In academia, there are two main views regarding the era of mural paintings from the main chamber of Cave 10 in the Yulin Grottoes. Most consider that it could be dated back to Xixia, but some believe that it might be the Yuan Dynasty. The core basis of the Xixia view lies in the fact that the two musical instruments held by the flying apsara musicians in the cave are thought to be Xiqin (奚琴) from Xixia, which is a kind of plucked instrument without a bow. But it's clear to see in the mural painting that the two musical instruments have bows. The bowed string instruments were introduced into China from the West Asia and began to be known in the central plains since the Yuan Dynasty. The murals in Cave 10 of Yulin Grottoes are predominated by blue, which was preferred in the Yuan Dynasty, rather than red that was the favorite color in Xixia. The pattern of Loong (龙) appears in the style of West Asian dragon featuring fierceness, which was special in the Yuan Dynasty and totally different from the Loong characterized by tameness in Xixia. On the south of the west wall in the main chamber of Cave 10, a framed inscription by painter records that seven painters from different places painted a “Tantric painting” at the Yulin Grottoes in 1341 (the seventh year of Zhiyuan Reign in the Yuan Dynasty), which is exactly the mural of Cave 10 in the Yulin Grottoes. It's said that the painting was chipped out of the wall afterwards probably for its large number of Tantric images regarding vidyaraja and vidyarajni. In conclusion, the mural of Cave 10 in Yulin Grottoes should be from the Yuan Dynasty.

In the Song and Jin dynasties, a large number of craftsmen signed their names in the inscriptions of grottoes, mainly concentrated in the grottoes complexes in northern Shaanxi, eastern Gansu and eastern Sichuan.According to the current investigation, a total of more than 100 craftsman names have been documented. These historical sources reveal information regarding their organizational structures, professional titles, and social statuses. Through investigation and analysis, it considers that the historical transformation during the early modern period have made great progress and promotion in craftsmen’s status, ideological perspectives, and cultural engagement, which constitute the main reason for the rise of the signature trend.

Liu Benzun Buddhism, which was popular in eastern Sichuan during the Southern Song Dynasty, had a profound influence on the local folk society. Liu's deeds are rarely recorded in official historical records, mainly in folk inscriptions, inscriptions of carving statues and local Chronicles. Among them, there are relatively detailed records about Liu Benzun in both the Biography of Liu Benzun rewritten by Zujue, Zen master of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the inscriptions of Tableau of Liu Benzun' s Ten Austerities. The rest are available in inscriptions and local Chronicles from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Through collation and research of Liu's historical documents, it lays a foundation for a comprehensive understanding of Liu Benzun's historical deeds and their social influence.

The Stele of Wei Junjing serves as a critical historical document shedding light on the political and social dynamics of southern Dongchuan in the tumultuous late Tang Dynasty. Amid repeated upheavals in Dongchuan, Wei Junjing, a representative of the tuhao (local strongman) class in the region, spearheaded a bottom-up political ascent through armed separatist regimes, which enabled the establishment of localized social order and governance system dominated by the local tuhao elite. By integrating military and civilian administration, Wei Junjing's regime fulfilled the political demands of asserting dominance over rural society. The survival strategy and behavioral patterns of Wei Junjing's faction were encapsulated in the dual principles of zunjun (loyalty to the throne) and shoutu (territorial guardianship). Utilizing stone inscriptions as a medium, Wei Junjing meticulously crafted an image of zhongjie (loyalty and integrity) to legitimize his authority, consolidate group cohesion, and reinforce his political foundation. Simultaneously, the stele subtly conveyed his faction's latent centrifugal tendencies toward jieshuai (military governor) of Dongchuan.

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To conceive of Chinese Buddhist ritual as an eternal, environmental, non-human activity is to propose a paradox. After all, Buddhist liturgies generally take the form of temporary feasts offered to spirits by human officiants within the confines of defined ritual arenas. However, a number of texts, images, and sites created in Song-dynasty China suggest that premodern worshippers developed remarkably creative means of conceptualizing time, space, and agency in order to expand the efficacy of ritual. Shizhuanshan in Dazu provides a particularly good example of this. This essay uses Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to consider how Shizhuanshan's carved images, texts, and landscape work together to exert agency and to extend the efficacy of ritual eternally.

Anyue Grottoes in Sichuan is an important part of the remains of cave temples in China. However, the present investigation work is far from being enough to reveal and reflect its important academic value, while this situation has been greatly improved by the publication of the Comprehensive Record of Anyue Grottoes. From the perspective of academic research history, this comprehensive record has many innovations from the methods of field investigation, the styles of content compilation, the methods of results publishing, and the forms of work organization. As a result, it can be regarded as one of examples for reference to compile the comprehensive record of small and medium-sized grottoes in the future.

Grotto temples stand as historical witnesses to the mutual exchange between Chinese civilization and 
other civilizations. Among them, the vast number of small and medium-sized grotto temples have long faced 
systematic inadequacies in conservation, representing a vulnerable segment in China's cave temple conservation and utilization system. This study employs the small and medium-sized grottoes of the Dazu Rock Carvings as empirical cases and through a detailed interpretation of their multidimensional value system and an analysis of current challenges, it proposes five fundamental principles for their conservation and utilization. Furthermore, this study systematizes the innovative practices recently implemented by the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings and it not only highlights that a systematic strategy effectively tackles core issues like structural vulnerability and management fragmentation, but also positively influences value interpretation and social function activation.

Water leakage has been the primary problem for the protection of Dazu Rock Carvings (DRC) along with its whole lifetime, but the effect of leakage treatment was far inferior to the demand of protection in the past few decades. Based on conventional hydrogeological theories, this study has carried out by focusing on the Grottoes Cliff Hydrogeology and the special hydrogeological conditions of the unloading cliffs in the Dafowan have been clarified basically. The research shows: Both the sandstone and mudstone of the Dafowan cliff can be regarded as relatively impermeable materials in seepage flow. The bedding planes and tectonic fractures affected by unloading forces constitute the main seepage flow channels within the DRC cliff zone. Some fractures with ten centimeters aperture may form by horizontal landsides along the strata except unloading force. The strata formation of Baodingshan is nearly horizontal, but the EW and SN trending wide-flat folds by tectonic movements of Sichuan and North China periods are very important for the seepage of unloading and unsaturated cliff zones. Water sample analysis from the research area reveals: A complex flow system with long-range and short-range seepage are coexisting within the same space. Geological rock-water interaction and human effects combine along the flow path in the particular cultural cliff rockmass. The flow and material inside water indirectly control derived diseases such as dissolution and salt precipitation. Based on the water level distribution analysis, the hill behind the carving cliff affected by unloading force can be divided into three zones. The non-unloading effect zone is greater than 2 times height of the cliff. The unloading influence zone is 1-2 times the height, and the strong unloading zone is within 1 time the height range. The non-unloading effect zone is dominated by pore saturated flow in the loose soil layer and weathered fractured layer, while the strong unloading zone is dominated by unsaturated and multi-layered fissure flows. The role of opening fractures with high penetration ability must be contemplated dialectically, the leakage water diseases can be aggregated inside these fractures and the seepage flow will be alleviated around these fractures at the same time. The main underground stream flow systems, with complicated mutual crossing flow and leakage recharge inside different flow, have been analyzed. Through this study, a theoretical basis is provided for the systematic and minimal intervention of water seepage treatment in Dafowan, and an example is provided for constructing micro hydrogeological condition models under the special terrain, landform, and environment of cliffs with cultural grottoes and carvings.

Zhao Zhifeng, an eminent monk of Tantric Buddhism during the Southern Song Dynasty, presided over the one-off construction of the Baodingshan Rock Carvings, which collectively manifested his Buddhist belief and philosophical system. The carvings highlight the unique features of Sichuan Tantric Buddhism inherited from the doctrinal tenets of Liu Benzun. By integrating the practices of the Ten Refinements of the Body and Eight Attainments of Sacredness into Vajradhātu Mahā Maṇḍala, the Baodingshan Rock Carvings by Zhao Zhifeng is a localized innovation of the Buddhist framework of Ten Directions and Three Saints from the late Yoga Tantra and fully embodies the principles of the traditional Tantric Buddhist thought of spiritual attainments through ritual offerings and the Chinese Tantric Buddhist thought of attaining Buddhahood in one’s present body.

During the late Southern Song Dynasty, the Liu-Zhao Sect carried out large-scale statue-making activities in eastern Sichuan. Three unique self-created statues—Liu Benzun, Curly-Haired Figures and Straight-Haired Figures—are widely distributed within the sect's iconographic system, collectively reflecting its organizational structure. The statue of Liu Benzun, depicted as a standardized grha-pati (lay Buddhist) figure, wears a Dongpo scarf and a cross-collared garment with only one eye, one ear and one arm. Curly-Haired Figures are characterized by their tightly curly hair, while Straight-Haired Figures feature straight ear-length hair. Through systematic collection, sorting and study of three kinds of statues, it argues that the people composing the Liu-Zhao Sect are divided into three hierarchical categories. Liu Juzhi, the supreme Benzun patriarch, serves as sect's leader. The Curly-Haired Figures, symbolizing senior devotees proficient in Buddhist teachings, form the core. The Straight-Haired Figure who represent the ordinary followers constitute the foundation. In the sect's idealized structure, grha-pati dominates. The sect enshrine a group of well-known grha-pati figures in their grottos. The statue of Vimalakirti is worshipped atop the Buddha altar in the Small Buddha Bay of Baoding Mountain, while important niches and caves of Big Buddha Bay and Huayan Cave display the names, images and works of Fu Dashi, Li Tongxuan, and Yang Jie, further underscoring the special attributes of the Liu-Zhao Sect as a grha-pati-centered religious community.

Most cave temples in China are hosted in sandstone cliffs, which are susceptible to various weathering-induced deteriorations under environmental influences. Among these, surface pulverizing and exfoliation are particularly prevalent, characterized by their extensive distribution and severe impact on the historical and artistic value of sandstone cultural heritage. Feasible and effective consolidation techniques are urgently required to address these issues. Taking the surface pulverizing exfoliation disease at the North Grotto Temple of Qingyang as an example, three reinforcement methods were tested based on the morphological features of the deteriorated surfaces, including spraying, emulsion adsorption and drip infiltration. Through systematic experiments, critical parameters for spraying reinforcement were identified, and the efficacy of solute materials in emulsion adsorption was validated. The results of three methods for reinforcing sandstones of the North Grotto Temple were also evaluated by various qualitative and quantitative analyses.The study clarified the adaptability of these techniques to surface pulverizing exfoliation disease on different sandstone grotto temples, argued that spraying functioned as the foundational method, combined with emulsion adsorption and drip infiltration to meet diverse consolidation requirements. It provides practical insights and methodologies for refining anti-weathering reinforcement technologies and evaluating their effectiveness in cave temple conservation.

Through the analysis of the statue of Queen Shuming in the Dazu Rock Carvings, this paper argues that a folk belief in Queen Shuming had formed during this period, which was primarily centered on granting children and healing eye diseases. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the cult of Shuming within the Dongyue belief system has further evolved, with child-granting and eyesight restoration becoming one of the main contents of the Dongyue goddess belief.

The Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, which was excavated at Gaobeidian of Hebei Province in China and could be dated back to the first year of the Zhengsheng Era of the Tang Dynasty, is the earliest one all over the country until now. It embodies both the stylistic characteristics and distinctive regional features of sculptures from the early Tang Dynasty. By referencing Buddhist scriptures and drawing upon existing images of multi-armed Avalokitesvara, Chinese craftsmen employed local sculptural traditions by utilizing white marble as the medium and adopting the style integrating the primary statue with the back screen. They innovatively depicted the one-thousand-hand through reliefs of hundreds of small hands, creating an iconic representation of great compassion.

The Dazu area is perennially humid, making it conducive to the survival and reproduction of organisms 
such as mold, bacteria, and lichens, which pose serious biological disease problems to the Dazu Rock Carvings. In this study, traditional microbial culture and metagenomic sequencing techniques are used to identify and classify the types of biological diseases in the Reclining Buddha at Baoding Mountain and Xiaofowan, Dazu Rock Carvings, and to investigate and evaluate their damage levels. Laboratory culture and isolation identifies 7 species of molds and bacteria, while molecular-level sequencing identifies as many as 180 known microbial genera, including more than 80 genera of bacteria and over 30 genera of fungi, covering 4 categories: bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. To effectively prevent and eradicate microorganisms and thereby reduce their damage to the rock carvings, biological disease control agents are developed and screened through a combination of laboratory verification and application effect evaluation. Continuous observation and testing of the experimental sample areas in the Reclining Buddha at Baoding Mountain and Xiaofowan indicate that the occurrence of biological diseases such as mold, algae, and moss in the experimental group is significantly less than that in the untreated control group. After 6 years of continuous follow-up research, the application effect of the biological disease control agent shows goodefficacy, with an effective duration of up to 3 years, efficiently inhibiting mold, lichens, bacteria, etc, and the inhibitory effect begins to decline after more than 3 years.

From November 28 to December 1, 2025, the Youth Ambassador Program for Asian Cultural Heritage 
Conservation: 2025 International Youth Academic Exchange on Cave Temples was held in Dazu, Chongqing. 
The event was hosted by the China Academy of Cultural Heritage, the People’s Government of Dazu District, 
Chongqing, and the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings, and co-organized by the Chongqing Key Laboratory of 
Conservation and Digitalization for Humid-Environment Sandstone Grottoes as well as the Editorial Department of Studies in Dazu Rock Carvings.Young scholars and experts from China, the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Honduras, the Maldives, Sudan and other countries conducted high-level discussions around the theme of Conservation and Inheritance·Innovation and Collaboration.

Since the rise of Liu Benzun’s Buddhism in the upper Yangtze River region in eastern Sichuan at the end of the 12th century, the practice of building statues and conducting rituals had become an important means of reaching local communities. The Illustrations of the Perfect Enlightenment Sutra is one of the popular themes in Chinese Buddhist art in the Song Dynasty. The adoption of this subject matter by Liu Benzun’s Buddhism, on the one hand, reflects its engagement with the religious culture and beliefs of the time; on the other hand, it demonstrates its emphasis on establishing its own identity and meanings during its spread among local communities.

The main part of the Qianfoyan Rock Carvings was built between the 1st and 10th years of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1403—1412). As a small grotto of the early Ming, it provides a well-defined chronological reference within the Dazu Rock Carvings. The 14 niches mainly focus on Pure Land belief, and thesubjects include the Twelve Light Buddha, the Three Saints of the West, the Illustration of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, Thousand Buddhas, Ksitigarbha, Avalokitesvara, and the Seven Buddhas of the Past. The Qianfoyan Rock Carvings are of great academic value for refining the chronological sequence of the Dazu Rock Carvings and for the study of the spread of Pure Land belief, folk Buddhist art, and the transformation of grotto art in eastern Sichuan during the Ming Dynasty.

There is a stele named Biography of Liu Benzun of the Tang Dynasty remaining at Baoding Mountain, 
Dazu. In Dazu and the neighboring Anyue area, there are three sets of Ten Austerities, mainly depicting the 
cultivation and preaching activities of Liu Benzun, a lay Buddhist of the Esoteric School in the late Tang Dynasty 
specializing in the Five-Part Esoteric Dharma of the Great Wheel and skilled in treating diseases with religious 
means such as talismans and incantations. He had a wide social influence in the western Sichuan region at that 
time. Liu Benzun’s medical and preaching activities reflect the reality of Buddhist monks promoting Buddhism through medicine under the complex political situation in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, and reveal the development of Buddhist medicine and local religions since the Tang Dynasty, which have significant historical value.

The more than 70-year history of grottoes conservation in China has witnessed the pivotal role of technological advancements in guiding the preservation and utilization of these sites, which has fundamentally enhanced our theoretical and technical innovation capabilities in the field of grottoes protection. The complexity of grottoes protection and the diversity of environment requires not only the involvement of multiple disciplines, but also the systematic establishment of methods and techniques for preserving materiality and maintaining culture, so as to form a comprehensive, systematic and multidisciplinary theoretical and technical system of grottoes protection. The importance that the government places on the protection technology of the cultural relics and the implementation of major science and technology projects, such as the “National Science and Technology Innovation Center for Cultural Heritage”, makes it possible to achieve this goal.

Chongqing is one of the renowned cultural centers in southwest China during the Song Dynasty. Feng Shixing and the Jinyun Academy that he founded on Jinyun Mountain became intellectual representative of eastern Sichuan. This paper reviews the history of Feng Shixing's studies, sorts through existing scholarly research achievements, and considers that the current studies mainly focus on his literary achievements and the opinions about him on his political stance of resisting surrender to uphold the Song Dynasty. Regardless of his status as a leading figure of Yijing (Classics of Changes) studies in Chongqing, Feng Shixing's great contributions to studies on the Yijing have been overlooked. His engagement with Buddhist and Taoist thoughts also lacks systematic examination. Feng Shixing was profoundly influenced by Buddhist and Taoist philosophies throughout his life. To a certain extent, his otherworldly mindset is the reason why he resided peacefully on Jinyun Mountain. Inspired by Master Taixu's establishment of the Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Institute on Jinyun Mountain during the Anti-Japanese War, the paper finally proposes that it could be a timely initiative to cultivate a new era with distinctive cultural innovation, to revive the Jinyun Academy by integrating global cultural traditions into Jinyun culture.

Among the Buddhist remains in the ancient kingdom of Kucha is a peculiar kind of cave, known as the central pillar cave. Caves of this type are so numerous on the northern route of the Taklamakan that they outnumber the total of caves of the same type throughout the rest of the Buddhist world-clearly showing that this type of cave was a fundamental architecture of the region. Therefore, we name these caves “Kucha-type” central pillar caves. Previous studies have assumed that the Kucha-type central pillar cave was the missing link in the transmission of the Indian caityagṛha to the Northern-Central Chinese pagoda-type cave. In this paper, however, we argue that this was not the case. We compare Kizil Cave 171, a typical Kucha-type central pillar cave, to Yungang Cave 1, a typical pagoda-temple cave, from three different perspectives: architecture, layout of the décor, and iconographic program. We show that there was no direct influence between the two types and suggest that the Indian caityagṛha also had no bearing on the development of the Kucha-type central pillar cave. The paper instead proposes that the three areas developed three different architectural traditions of caves with an unexcavated core that did not directly influence one another. The lack of direct transmission can be attributed to the difference in religious belief and practices, as well as in local architectural traditions.

The statues of the Pilu Cave at Xiaofowan of the Baodingshan Rock Carvings in Dazu forms a simplified and transformed Vajradhātu Mahā Maṇḍala. The inner court of the Pilu Cave is inhabited by nine deities, including the Five Tathāgatas and the Four Pāramitā Bodhisattvas, which are consistent with statues of Tibetan Buddhist temples and grottoes in the late Tang, the Song and the Yuan dynasties, and of the Xixia caves at Dunhuang. Different from both, there are two Bodhisattvas added to the upper left and right of Vairocana. The outer court of the Pilu Cave is inhabited by Liu Benzun's ten bodies of ascetic practices, the Eight Sacred Witnesses and the Eight Mahā-Vidyarājas. Among them, the eight bodies of Liu Benzun symbolizing the Eight Offering Bodhisattvas, and the Eight Sacred Witnesses jointly constitute the sixteen deities, which are distributed in four directions and equal to the Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas. The other two Liu Benzun's bodies of ascetic practices occupy the upper left and right of the outer court, corresponding to two additionally-added Bodhisattvas in the inner court. Along the lowermost of the outer court are standing the Eight Mahā-Vidyarājas, including the Four Deities Guarding Four Directions and the Four Deities Protecting Four Corners and representing the Eight Guardian Deities. The statues along the gateway, roof and outside walls of the cave constitute the Outer Vajradhātu. The upper 145 seated statues represent the Thousand Buddhas of Bhadrakalpa, the lower 20 devarajās and vidyarajās symbolize the deities of the ten directions who haven't got the name of Vajra and the empowerment granted by Vairocana. The statues involving Vajradhātu Maṇḍala in the Pilu Cave at Xiaofowan of the Baodingshan Rock Carvings in Dazu illustrate Zhao Zhifeng's ascetic practices, offering to Buddhism, attaining enlightenment and becoming Buddha, which reflects the doctrine of Vajrayāna and the manner of Sichuan Esoteric Buddhism and is a typical case of making Buddhism Chinese.

During the Song Dynasty, Changzhou was classified as an upper-level and military prefecture. Its three  subordinate counties, including Dazu, Yongchuan, and Changyuan, were all designated as upper-level counties. 
According to the local administrative system of the Song Dynasty, it should have been staffed by local officials 
such as the Prefect, the Vice Prefect, prefectural school officers, administrative and clerical staff, and countylevel officials. Based on the historical records of the Song Dynasty and inscriptions of the Dazu Rock Carvings, this article compiles a list of local officials who served in Changzhou, aiming to outline the structure of its 
local bureaucracy during the Song era. The research identifies a total of 77 individuals, including 27 prefects, 3 
vice‑prefects, 5 prefectural‑school officers, 16 administrative and county staff, 16 county magistrates, 1 official in charge of liquor monopoly and taxation, and 9 other prefectural and county officials. However, since He Guangzhen is counted twice for simultaneously serving as County Magistrate and acting Vice Prefect, the final adjusted number of distinct officials in Changzhou is 76.

The 2024 International Symposium on Dazu Studies was held in Dazu of Chongqing from December 4 to 7 in 2024. The meeting was organized by the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings, and co-organized by the Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology of Fudan University, the School of Archaeology and Museology of Sichuan University and the Liberal Arts College of Chongqing University. A total of 125 specialists and scholars from 12 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Italy, Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Nigeria, and Rwanda, gathered in Dazu for the meeting for in-depth discussions on the Dazu Studies and the excavation, conservation and utilization of grottoes from an international perspectives.

At the Chaoyuanguan Site in Jiangjin District of Chongqing City, there are five extant niches of statues in the Sanqingdian grottoes. With clear subject, these statues contain the Three Pristme Ones (三清), Confucius and Zhuangzi (庄子), Shakyamuni and Yinzi (尹子), the Five Sacred Emperors of the Five Sacred Mountains (五岳五天圣帝), and the Five Elders Deities (五老五炁天君). Based on the subjects, styles, architectural age of this site and inscriptions, these statues are dated to the Qing Dynasty. They serve as a reliable reference for identifying the subjects and dating statues in the Sichuan-Chongqing region during the Qing era. They also reflect the spread of the Complete Perfection Tradition (Quanzhen Dao 全真道), Dragon Gate Sect (Longmen Pai 龙门派) in the southwestern part of China, providing new material for studying the integration of the three major religions—Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism—during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Chenjiayan Grottoes is located in Group 6 of Tianhe Village at Jinshan Township in Dazu District of Chongqing Municipality. Mainly built from the Late Tang to the Song dynasties, it includes 4 niches and caves of Buddhist statues in total. The Cave 1 of the Chenjiayan Grottoes, a large square cave with a flat top, consists of rich fine statues, such as the Three Buddhas, the Twelve Bodhisattvas of Perfect Enlightenment and the Sudhanakumâra Visiting Fifty-three Kalyānamitra, etc., providing great values for the study of grottoes themed on similar subject matter in the Sichuan and Chongqing region.

The Buddha statues and engraved scriptures of the Northern Qi Dynasty represented remarkable accomplishments, featuring distinct originality and transitional characteristics. Unlike the slender and elegant statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty or the mature and complete ones of the Tang Dynasty, the statues of the Northern Qi Dynasty presented a unique style of strength and diversity. For instance, the tower-shaped caves of the Xiangtangshan Grottoes in Yecheng and the Buddha statues unearthed in Qingzhou respectively demonstrated the imperial grandeur and the influence of Indian art. The engraved scriptures of the Northern Qi Dynasty also integrated traditional and foreign cultures, marking the initial appearance of large-scale engraved scriptures. This article, through a comprehensive analysis of grottoes, cliff inscriptions and freestanding statues, for the first time comprehensively classified and zoned the Buddha statues and engraved scriptures of the Northern Qi Dynasty. It not only identified the content and form characteristics of each geographical grouping but also revealed the differences and connections among them. It showcases the diversified achievements of Buddhist art in the Northern Qi Dynasty.

The Dazu Rock Carvings, an outstanding example of the Sichuan-Chongqing grotto traditions, have evolved through three distinct phases of academic documentation and research. The Comprehensive Record of Dazu Rock Carvings (3 volumes) newly published by the Academy of Dazu Rock Carvings marks a very important contribution to this field. This work systematically catalogs all 75 protected cultural heritage units of grottoes and cliff statues within the Dazu district, integrating high-resolution photographs with critical syntheses of research advances from the past four decades. The Comprehensive Record of Dazu Rock Carvings establishes an essential resource for Dazu Studies and opens new avenues for multidisciplinary research in Buddhist art, regional history, and religious archaeology.

The Dazu Rock Carvings, the complete works of archaeological reports on the Dazu Rock Carvings, consists of four distinctive features. Firstly, it is an overall record of archaeological surveys with rich and accurate information. Secondly, based on great efforts in field investigation and basic research, it's a gradual progress to write the works. Thirdly, the works is comprehensive and diversified in content. Fourthly, it is well-structured in style with equal emphasis on text and image. With significance for Chinese archaeological circle and Chinese publishing industry, the publication of The Dazu Rock Carvings marks a new phase of the writing of archaeological report by institutions that conserve and manage key grottoes in China.

Nankansi Cliff Sculptures were carved into a huge rock on the lower ground of Zhaizipo, Nankan Village, Xinsheng Town, Tongnan District. A total of 11 niches have been discovered, featuring mainly Buddhist 
figures such as Ksitigarbha, Avalokitesvara, and the Three Saints of the West, as well as the Taoist deities including Tianzun and Xuanwu Dadi. The statues can be divided into four groups. Based on their characteristics and inscribed dates, it is inferred that the carving began in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, revived in the Southern Song Dynasty, and continued during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Nankansi Cliff Sculptures have rich themes, unique styles, long age spans, and important stone inscriptions, which have significant value for the study of grotto temples in the Tongnan area and the broader Sichuan-Chongqing region.

The Baoshi Mountain Cliff Carvings are located on Baoshi Mountain, Hangzhou. There are 23 cliff  niches, 29 cliff statues, and 11 cliff inscriptions extant. From 2021 to 2024, the authors conducted a detailed investigation of the niches, statues, inscriptions, and other contents of the Baoshi Mountain Cliff Carvings, and found many inscriptions from the Northern Song Dynasty that had not been documented in any historical records. Therefore, the Baoshi Mountain Cliff Carvings were re-dated and re-periodized, leading to the conclusion that they were first carved in the Northern Song Dynasty and continued through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties and into the Republican period. Due to its extensive historical span, rich subject content, and diverse inscriptions, it stands as a valuable example among the cliff carvings around West Lake in Hangzhou.

 After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, a large number of universities and research 
institutions were relocated to Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and other areas, and consequently many scholars began to turn their research focus to this region. During this period, the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture carried out the Sichuan-Xikang Ancient Architecture Survey, conducting archaeological investigations of grotto statues in Sichuan, Chongqing and other areas. On the eve of the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Dazu Rock Carvings Investigation Team performed the first archaeological survey of the Dazu Rock Carvings, and concluded that they could be ranked alongside the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes as one of China’s three major grotto sites. The series of archaeological surveys in this period marked the first investigation of the Sichuan-Chongqing grottoes with modern academic significance, and constituted a significant event of Chinese grotto archaeology during the Republican era. The contents of the investigation provided valuable materials for the research in this field, laying a foundation for the later Sichuan-Chongqing grotto archaeology.

The Yilizhai Cliff Carvings are located in Dongfeng Town, Yanjiang District, Ziyang City, adjacent to a major transportation route. The 41 extant Buddhist niches were carved in two phases: an early phase and a later 
phase. The statues built in the early phase are predominantly carved into broad and smooth cliff faces, featuring medium-to-large statues with a wide range of subjects. They date from the second half of the 8th century to the first half of the 9th century. The statues constructed in the later phase are mostly attached to the side walls of large niches or scattered on cliff faces, with small niches dominating and limited subject matter, dating from the second half of the 9th century to the early 10th century. The change in subjects of the carvings between the two phases are closely related to the transformation of Buddhist belief in Sichuan region from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, reflecting distinct characteristics of the times. The numerous mortise holes and groove traces on the cliff face reflect the continuous efforts by devotees throughout history to build and preserve the grottoes, demonstrating the continuity and transmission of Buddhist faith among the local populace.

The water damage caused by humid and rainy environments has become a critical issue threatening the long-term preservation of cave temples in Sichuan and Chongqing. By integrating historical documents and cliff-surface relics, this study systematically reviews the traditional water-control measures adopted during the construction or restoration of cave temples in this region, revealing a scientific and systematic approach to addressing water damage. The research indicates that the core of traditional water-management wisdom lies in the holistic planning adapted to the cliff topography and the combined application of multiple measures. These methods can be categorized into three main types: the first is blocking, which involves constructing protective cave-eave structures, skillfully designing the roof forms of the niches, and digging internal drainage tunnels to physically isolate statues from direct water impact; the second is diversion and drainage, which entails scientifically building intercepting gutters, drainage channels, and underground conduits on the cliff surfaces and floors, both inside and outside the niches, to guide and discharge unintercepted surface runoff and seepage; the third is ingenious utilization, which integrates seepage points that are difficult to eliminate with iconographic themes (such as the Nine Dragons Bathing the Prince) or practical facilities (such as wells), thereby transforming water damage into scenic or functional value. These measures are not applied in isolation but are coordinated on the scale of the entire cave-temple complex, forming a three-dimensional waterproof network that extends from the cliff top to the cave interior, and from blocking to drainage. An in-depth study and reference to these traditional practices offer valuable insights for guiding contemporary conservation of cave temples, particularly in implementing the modern principles of holistic planning, site-specific adaptation, and minimal intervention in water damage management.

The 6th niche of the Huazhi Temple Cliff Carvings in Qionglai is a rare example of large-scaleThousand-Buddha sculptures from the Tang Dynasty in the Sichuan region. The Inscription on the Statues at Huazhi Temple 
preserved in the nich, has undergone several reprints, during which multiple errors were caused, especially the 
Wuliangshoufo(Amitabha Buddha) being mistakenly engraved as Wuliangzhufo(Immeasurable Buddhas). According to the inscription, the 6th niche of Huazhi Temple was carved by the monk from Zhangjing Temple in Chang’an and Baihe Temple in Qiongzhou. Therefore, this niche combines the characteristics of both Chang’an and Sichuan’s style. In terms of religious function, considering the long-term coexistence of Sengcai and Fazhao in Zhangjing Temple, it is speculated that the 6th niche of Huazhi Temple may be related to Dharmalparyaya. Through the 6th niche of Huazhi Temple, we can directly observe the vibrant Buddhist cultural exchange between Sichuan and Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty.

The research team led by Professor Lei Yuhua, through their Research on the Archaeology of Architectural Facades of Southern Chinese Grottoes, breaks the tradition of non-communication between the 
conservation engineering, archaeology and art studies of grotto temples. By employing an interdisciplinary 
methodology, the study systematically examines the distribution, characteristics, and significant value of grottoes in southern China. Utilizing archaeological methods, it investigates and analyzes front-cave architectures, ruins, and protective facilities of southern Chinese grottoes across different dynasties, with a particular focus on the SichuanChongqing area. The research reinterprets the “original state” of southern grottoes and decodes the multifaceted meanings of cliff engravings. The findings bridges the gap between academia and practice, fills a critical gap in the survey of front-cave architectures and related ruins of southern Buddhist grottoes, reconstructs the historical archives of protective facilities of cliff carvings and southern grottoes, and provides valuable recommendations for the construction of protective infrastructure for southern grottoes today.

This study employs Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and the active surface wave method to conduct geophysical exploration in the northern cliff area of Dafowan, Dazu Rock Carvings, where unloading fracture development is identified, aiming to achieve a detailed characterization of unloading fracture patterns. The 
sandstone rock mass in the study area exhibits extensive fracture development induced by tectonic movements 
and weathering processes, posing a significant threat to the stability of the rock carvings. ERT is employed to 
delineate resistivity distributions and identify water-bearing fracture zones, while the active surface wave method 
is utilized to invert shear wave velocity fields and evaluate fracture development intensity. Results demonstrate that ERT effectively identifies spatial positions and geometric configurations of fractures, whereas the active surface wave method reliably verifies the integrity of deep rock masses. The synergistic application of these two methods significantly improves the characterization accuracy of fracture systems, providing a scientific basis for stability assessment and subsequent engineering interventions of dangerous rock masses.

The Fabaosi Cliff Sculptures is located in Tianle Village, Wansheng Town, Dongpo District, Meishan City. There are 34 extant caves of Buddhist sculptures, mainly including statues of Three Buddhas, Three Worthies of Huayan School, Thousand-handed Avalokitesvara, White-robed Avalokitesvara, Wan Bodhisattva (Ten Thousand Bodhisattvas), Sixteen Arhats, Vaisramana, Dhritarashtra, Illustrations of Vimalakirti Sutra, Illustrations of Bhaisajyaguru, and Illustrations of Thousand-handed Avalokitesvara. Sculptures here can be divided into four groups. According to different characteristics and chronological records of each group, it is inferred that the carving was started from the middle and late Tang Dynasty to the Former and the Later Shu States. The Fabaosi Cliff Sculptures is of significant academic value in completing the system of grottoes in the Minjiang River Basin, and investigating the relationship between painted sculptures of Buddhist temples in Chengdu and their surrounding grottoes, and exploring the path of spreading Buddhist art within the Sichuan basin.

Cave temples, as an important type of immovable cultural heritage, are the concentrated manifestation of China's brilliant ancient civilization and a historical testimony of exchanges and mutual understanding between Chinese civilization and other ancient civilizations, but they have been subjected to long-term water erosion and damage, with fissure seepage having a particularly serious impact. For the detection, prevention and control technology of fissure seepage in cave temples in the humid areas of southern China, this paper systematically combs through the research progress in fissure seepage detection technology, fissure seepage disease mechanism, fissure seepage management and control technology, monitoring and assessment technology of management effect, and the demonstration and application of the management technology, with a view to providing references to the relevant researches and work.