The Qingtianhe Cliff Carvings consist of two parts: the Northern Wei cliff carvings at Qingtianhe and the Sui-Tang cliff sculptures at Shifotan (formerly known as Shifotan Cliff Statues). The Northern Wei carvings are situated in the Qingtianhe Scenic Area, while the Sui-Tang sculptures lie within the Shifotan Scenic Area. These two groups of carvings face each other from north to south, each with distinctive features. Boasting a long history and profound cultural connotations, they serve as vital historical materials for the research on ancient Chinese military affairs, transportation, culture, religion, as well as stone carving, painting and calligraphy.

The Northern Wei cliff carvings of Qingtianhe are carved halfway up a mountain peak that resembles a giant natural Buddha. The peak stands 180 metres high and 100 metres wide. The carvings are etched on the sheer cliff face overlooking the Dan River, 80 metres above the water surface. The niche is a natural stone recess covering nearly 2 square metres. A line-engraved Guanyin statue occupies the centre, flanked by vertical inscriptions with a total of 432 Chinese characters.

The Sui-Tang cliff statues at Shifotan were chiselled between the 11th and 12th years of the Daye reign of the Sui Dynasty. The site was originally granted the official name "Tongyi Temple" by the imperial house of the Sui Dynasty, and more Buddhist niches were added in the Tang Dynasty. A number of statues were damaged during the construction of the Jiaozuo-Taiyuan Railway in the late 1950s. The remaining relics spread across a cliff stretching 60 metres from north to south and 20 metres in height, including 59 Buddhist niches, 78 stone statues and 10 inscribed stone tablets.

On May 25, 2006, the two groups of cliff carvings were combined into one protected site and designated by the State Council as one of the Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units.