Ganzhou Tongtianyan Grottoes

Ganzhou Tongtianyan Grottoes

The Ganzhou Tongtianyan Grottoes are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tongtianyan Grottoes are located about 10 kilometers northwest of Ganzhou City.

The Tongtianyan Grottoes are a famous scenic area on the outskirts of Ganzhou and one of the more concentrated sites of cliffside grotto statues in southern China. The Tongtianyan Scenic Area mainly consists of Wanguiyan, Tongxinyan, Tongtianyan, and Cuiweiyan. The caves are deep, the mountain paths winding, and the streams murmuring, offering such beautiful scenery that visitors find it hard to leave.

Wanguiyan, named for a rock that juts out horizontally and resembles a giant lion, is also called "Lion Rock." Within the rocky crevices is a natural cave. In the peak of summer, a cool breeze drifts through, refreshing and delightful, making visitors reluctant to leave—hence the name "Wanguiyan" (Never-Want-to-Leave Rock). Among the cliffs are stone niche statues and cliff inscriptions.

To the east of Wanguiyan lies Tongxinyan. On the rock face are inscriptions of the three characters "Tong Xin Yan" (Same-Heart Rock) carved by Liu Zhao from the Ming Dynasty, along with carvings of dragons and tigers. The terrain here is flat and open, with cliff inscriptions and stone niche statues arranged sequentially along the cliff walls beside the walking path, resembling an open-air museum where visitors can admire them as they stroll.

Moving forward from Tongxinyan is Tongtianyan. Here, the mountains embrace each other, with steep cliffs rising high. There is a cave in the middle, and within the cave, a hole goes straight up to the mountaintop—hence the name "Tongtianyan" (Heaven-Reaching Rock). The renowned Song Dynasty scholar Yang Xiaoben (1039–1122) once lived in seclusion here. In the ninth year of Yuanyou (1094), Su Dongpo passed through Ganzhou and visited Yang Xiaoben out of admiration. The two hit it off immediately and became close friends. After Yang Xiaoben’s death, he was buried at Tongtianyan, and later generations erected the "Yuyan Shrine" there, which houses statues of Su Dongpo and Yang Xiaoben. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Tongtianyan has been a renowned Buddhist mountain in southern Jiangxi, with over 300 Buddha statues carved in layers along the cliff faces.

Tongtianyan and its neighboring Cuiweiyan, Tongxinyan, and Wanguiyan feature many ancient cliff inscriptions on their rock faces. Originally numbering 116 pieces, 97 remain today, including 33 from the Song Dynasty, 36 from the Ming Dynasty, with the earliest dating back to the sixth year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (1073). These inscriptions not only preserve a wealth of local historical data but also retain numerous calligraphic styles. The exquisite carvings represent valuable ancient calligraphic artworks.

The Tongtianyan Scenic Area has a total of 348 stone niche statues. Except for a few standing Buddha statues in Cuiweiyan from the Tang Dynasty, most were created during the Song Dynasty and hold a significant place in the history of Chinese sculpture art. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units