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Chinese Grottoes Art
The area itself should be proud of its statistics! After centuries of
renovation, expansion, partial destruction and then restoration, the grottoes
that you can see today still number an impressive 194. Within these can be found
over 7,800 pieces of clay sculptures and stone carvings, and murals with an
aggregate area of over one thousand square meters. The stone sculptures that can
be seen within the caves are of rock that had to be imported to the mountain,
since the local rock was of too soft a consistency. The clay sculptures,
reflecting the rich styles of high-ranking daily life, mainly portray two
distinct eras: the Northern dynasties (386-581) characterized by slim figures
and the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907) featuring plumper ones. The only
problem with the grottoes are that they are all locked up and, unless you have
brought a guide to open them up, you will have to make do with the limited
lighting that the barred entrance affords. For those on a budget this is not
such a bad option, since some of them are lit not too badly and the views away
from the mountain are worthwhile in themselves. Guides, however, can be bought
to open them.
 Binglingsi
Grottos
Binglingsi is located in smaller Jishi Mountain, 35
kilometers south-west of Yongjing county in Gansu province. "Bingling" means
"thousand Buddhas" or "ten-thousand Buddhas" in the Tibetan language. The
Grottoes carved into the cliffs of red sand-stones at both ends of Dasigou
(valley) was first constructed in the Western Qin Dynasty
, and continuously went on expansion on a massive
scale through the dynasties of Northern and Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Shui,
Tang, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. The Grottoes consist of three parts: Shangsi,
Donggou, and Xiasi. Shangsi were ruined by fire and what remained are only a few
statues of Buddhas. In Xiasi, there are 34 caves and 14 niches still existing.
They contain 694 stone statues, 82 clay figures, 5 stone carvings and clay
pagodas and 900 square meters of murals. Binglingsi is one of the ten largest
Chinese grottoes.
Cave No.171 houses the largest Buddhist statue, 27 meters high, with its
upper body carved into the cliff and lower body made of clay. The statue seated
cross-legged in meditation on a pedestal with the right hand resting on the lap
and the left hand on the abdomen was sculptured in the 19th year of Dezong Reign
of the Tang Dynasty (803). Grotto No.169 is the tallest one carved within a
natural cave 8 meters deep, 26 meters wide and 18 meters high, the shape of
which is similar to that of the opposite mountain rang across the river. The
walls of the grotto are covered with niches, only 24 of which still exist,
enshrining 19 stone statues and 39 clay figures. The grotto also houses the
largest mural in Binglingsi, which is still bright and beautiful in color.
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Binglingsi
Grottos
