Inner Mongolia's Yinshan Rock Paintings Uncover Vanishing Nomadic Civilization

Inner Mongolia1206Oct 08, 2018

Yinshan Rock Paintings are widely scattered in Inner Mongolia, while one can find the massive and dense rock art at the Heishan Mountains of Bayannuur city. Stretching over 340 kilometers from east to west, there are more than 10,000 rock paintings could be found. At the valleys and cliffs of Yinshan Mountains, some rock paintings could be dated back to 100,000 years ago.

Generally including drawing, carving and relief sculpture on the wall of caves, cliffs and rocks, rock painting is the earliest record of mankind's prehistoric civilization, which is also the oldest way for ancient human beings to depict their daily life, religion and wishes.

There are rock arts all over the world, while China is the first country that found and recorded Rock Painting. Back to 5th century, Li Daouyan, a geologist of the Northern Wei Dynasty, firstly discovered the Yinshan rock paintings of Inner Mongolia and recorded the findings in his journal, which becomes the earliest record of the rock paintings of Yinshan Mountains in the world.

Yinshan Rock Paintings are widely scattered in Inner Mongolia, while one can find the massive and dense rock art at the Heishan Mountains of Bayannuur city. Stretching over 340 kilometers from east to west, there are more than 10,000 rock paintings could be found. At the valleys and cliffs of Yinshan Mountains, some rock paintings could be dated back to 100,000 years ago.

The themes of the rock paintings are mainly about the hunting, dancing, fighting and ceremonial activities of the nomadic ethnic groups, among which the most sophisticated images are huntsmen and animals such as goats, sheep, elks, moose, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, wolves and leopards. The sun, moon and stars are also described in the diverse paintings to record their most primitive beliefs.

The pictographic rock arts demonstrate a truthful picture of the ancient nomadic life, which have been well protected as a great witness of the human trace in Paleolithic Period.