Cliff Carvings on Yunlong Mountain

Cliff Carvings on Yunlong Mountain

The Cliff Carvings on Yunlong Mountain are a protected cultural relic site of Jiangsu Province.

It is named after the large stone Buddha carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty located on the mountain. Yunlong Mountain stands at an elevation of 142 meters and stretches 3 kilometers in length, divided into nine sections that undulate like a coiling dragon amidst the clouds. The large stone Buddha in Xinghua Temple on Yunlong Mountain is the earliest surviving cliff grotto carving in Xuzhou. The Buddha stands 11.52 meters tall, with a broad face and large ears, exuding a benevolent expression and an imposing aura. The large stone Buddha was carved between the first year of the Tian’an era (466) of Emperor Xiaowen’s predecessor, Emperor Xianwen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the tenth year of the Taihe era (486) of Emperor Xiaowen, making it over 1,500 years old.

On both sides of the large stone Buddha, the cliffs are adorned with nearly a thousand smaller carvings of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other figures, varying in size and expression. Among them are inscriptions marking their creation, such as: “Carved in the seventh month of the tenth year of the Taihe era of the Wei Dynasty”; “Carved in the fifth month of the twenty-second year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty”; “Carved in the fifteenth year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty”; “Carved in the seventh year of the Zhenghe era of the Song Dynasty”, etc. These inscribed dates were made at the time of carving, allowing us to accurately date the large stone Buddha to between 466–486 AD (from when Pengcheng came under the rule of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the first year of the Tian’an era of Emperor Xianwen to the tenth year of the Taihe era of Emperor Xiaowen). Moreover, it was customary for the Northern Wei imperial family to “associate with eminent monks and immerse themselves in Buddhist scriptures.” Emperor Xianwen, the father of Prince Wu of Xu (Emperor Xiaowen’s predecessor), and Emperor Xiaowen, his brother, were both devout Buddhists and promoters of Buddhist cave construction. They had “carved immortal grottoes for meditation and built grand stairways for scripture recitation” in Pingcheng (present-day Datong, Shanxi). Therefore, the main patron behind the construction of the large Buddha is believed to be Prince Wu of Xu, also known as Prince Xuan of Wu — Emperor Xiaowen’s sixth son, who was enfeoffed as the Prince of Pengcheng at the time.

It was not until the 31st year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1398) that, in order to better protect these carvings, the presiding monk Shengji constructed a hall with three rooms against the three surrounding cliffs. Because the hall was built against the mountain — with the front wall spanning three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and the rear wall only three bricks thick — it became famously known as the “Three-Brick Hall Covering a Three-Zhang Buddha,” gaining a unique style and becoming a marvel of monastic architecture. In the seventh year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty, the temple was destroyed by fire, but the large stone Buddha remained intact and was rebuilt in the ninth year of the Xuande era. In the 34th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, two arms and the chest of the large stone Buddha were added, along with carvings and painted patterns of auspicious clouds and dragons.

The large stone Buddha has a kind and solemn expression, and the thousands of exquisitely carved cliff sculptures around it — diverse in posture — although weathered by the ages from the Northern Wei through the Tang and Song dynasties, still shine with a spiritual radiance that moves the heart. Along the steep mountainside, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, eminent monks, warriors, musicians, and devotees are densely arranged within niches of various sizes. Most of the carvings are high reliefs, ranging from 5 to 50 centimeters in height. They depict figures standing, sitting, lying down, or in groups, either in individual niches or clustered together. Varying in size and height, these carvings are beautifully shaped and solemn in expression, densely yet orderly distributed across the undulating and majestic cliffs. Even in the smallest recesses of the rock face, the image of the Buddha can be found. Looking out, one is greeted by an overwhelming presence of Buddha images, too numerous to take in all at once.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Protected Cultural Relic Sites of Jiangsu Province