Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carving

Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carving

The Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carvings are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carvings are located in Baiping Village (formerly Liangting Village), Shimen Town, Jiangjin District, Chongqing. The Giant Buddha Temple faces south and is nestled against the mountain and beside the water, fronting the Yangtze River and backed by a cliff. The temple covers a total construction area of 720 square meters. There are winding stone paths on both the east and west sides leading from the cliff down to the riverside and connecting to the temple. The interior of the Giant Buddha Temple follows a traditional three-courtyard layout, with side rooms on the left and right, and the main hall in the center, which is divided into the Child-Giving Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Thunder God Hall in sequence. The stone-carved statue inside the temple is a 13.5-meter-tall statue of Guanyin. The main hall features a seven-tiered hipped roof covered with glazed tiles, adorned with a central treasure vase, and with upturned eaves decorated with chiwen (mythical animal ornaments). It has a post-and-lintel wooden frame. The side rooms are built with a combination of stone and wood, featuring a flush gable roof covered with small blue tiles, and a column-and-tie wooden frame with six pillars and four spans. The entire mountain gate is built along the cliff, with a rigorous structure that is both majestic and spectacular.

The Shimen Giant Buddha Temple is a seven-tiered hipped wooden structure and is a typical high-rise building from China’s Qing Dynasty. The seated lotus-stepping Guanyin statue faces south, stands 13.5 meters tall, with shoulders 5.9 meters wide and chest 5.2 meters thick. The carving is exquisitely detailed, with smooth lines and a strong sense of three-dimensionality and aesthetics. The Guanyin statue has a kind and serene expression, appearing dignified and graceful. She wears a precious crown, in which sits a smiling arhat. The statue is dressed in celestial robes and ribbons, with the entire body gilded and painted, adorned with necklaces on the chest, and a pendant hanging from the abdomen. She sits leisurely upon a lotus, with her left foot slightly raised and resting lightly on a lotus leaf, her left hand placed on her left knee, and her right hand hanging naturally. Her expression is serene, exuding nobility and grace, as well as a sense of freedom and ease. The spiritual aura and lifelike representation are majestic. This is the largest lotus-stepping Guanyin statue in China and ranks ninth among all Buddha statues nationwide.

In 2000, the Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carvings were designated by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government as part of the first group of Chongqing Cultural Relics Protection Units.

In May 2013, the Shimen Giant Buddha Temple Cliff Carvings were listed as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Shimen Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Jiangjin District. Around 1950, it was known as Shimen Township, became a commune in 1958, was re-established as a township in 1984, and became a town in 1993. Located in the western part of the district, on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it is 30.2 kilometers from the municipal government. It covers an area of 65.5 square kilometers and has a population of 45,000. The Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and the Shimen–Yong’an Highway pass through the town. The town administers Liangting, Baiping, Yingshi, Zhonghe, Ansheng, Changyan, Jinshi, Jinlong, Huayuan, Gengshang, Yulin, Shiqi, Shigou, Tongping, Banping, Chailin, Lijia, Wentan, Hekou, Sanli, Guandao, Yangshi, Shouzeng, Luo*R, Tudi, Xiao…… For detailed information about Shimen Town, see ++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units