Monastery of Precious Light

The Monastery of Precious Light (Baoguang Si) is to be found in Xindu, a small town 18km/11mi northeast of Chengdu. It is thought to date from the Han dynasty (24-220). More than twenty buildings (a pagoda, five temples and sixteen courtyards), almost all of which were constructed in 1670, are scattered over an area of 8ha/20acres. The 13-story Sarira Pagoda (Sheli Ta) from the Tang period (618-907) has survived. Archaeologically valuable items on display include a stone tablet with 1000 Buddha reliefs (AD 540) and 500 larger-than-life terracotta statues from the Qing period (1644-1911), which depict Luohans in an individual manner.