dazu, Chongqing, many people will naturally think of the world famous Dazu Rock Carvings. After all, this is the first signboard of Chongqing's world heritage and the only world cultural heritage in Chongqing. Of course, Dazu Rock Carvings is not only a place with Dazu stone carvings, but also a place with many treasures. The beautiful scenery of Longshui Lake, Changzhou Ancient City, Xiangguo Park, Shili Hetang, etc., is worth punching.

At the weekend, I came to Treasure Dazu again. I spent two days looking for the charm of Dazu Rock Carvings and enjoying the beauty of Tangcheng Fragrant Country.

Travel itinerary planning:

DAY1: Shili Hetang Lotus Mountain Villa - Baoding Mountain Stone Carving Scenic Spot - Dazu Rock Carvings Cultural and Creative Park in Sanqu Town - Four Seasons Fragrance Industrial Park in Gaosheng Town - Beishan Stone Carving Scenic Spot (Night Tour)

DAY2: Changzhou Ancient City - Haitang Fragrant Country - Longshui Lake Scenic Area (aerial photography+boat tour)

Count each beautiful spot one by one and go check in

First stop: Shili Hetang Lotus Villa

Shili Hetang Lotus Villa Scenic Area is located in Baoding Town, Dazu District, Chongqing. It is a leisure tourism resort with lotus flowers as its symbol and lotus culture as its connotation, integrating sightseeing, leisure, accommodation and meals.

The integration of lotus culture into classical garden art architecture is a major feature of the scenic area.

Based on the characteristics of undulating terrain, a group of buildings with a strong classical style, such as pavilions, terraces, towers, pavilions, corridors, pavilions, bridges, islands, etc., were built according to local conditions, and given poetic names.

Most of these pavilions and towers are built in the water. The carefully designed lotus pond paths, courtyard leaky windows, auspicious patterns, etc. all have lotus elements, combined with various lotus flowers, forming a diverse and distinctive lotus landscape.

The wood carving culture here has a long history, exquisite grinding and carving, unique style, which makes people marvel at the profoundness of Chinese culture.

When we went there, it was still a month early. In the summer of July, this place was full of lotus flowers and the charm of ancient poetry.

At that time, you can also drink lotus tea and taste lotus feast: lotus fish series, lotus leaf flour steaming series, lotus sword series, tea Steamed dumplings, lotus leaf noodles, etc.

Leaving Lotus Mountain Villa, arrive at the second stop: Baoding Mountain Stone Carving Scenic Area

The Baoding Mountain stone carvings were excavated by the renowned Southern Song monk Zhao Zhifeng during the Chunxi to Chunyou period (1174-1252 AD), spanning over 70 years. Centered around Dafowan and Xiaofowan, it is divided into more than 10 parts and is a large Buddhist tantric temple with nearly 10000 statues, complete themes and characters, and distinctive features.

The cliff carvings on Baoding Mountain integrate the basic teachings of Buddhism with the ethics and nature of Confucianism, as well as the philosophy of Taoism, showcasing the characteristics of Buddhist and Confucian thought in the Song Dynasty of China.

Dafowan is a U-shaped mountain bay, with a cliff face of about 500 meters long and 8-25 meters high. The statues are carved on the east, south, and north cliffs, numbered 31 in total. The themes of thousands of statues are not repeated, and there are both internal connections in doctrine and formal connections between the niches, forming an organic whole.

The religious stories and life philosophies carved here appeal to people with reason, emotion, happiness, and misfortune. Covering a wide range of social ideas, it saves people's lives and makes them never tire of it.

Qianshou Guanyin is one of the representatives of Dazu Rock Carvings, a famous ancient rock carving art in China, and a model of the late grotto sculpture art in China. It is grand in scale, exquisite in art, and rich in content, and is as famous as the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes, and Longmen Grottoes. After being repaired with gold, the Thousand Armed Guanyin has regained its radiance.

Baoding Mountain is one of the holy sites of Buddhism, with the saying "go up to Emei" and "go down to Baoding". When visiting and observing, one must have a devout heart.

Dazu Rock Carvings Museum is the largest and most comprehensive professional museum of grottoes in China at present. It refers to the style of the architectural statues of the Tang Dynasty in the Dazu Rock Carvings Beishan Mountain, reflecting the architectural style of Tang style and Song rhyme.

The third stop: Dazu Rock Carvings Cultural and Creative Park

Let's take a look at the Dazu Rock Carvings Cultural and Creative Park derived from Dazu Rock Carvings.

Dazu Rock Carvings Cultural and Creative Park has introduced 143 enterprises (including enterprises in the park), including urban sculpture, stone carving, wood carving, bronze carving, ceramics and various handicraft enterprises, and cultural tourism supporting enterprises.

Accelerate the promotion of industries such as Stone Culture Industrial Park, Liujiang Cultural and Creative Industry, Yiding Sculpture, Lianshan Art Base, and Woodcarving Art Industrial Park.

Focusing on the goal of "four places, one park and one pole", Dazu Rock Carvings Cultural and Creative Park strives to build the largest sculpture industry base in western China, the distribution center of cultural and creative products with characteristics in western China, the professional market cluster of Chengdu Chongqing double city economic circle, and the cultural and creative tourism destination in western China, and create a national cultural industry demonstration park, becoming a new growth pole of Dazu District.

Fourth stop: Four Seasons Aromatic Industrial Park

Then we came to the Four Seasons Aromatic Industrial Park in Gaosheng Town, the west gate of Dazu District, to experience the charm of the rural economy of Changshou Town.

The forest coverage rate here is 65.5%. The leading industry is fragrance, and the characteristic industries include bamboo shoots, loquat, citrus, lemon, etc.

It enjoys the reputation of "Four Seasons Fragrant Sea", "Hometown of Citrus", "Hometown of Bamboo Shoots", "Hometown of Loquat", and "Hometown of Longevity".

Why is it called the hometown of longevity? Because of the good air quality and high negative oxygen ions here, there was once the oldest centenarian in the entire region at 108 years old, and currently there are still 5 centenarians, with the oldest being 105 years old!

Four Seasons Fragrant Sea Company has been selected and cultivated for many years, planting more than ten aromatic plants such as rosemary, Australian tea tree, lavender, Roman chamomile, etc., covering an area of 6000 acres.

This will be developed into a rural tourism destination that combines tourism, sightseeing, leisure, photography, physical examination, camping, and more.

In June, take a deep breath and experience the fragrance of the four seasons in the authentic countryside, embracing nature, health, and natural beauty. Let longevity begin with youth!

Fifth stop: Night tour of Beishan Stone Carving Scenic Area

Returning to the north of Dazu City, it was already evening, and we went on a night tour of the Beishan Stone Carvings.

Beishan, formerly known as Longgang Mountain, is located 1.5 kilometers north of Dazu City and has an elevation of 545.5 meters. According to the on-site introduction, the night tour of Beishan Stone Carvings is carried out by multiple projectors, using seamless fusion splicing, bus control, and anti deformation technology. With the help of semi virtual reality technology, the damaged parts of the Buddha statue surface are artistically restored through optical restoration, and dynamic images are added to give a visual impact, cleverly compensating for the visual defects of weathering and fading of the statue, restoring the original original full view, and reproducing the magnificent and charming style of ancient grotto statue construction.

There are nearly ten thousand cliff carvings in Beishan Stone Carvings, mainly funded and carved by secular praying Buddha. Famous niches and caves, such as the Heart God Car Cave, have a particularly magnificent coiled dragon "Heart God Car" in the center of the cave.

Among them, the Pure Treasure Bottle Guanyin, Manjusri, Jade Seal Guanyin, Ruyi Pearl Guanyin, Samantabhadra, Sun Moon Guanyin, Shuzhu Hand Guanyin, etc. are carved symmetrically, rigorously and orderly, and seamlessly integrated.

Eight Bodhisattva statues, plump, round, elegant and generous, are the essence of the stone carvings here. There are a total of 51 themes for Beishan stone carvings, which were popular at that time

The story of Buddhist characters is the main focus, and it is a product of the secularization of Buddhism.

Beishan Statue is renowned for its exquisite carving, superb skills, and exquisite elegance. It integrates works from the late Tang, Five Dynasties, and Two Song dynasties, showcasing the different styles and developments of grotto art in various periods after the late Tang. It is known as the "Tang and Song Stone Carving Art Exhibition Hall".

There are nearly ten thousand Buddha statues on the cliffs of Beishan, especially famous for the various postures of Guanyin statues, showcasing stone carvings from the late Tang, Five Dynasties, and Two Song periods, as well as the development of local folk Buddhist beliefs and cave art. Night tours will attract more domestic and foreign tourists to visit.

Beishan Stone Carving Night Tour Visiting Time: 19:00-21:00

good night!

The next day, we will first go to Changzhou Ancient City with Song style and Song charm (the sixth stop)

The restored architectural style of the ancient city of Changzhou in Haitang Xiangguo can be called authentic and outstanding.

The city is lined with pavilions, eaves and corners, and carved beams and painted rafters buildings. The whole ancient street area changes with the terrain, with ups and downs, width and width, and changes in order, giving a sense of hierarchy and rhythm.

The government office, embroidery tower, stage, God of Wealth Temple, inn, teahouse, tavern, and shop have formed the most primitive style of Changzhou Ancient Street.

Various antique activities such as the court case resolution, city opening ceremony, and street patrols in Changzhou Ancient City have made the Song style and charm more prominent, fully reflecting the sense of time travel and fun of Changzhou Ancient City.

The 12 major attractions of Changzhou Ancient City: Three Lives of Love, Drumming to Convey Love, Phoenix Seeking Fate, Time Contract, Life is Like a Play, Tang Fragrance Reflecting Love, Haitang Smoke and Rain, Laixi Xiaoyue, Wind and Rain True Love, Foot Island Resting Garden, Fragrant Night Ferry, Bodhi Meditation waiting for you to participate in and experience.

Haitang Xiangguo Park (7th stop)

Shen Li of the Song Dynasty wrote in his book "Haitang Ji": "There is no fragrance of Haitang in the world, but the fragrance of Haitang is unique in Dazu." Therefore, Dazu is also known as the "Haitang Fragrant Country". Xiangguo Park is named after this place.

Xiangguo Park is located at the intersection of Laixi River and Hualong River, with Changzhou Ancient City to the south and Lion Rock Park to the north. In October 2020, it was awarded the title of "Discovering the Beauty of Chongqing · Chongqing's Most Beautiful Park" by Chongqing City, and also won the "Discovering the Beauty of Chongqing · Citizen Reputation Award".

Xiangguo Park is divided into two areas: Miaoshan Lake and Xiangquan Lake. It features buildings such as bridges, attic, cascading waterfalls, and cultural wall exhibitions, as well as 11 characteristic functional areas including Xiangguo Square, People's Stage, 8 children's play areas, and a light and water show. It is also equipped with more than 1200 urban roads and parking spaces.

This is a comprehensive and open urban ecological and cultural park that integrates functions such as leisure, recreation, health and fitness, vacation, and sightseeing.

Xiangguo Park is guided by the concept of urban ecological green heart, showcasing healthy lifestyles, and showcasing natural and cultural landscapes. It takes Dazu's historical and cultural heritage, as well as Haitang culture, as the main theme, and uses landscape elements such as architecture, rocks, water bodies, and plants as carriers. The park is equipped with "amusement park" functional service facilities, and adopts the "five dimensional landscape" construction technique to recreate the thousand year old scenery of Haitang Xiangguo. It is a brand new living scenic spot worth experiencing for leisure.

The last stop is Longshui Lake Scenic Area. We will use aerial photography and boat tours to check-in and experience it.

Longshui Lake is known as the "West Lake of Dazu" and has now been developed into the Longshui Lake International Tourism Resort. The resort is centered around Longshui Lake and the development areas include Yulongshan National Forest Park and Longshui Lake National Water Conservancy Scenic Area.

Looking down at Longshui Lake, the water is as clear as a mirror, with vast misty waves and 108 shaded small islands dotted among them, each with different shapes and shining like stars. Boating on the lake, one can experience the beauty of water and sky blending together, and return to nature.

After taking a bird's-eye view, we decided to go and have an intimate encounter with Longshui Lake as companions.

Boating on Longshui Lake allows you to choose sailboats or antique painted boats for a deep experience of Longshui Lake.

The rippling lake surface and azure sky make people feel leisurely and relaxed. The environment here is beautiful, the scenery is stunning, and the functions are complete, making it the perfect choice for leisure and vacation in the surrounding area.

As the Dazu practice of "beautiful China", relying on the profound cultural connotation of the world cultural heritage Dazu Rock Carvings, as well as the natural ecological resources of Longshui Lake, it is a specific practice to build "ecological, life, and life blessed land", create "heart care, health care, and pension industries", and develop modern services in clusters and cultivate new industrial growth points.

Longshui Lake Resort also has a hot spring resort hotel and clubhouse, with beautiful environment, picturesque scenery, high-quality hot springs, rich mineral content, and unique health and wellness functions. It has been rated by experts as the most ideal hot spring in western Chongqing.

Alright, after two days of traveling to so many places, I feel like I'm not satisfied yet. The delicious food also whets our appetite, and we travel back and forth through the years.

Visit Dazu Rock Carvings and love in the country of Begonia Fragrance. This is the new way to open the treasure of "Dafeng Dazu". I believe tonight I will have a themed dream: to return to Tangcheng and see Xiangguo again.

Attachment:

Self driving guide: about 1 hour and 20 minutes

1. Chongqing Main City - Chongqing Chengdu Expressway - Guanglu Expressway - Longshui Interchange - Yuhua Road - Longshui Lake International Resort

2. Chongqing Main City - Chengdu Chongqing Expressway - Youting Road - Longshuihu International Resort

3. The main city of Chongqing - Chongqing Chengdu Expressway - Dazu East Interchange - Shike Avenue - Baotang Avenue - Dazu Rock Carvings Shike Baoding Mountain Scenic Spot

—————————OVER————————