Shizhong Mt Grottos

These grottos are located in Shibao Mt Scenic Resort, 25 km apart from Jianchuan county seat, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

So far, there are in total 16 grottos discovered in the mountain including 139 sculptures. These grottos mainly distribute in Shizhong Temple (8 grottos), Shizi Pass (3 grottos) and Shadengqing Valley (5 grottos). According to the extant inscriptions, these grottos were chiseled from 850 to 1179, taking more than 300 years to complete.  

Appearing vivid, and with strong ethnic features of Dali area, these sculptures are masterpieces among China's stone carvings and are valuable Buddhist treasures. In 1961, Shizhong Mt Grottos were listed into the first batch of China's historical and cultural sites.