Zizhu Guanyin

The cliffside grottoes of Anyue are hailed as ancient cultural treasures, with the "Zizhu Guanyin" praised by British writer Ms. Han Suyin as the "Eastern Venus," renowned both domestically and internationally. Zizhu Guanyin is located on Tazi Mountain in Shiyang Town, Anyue County, Sichuan Province, and is open to tourists all year round. The national cultural heritage site, Pilu Cave, is 47 kilometers away from Anyue County. It consists of the Guanyin Hall, Thousand Buddha Cave, Secluded Residence Cave, Pilu Dojo, and Lotus Platform, with a total of 446 statues and 32 inscriptions and steles. The Zizhu Guanyin in the Guanyin Hall and the stone carvings of the "Liu Ben Zun Ten Refinements Cultivation Chart" in the Pilu Dojo are particularly exquisite. By car to Tazi Mountain in Shiyang Town, passing through the tranquil bamboo forest and descending more than twenty stone steps, one arrives at Pilu Cave. According to inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty Wanli period (1573–1620), the carving of statues here began during the Five Dynasties' Later Jin Tianfu era (936–944), with subsequent generations continuing the work. It was one of the main venues for the Esoteric Buddhism of Sichuan during the Five Dynasties and Northern Song period. The Zizhu Guanyin, sitting cross-legged on a lotus platform, leans against a relief of purple bamboo and a willow branch vase, wearing a lavishly decorated crown and a short-sleeved gauze shirt, with bare chest and elbows. The necklace resembles a golden waterfall cascading down, with jade rings and nets hanging over the chest and abdomen. The lower body is adorned with a blue ribbon, tying a thin embroidered long skirt as light as Zen wings, with the skirt's pleats flowing naturally and gracefully. Look at her pair of beautiful bare feet, with the right foot raised, the left foot stepping on the lotus stamen, eyes looking down as if admiring the ripples in the water, displaying a leisurely and charming expression, like a young lady of graceful figure and gentle demeanor. She possesses both the charm of a young girl and the appearance of a goddess, with a strong worldly flavor. No wonder she is also known as the Cross-legged Guanyin, Romantic Guanyin, Water Moon Guanyin, and the "Eastern Venus."