One
segment of the remarkable and colorful rock-cut carving and grottoes
at Dazu. We will spend two nights and an entire day at this wonderful
site. |
The Cave Sculptures of Dazu
- Dating from the 9th to 13th century, the 60,000 images carved into the
canyon walls of Dazu County are one of China's most remarkable and best-preserved
cultural sites. The majority of the images are Buddhist, but there are numerous
Taoist and Confucian images among the galleries that follow the meander
of local canyon walls. We first visited Dazu on a day trip out of Chongqing
in June 2000 and were so impressed with the place that we have scheduled
a two-night stay for May 2003.
Since
most visitors arrived from Chongqing in the middle of the day, we will have
the sculptures to ourselves in the early morning and late afternoon hours,
and we will stroll along the pathways and become engulfed in the art of
the Tang and Song dynasties.
The town of Dazu will afford us an opportunity to wander in a small country
setting.
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A
wondrous reclining image of Buddha carved into the canyon walls
at Dazu. |
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Sandy
Lydon doing some on-site interpretation at Dazu. He is explaining
the symbolism on all images of Buddha, particularly the urna that
is the spot between the Buddha's eyebrows. Trip members will get
pre-trip instruction on Buddhist symbolism and philosophy.
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Chongqing (old-style Chungking)
- We will have an opportunity to spend a half-day in Chongqing prior to
boarding the cruise ship. Our primary focus will be on the wartime residence
of General Joseph Stilwell which has been converted into a modest museum.
There is a local connection as General Stilwell was stationed at Fort
Ord in December of 1941 and made his home in Carmel. This modest museum
has been funded, in part, from donations from Stilwell family members
still living in Carmel. General Joseph Stilwell's contributions to the
war effort in China were huge, and the museum chronicles with fascinating
photographs his efforts to unify China against the Japanese. The Chinese
have never forgotten Stilwell's contributions, and the museum is visited
as much by Chinese tourists as foreigners.
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