There were three shrines with statues of Taoist images made in the Ming Dynasty. Two shrines were destroyed and the third survived because it was preserved in the wall when the gate was rebuilt in 1798 in the Qing Dynasty. During the Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12, 2008, cracks appeared in the gate and the hidden shrine was discovered when the gate was being repaired. According to historical records, a department named Dao Zheng Si(Taoist Affairs Management Agency) was established in Hezhou in 1384 in the Ming Dynasty, resulting in prolonged vigorous development of Taoism in Hezhou. And it was at this time the Taoist statues in the shrines on the gate were made.

Carved in the Tang Dynasty, the grotto is 4 meters high, 7.3 meters wide. It has 2775 sculptures of Buddha displayed in 37 rows. Each of the Buddha images in the grotto is 12 centimeters tall, 7 centimeters from shoulder to shoulder, sitting on the lotus-flower seat bare-footed, with eyes casting down and arms crossed in the front. Buddha sculptures in the center are 20 centimeters tall each, 12 centimeters from shoulder to shoulder, with light in the shape of boats in the background. On each side of the grotto, there are two sculptures of Mahakassapa and Ananda, and six statues of devotees to the project of the Grotto. Images of the Thousand-Buddha Grotto are vivid and life-like, well-structured with strict composition. The sculptures and the remaining pictures in the background can still give people very strong artistic impact even today.

The Three Sages Cliff is commonly known as “Three Buddhas Cliff”. The three Buddha statues were carved with the donation by Monk Zhi Hui, Buddhist abbot of the Huguosi Temple and the White Pagoda Temple, and his disciples. The statue in the middle is Amitabha, a great Buddhist master. Sitting cross-legged he is 2.5 meters high, 0.6 meters from shoulder to shoulder. He is holding the Magic Pearl in his left hand and making a sign of the lotus flower with his right hand. He wears a high hair bun and a kasaya. The expression on his face is calm and kind. Beside him are two Bodhisattvas, one on his right holding aloeswood and the one on his left holding a Buddhist water-jar. Both of them wear a lotus-flower-shaped crown and a Buddhist robe, with their curling hair reaching the scarf on the shoulders. A chain of jade-like stones hangs from their neck and from the cuff of the sleeves is seen as bracelet on each hand. They both look gentle, calm and reserved. When talking about the three Buddha statues, Duan Wenjie, former Director-general of the Dunhuang Museum, lauded them as the “masterpieces of the Qing-Dynasty rock carving art”.

It is a giant stone sculpture of a Buddha carved on a hanging cliff. The sleeping Buddha in double-collared Buddhist robe is 11 meters long, 2.2 meters from shoulder to shoulder, with coiling hair, 1.8 meters from ear to ear, bare-footed, 1.2 meters from foot to foot. The Buddha is lying facing south, with his head to the west and feet to the east, bare-chested, with a plump face, dignified and benevolent, with a natural, graceful expression. It is an excellent sculpture carved with great care, strict composition, good proportion, and with both forceful strokes and fine elaboration.

The Site of the Nine Pots is located in the middle of the ring city on the top of the mountain of the Diaoyucheng Fortress