The Cliffside Statues of Nankan are located in Bazhong County, northeast of Sichuan Province.
Among Bazhong County's many stone carvings are the Cliffside Statues of Nankan -- the largest, most complete and of highest study value.
The Cliffside Statues of Nankan are located on the slope of Nankan, one kilometer south of Bazhong County, and include 1,800 statues in over 120 niches distributed in the Yunping Stone, Shanmen Stone, One-Thousand Buddha Cliff, Laojun Cave and Shenxian Slope. The Yunping Stone is also called the Chuantou Stone because it looks like a small boat. The Cliffside Statues are concentrated in the Shenxian Slope. The Nankan statues mainly tell the stories of Buddha and his followers.
The Cliffside Statues of Nankan are recognized for their gorgeous decorations, such as the lines of flowers carved on the gate lintel of a niche. With the earliest built in 735, the niches are mainly from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with a few from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Fine carved figures in the niches demonstrate the advanced cultural development of the Tang Dynasty.
The Cliffside Statues of Nankan broke the restraints in carving techniques, clearly displaying the style of the Tang Dynasty. Some of the Buddha are smiling, and are close to human figures in real life.
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