Dazu: Rock Carvings Of Buddha; Disciples of Buddha In Baoding Hill Grotto, Dazu.

At the time of our visit the streets in Dazu were being used by the Chinese people almost as extensions to their living quarters. One Chinese farmer in Dazu spread his rice grain on the streets to dry in the hot sun; spread out during the day then stored or winnowed in the evening. There was a lot of activity on the streets and on one part of the pavement, Chinese mothers and their children took time to sit and chat. A Dazu barber cutting hair in an open fronted shop greeted the local people as they passed. In the cooler Dazu night Chinese people played cards at a table on the pavement, and Chinese children gathered by a street stall frame to talk and play. Dazu people sat on their bamboo chairs at the road side to watch television through the open door of their home.

There was an impression that all the people living in Dazu knew each other, through being related or by their work. There were many small family businesses evident; making noodles; repairing bikes and motorbikes; selling watermelons at the roadside; by the street door of one house during the evening, a small bamboo table was on the pavement displaying a few packets of cigarettes for sale. It would be interesting to see whether any of these rural activities still exist or whether Dazu has moved on into a modern world.