Dazu Rock Carvings Tour: Baodingshan & Beishan from Chongqing

Fifty thousand statues carved into cliff face over a thousand years.

A private full-day tour from Chongqing to the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where thousands of Buddhist and secular figures are carved into stone cliffs. You choose between visiting Baodingshan alone (the most iconic section with nearly 10,000 figures), or adding Beishan for a complete two-site experience. Hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, and entrance fees are included. The drive takes about two hours each way.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Dazu Rock Carvings from Chongqing

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Drive to Dazu Rock Carvings (2 hours)
• Explore Baodingshan Rock Carving site
• Admire Song dynasty sculptural art
• See Thousand-Arm Goddess and Sleeping Buddha
• Optionally visit Beishan carvings site
• View Assembly of Oriental Beauties and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

The experience

Baodingshan is the heart of the Dazu carvings, where 13 groups of stone figures tell stories across centuries of carving. You'll see the Thousand-Arm Goddess of Mercy, the Sleeping Buddha, and scenes of daily life (farmers working, people singing and dancing, figures drinking wine) all rendered in Song dynasty sculptural style. The statues are large, well-preserved, and carved with enough detail that your guide can point out the narrative threads: the birth of Buddha, the nature of change, heaven and hell, cause and effect. This section alone holds nearly 10,000 cliffside figures.

If you choose the two-site option, Beishan adds another layer. The carvings there emphasize Buddhist faith and include the graceful statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and the Assembly of Oriental Beauties. Both sites showcase the same technical mastery (the scale, the variety of religious themes, the lifelike quality), but Beishan reveals a different set of stories and sculptural approaches. The construction of these carvings began in 650 and continued into the 17th century. So far, 50,000 statues and 100,000 inscribed characters have been identified.

Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby in the morning and travels with you in a private air-conditioned vehicle. The countryside unfolds on the two-hour drive out, and you have bottled water for the journey. Entrance fees for whichever site or sites you choose are already covered, so there's no stopping to buy tickets at the gate.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from your Chongqing hotel.
• private air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• English-speaking guide throughout.
• bottled water.
• entrance fees to Baodingshan (or both Baodingshan and Beishan if you choose the two-site option).

Options for this experience

2 options

Visit Baoding ShanGuide in English or Chinese · 08:00, 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00Select this option to visit Baoding Shan, with an English-speaking tour guide and a private car, and the entrance fee to the Baoding Shan section included. Pickup is included.

Baodingshan and Beishan carvingsGuide in English or Chinese · 08:00, 09:00 and 10:00Choose this option for a visit to Baodingshan and Beihai carvings, with an English-speaking guide, private transfer and entrance fees included. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00, 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00

AgesAdult (10 to 90 years) · Child (4 to 9 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Unique Beijing Tours

Is this one for you?Choose Baodingshan alone if you want the most iconic section and a shorter day. Add Beishan if you have the time and want to see how the sculptural themes and Buddhist narratives shift across the two sites. The two-site option is what makes a complete picture of the carvings possible in one day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 9 years); Infant (under 4): free.

How long does the drive from Chongqing to Dazu Rock Carvings take?

The drive from your Chongqing hotel to Dazu Rock Carvings takes approximately two hours each way in a private air-conditioned vehicle, with time to relax and enjoy the countryside views.

What's the difference between visiting Baodingshan alone and adding Beishan?

Baodingshan holds 13 groups of stone figures totaling nearly 10,000 cliffside statues, featuring the Thousand-Arm Goddess of Mercy and scenes of daily life. Beishan adds a second site with different sculptural themes, including the Assembly of Oriental Beauties and the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, revealing Buddhist faith through a different set of carvings. Both sites are included if you choose the two-site option. Entrance fees for both are covered.

What does the private tour include?

The tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Chongqing, an English-speaking guide for the full day, travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and entrance fees to Baodingshan (or both sites if you choose the two-site option).

How many statues are carved into the Dazu Rock Carvings?

So far, 50,000 statues and 100,000 inscribed characters have been identified across the Dazu Rock Carvings, which were constructed over more than a thousand years beginning in 650.

Can I see normal people depicted in the carvings, not just religious figures?

Yes. The Baodingshan carvings include figures of farmers, workers, and ordinary people shown singing, dancing, drinking wine, and pursuing the various tasks of daily life, alongside religious scenes and Buddhist deities.