Fúqiāng

Fuqiang lies in the Wei River valley between the mountains of eastern Gansu. West of the town rises Daxiang Mountain, named for its great image of the Buddha carved into the cliff. Cave shrines and wooden buildings cling to its steep slopes, connected by paths along the rock. The sculpted image displays the large-scale Buddhist art of the Tang period, while inscriptions from later centuries preserve the names and devotions of those who maintained the site. Fuqiang County occupied an old route along the Wei, connecting the surrounding valleys.