The 'Mogao Grottoes' on the Shu Road of Jianmen, Sichuan Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Cliffs

The Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Cliff carvings are located on the east bank of the Jialing River, 4 kilometers north of the old city in Lizhou District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. The carving began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued through the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It has the longest history of excavation in Sichuan, and it is also the largest grotto group in Sichuan Province, known as the 'Exhibition Hall of Stone Carving Art Through the Ages'. The Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Cliff carvings stretch for 388.8 meters, with the cliff top reaching 84 meters high, and the highest niche is 45.5 meters above the ground. The niches are arranged in multiple levels, up to 13 layers, with a total of 54 grottoes, 819 niches, and more than 7,000 statues of various sizes. It covers an area of 7,800 square meters and has a building area of 480 square meters. On March 4, 1961, the Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Cliff carvings were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 2012, the Guangyuan Thousand Buddha Cliff Stone Carving Art Museum was established as a national 4A-level tourist attraction.