Dazu Rock Carving Tour: Baoding's 800-Year Carvings

Walk among 50,000 rock sculptures spanning 75 sites across Dazu county

A private tour of Dazu rock carving near Chongqing with an English-speaking guide and hotel pickup, visiting Baoding and other sites across the county's 75 locations. The tour runs 7 to 8 hours and covers sites built over 12 centuries, from the Tang dynasty through the Qing. Baoding rock carving, the most famous site, holds over 800 years of Buddhist sculpture including the intricate Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy and a reclining Buddha, carved as both scripture and teaching rather than prayer alone.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Dazu rock carvings and local experience

• Travel to Dazu county
• Explore Baoding rock carving site
• View thousands-hand goddess sculpture
• See reclining Buddha sculpture
• Experience local meal at recommended restaurant

The experience

You're picked up from your hotel and driven to Dazu county, a region of Chongqing where 50,000 rock sculptures and 100,000 inscriptions are scattered across 75 different sites. The tour focuses on Baoding, the most celebrated location, where Buddhist carvings span more than 800 years. Your guide speaks English and can explain what you're standing in front of. The sculptures themselves are almost entirely original, carved directly into the cliff face.

Baoding holds something rare in Chinese Buddhist art: it's the only tantric Buddhist rock carving in Han Chinese territory, and the only one designed as Buddhist preaching rather than prayer. A lay Buddhist named Zhao Zhi Feng spent 70 years designing, fundraising and organizing the work, integrating Buddhist scripture with Confucian thought into the stone. The Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy alone shows 1,007 arms in different gestures, each one a separate carving. Even if Buddhist symbolism isn't familiar to you, the scale and detail read as a gallery of sculptural art.

The tour is customizable. If rock carving is your main interest, your guide can arrange visits to additional Dazu sites beyond Baoding. You arrange your own meals, though your guide can point you toward local restaurants rather than tourist ones. Entrance to Baoding costs 130 RMB per person. The private car or van runs 1,200 RMB for the group, covering the full 7 to 8 hours.

What’s included

• Private tour with English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup.
• visit to Baoding rock carving and other Dazu sites (customizable based on your interest).
• access to sculptures spanning Tang through Qing dynasties.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to10h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by DAVID HE

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a full morning or afternoon free and want to understand Buddhist sculpture in its original setting: the private guide and customizable route let you linger at sites that interest you most, rather than moving through on a fixed schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy at Baoding?

The Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy is a sculpture at Baoding carved with 1,007 separate arms, each one in a different gesture. It's one of the most intricate works at the site and a centerpiece of the carving complex.

How old is Baoding rock carving?

Baoding rock carving has a history of more than 800 years. The broader Dazu rock carving sites span from the early Tang dynasty (7th century) through the fall of the Qing dynasty (late 19th century), with the peak of artistic output during the Song dynasty (10th to 13th centuries).

Can I visit more than just Baoding on this tour?

Yes, the tour is customizable. Dazu county contains 75 different rock carving sites in total. If you're particularly interested in Buddhist sculpture, your guide can arrange visits to additional locations beyond Baoding within the tour timeframe.

Does the tour price include entrance fees and meals?

The private car or van service costs 1,200 RMB for the group and covers transportation and your English-speaking guide for 7 to 8 hours. Entrance admission to Baoding is 130 RMB per person, paid separately. You arrange and pay for your own meals, though your guide can recommend local restaurants.

What makes Baoding's Buddhist carvings different from other Chinese rock carving sites?

Baoding is the only tantric Buddhist rock carving in Han Chinese inhabited areas and the only one designed as Buddhist preaching rather than prayer. A single lay Buddhist, Zhao Zhi Feng, spent his entire 70-year life designing and organizing the work as an integrated Buddhist scripture carved into stone.