Xīnchāng

Xinchang lies in eastern Zhejiang, among the mountains south of the Shan River. Its great Buddhist temple is built against the cliffs of Shicheng Mountain, where a monumental image of Maitreya was carved in the Southern Dynasties. Work began under the Qi and was completed under the Liang in 516. The image was repaired repeatedly over the centuries, while a bridge built in the Ming approached the cavern before it.