Buddhist carvings found on cliff

Four cliff carvings of Buddhist images have been discovered in a remote spot in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Experts say the discovery sheds new light on the development of Buddhism in China.

The carvings are in the Helan Mountain region, an ancient route that once linked Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. Archeologists found four images of Buddha inscribed on a cliff. The biggest is nine meters high and six meter wide. Sanskrit inscriptions were found beside the images.

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spotintheNingxiaHuiAutonomousRegion.

Experts from the local cultural heritage authority have concluded that these Buddhist images were carved in the Ming Dynasty some four hundred years ago.

The history of Buddhist carving in China goes back over one thousand years to a time when Buddhism was becoming popular. From the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, monks used to travel along the Helan Mountain route to spread Buddhism into Inner Mongolia. They paused to leave these inscriptions during their long journeys.

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Beijing ancient temples

For last week's China Cool segment, we introduced you to three temples in Beijing: Zhihua, Tianning and the Lamma temple. In today's edition of China Cool, we continue to take you around some other famous ancient temples in the capital.

Fa Yuan Temple

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Fa Yuan Temple boasts a history going back 1300 years. It is located in a quiet hutong in the southern part of Beijing. Trees and flowers in the temple grounds are also ancient. They include a pine tree planted during the Yuan dynasty, and a pair of Begonias planted by emperor Qianlong in the Qing dynasty.

FaYuanTempleboastsahistorygoingback1300years.

Seven main buildings as well as six courtyards are arranged from south to north. The main buildings include the Gate of Temple, Bell and Drum towers, Heavenly King Hall, the Hall of Great Compassion and Sutra Hall. Fa Yuan Temple is also home to China 's Buddhist Academy, and the Buddhist Books and Culture Relics Museum of China. It is a key place for nurturing young Buddhist disciples and scholars, and for the research of Buddhist culture.

Taiwan writer Li Ao published a novel called "Fayuan Temple", and it earned him a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is another attraction for believers and visitors from far and wide.