The cliff carvings of the Amitabha Triad in the Shengguo Monastery at Mt. Phoenix in Hangzhou are the largest existing Buddhist art images in China, dating to the Wuyue Kingdom period which began in the ninth century AD. Sponsored by Qian Liu(852—932), the first king of Wuyue, the Shengguo Monastery was built in the Qianning era(894—898) of the Tang dynasty(618—907), while the Amitabha Triad engraved at the rear of the Monastery was completed in the fourth year of the Kaiping era(910) during the Late Liang dynasty(907-923). The three large figures were seriously damaged in later centuries, but still exemplify the high level of skill and artistry used in creating these stone carvings. The eighteen carved arhats in the Shengguo Monastery were likely made during the Wuyue kingdom period as well, though they differ stylistically from the Amitabha Triad as the eighteen arhats were rendered in a distinct folk style and were probably sponsored by local officials, common people, or lay practitioners of Buddhism. This group of arhats is very important for studying the history of arhat worship because images dating to historical periods as early as the Five Dynasties are very rare.
