The Secularization of Ancient Chinese Religion: A Case Study of the Dazu Rock Carvings

The Song dynasty marked a pivotal period in the cultural, political, and economic development of ancient China, during which Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism coexisted and advanced in parallel. The Dazu rock carvings, begun in the late Tang and flourishing during the Northern and Southern Song, integrate Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist themes and serve as an important vehicle of historical and cultural development, standing out in Chinese cave temple art for their marked secularization. Situated in the Chongqing region, the Dazu rock carvings are closely intertwined with local customs and cultural practices, exhibiting distinctive regional characteristics that reflect the social life and local ethos of the time, and are of great scholarly and cultural significance. Drawing on previous scholarship and supported by field investigations in the Dazu rock carvings area, this study employs documentary analysis, iconographic methods, and fieldwork to examine the visual features of Bodhisattva images and narrative/allegorical scenes in the rock carvings. By analyzing the process of their secular transformation, the paper identifies the principal factors driving this shift and proposes a path of secularization and indigenization shaped by the interaction between foreign cultural elements and local traditions. The findings aim to offer new perspectives and points of reference for contemporary artistic practice.