Cliff Carvings on Haitang Mountain

Cliff Carvings on Haitang Mountain

The Cliff Carvings on Haitang Mountain are a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The Cliff Carvings on Haitang Mountain are located in the Mongolian Autonomous County of Fuxin City, Liaoning Province. The cliff carvings on the mountain and the ruins of Pu’an Temple, often called the “Little Potala Palace,” are the “existing representative of the Eastern Center of Tibetan Buddhism’s Gelug School in China.” There are now more than 260 cliff carvings. It is said that the dyes used on the statues were made from plants found on Haitang Mountain, evoking in observers a sense of the long history and rich associations with the designers and skilled artisans who created them.

The cliff carvings on Haitang Mountain come in a wide variety. From the foothills to the mountaintop, countless statues of varying forms are carved on granite rocks of different sizes. There are currently over 260 well-preserved statues, the tallest being 5 meters high and the smallest just 0.3 meters. Some feature 10 statues in a group, with the largest cluster, consisting of 26 statues, known as the “Immortals’ Stone.” Some niches of the statues are inscribed with Mongolian, Manchu, Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese characters, and some are even painted in colors that have remained unfaded despite more than 300 years.

Pu’an Temple on Haitang Mountain was first built in the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1683) and has been through six generations and five reigns. It is a center of Eastern Tibetan Buddhism, often called the “Little Potala Palace.” In July 2002, the newly restored Cuoqin Hall was officially completed. The hall covers a construction area of 968 square meters, boasts a grand structure and unique style, and incorporates 6 kilograms of gold and 1,200 gemstones. It is currently the largest restored Tibetan Buddhist temple in Northeast China.

The expressions of the cliff carvings on Haitang Mountain are incredibly diverse—some with gentle smiles and kind eyes, others with fierce, glaring expressions and an imposing aura. Among the numerous statues, notable ones include those of Sakyamuni, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Maitreya Buddha, Red and Green Tara, Vajra Guardians, Happy Buddha, Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Buddha, Heavenly King Buddha, Three-Headed and Six-Armed Buddha, and Asura. Among them, the statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, is carved on a tall, protruding rock and is particularly eye-catching. In addition, there are many other representations of Tibetan Buddhist deities, which is why Haitang Mountain is also celebrated as a famous mountain for the art of Tibetan Buddhist cliff carvings.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Liaoning Province