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Baoding (Treasure Peak) Mountain, fifteen kilometres northeast of Dazu, is well-known for its comprisal of more than ten thousand magnificent sculptures. Those located in Dafowan are best preserved and most numerous. Dafowan is a U-shaped range of hills about fifteen to thirty metres high and some five hundred metres long. The statue carved on the eastern, southern and northern cliffsides of the valley are patterned in accordance with the terrain of the hills, resulting in natural and magnificent structure. Consisted of more than 15,000 stone sculptures in 19 groups of the Buddhist stories, the statues in this grotto look so marvellous that each of them is portrayed in different pose and with a different expression.
The most outstanding of them are the "Thousand-Arm Goddess of Mercy" and the Sleeping Buddha. The former holds in her 1007 hands various objects such as Buddhist magic formulas, weapons of ancient times, musical instruments, jade ornaments, silk fabrics, production tools, and articles for daily use. Her arms and hands look exquisite and graceful in their myriad postures: raised or down, extended or withdrawn, relaxed or clenched etc. This fully shows the extraordinary talent and skill of ancient artists. The Sleeping Buddha is grand and imposing. Other attractions include Xiaofowan, Daota, Wansuilou, Shengshousi etc.
Shengshousi (Temple of Sacred Longevity) constructed at the foot of the Hill, is made up of lofty halls and pavilions with double eaves and exquisite carvings. Weimo Hall stands at the top and houses a sleeping statue of Weimo, a lay Buddhist, and 77 round shrines with small Buddhist statues above a stone platform. The Temple is surrounded by luxuriant cypresses.
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