Yinshan Rock Paintings

Images carved into rocks

Petroglyphs of Yin Mountains

One of thousands of rock paintings found in the Yin Mountains

Location| Inner Mongolia[1]
History
Periods| Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age
Site notes
Discovered| 5th century AD

Yinshan Rock Paintings[2] or Rock Paintings of Yinshan Mountains[3] (simplified Chinese: 阴山岩画; traditional Chinese: 陰山岩畫; pinyin: Yīnshān Yánhuà), also known as Petroglyphs in the Yinshan Mountains[4] or Rock Paintings of Yinshan Mountain,[5] are images carved into the rocks of the Yin Mountains and are widely distributed, [6] mainly on the cliffs of Wolf Mountain in the Inner Mongolia,[7] with themes involving animals, figures, deities, artifacts, celestial bodies. [8]

The historical and cultural site is mainly located on Yin Mountains in the western part of Inner Mongolia, east of the Alxa Left Banner.[9]

In ancient history, Yinshan Rock Paintings were first recorded by Li Daoyuan, a Northern Wei geographer, in the 5th century AD. In modern history, they were discovered on January 28, 1980.[10]

## Discoveries and Researches[edit]

### Ancient times[edit]

The earliest record of the petroglyphs is dated to the 5th century AD, when Li Daoyuan described the presence of tiger, horse and goat petroglyphs in the Yin Mountains in the Commentary on the Water Classic.[11] This is considered to be the earliest record of the Yinshan petroglyphs.[12] Although much of Li's information was gathered second-hand from other people, he visited the region of Tumed Left Banner and Togtoh County in modern Inner Mongolia from where he is recorded to have travelled west. Thus, it is thought that he observed the Yin Mountain petroglyphs personally.[11] He is frequently credited as the first person to discover the images.[13] However, for several centuries after Li Daoyuan, no one else recorded these rock paintings. It was not until the 1930s that the Sino-Swiss Northwest Scientific Investigation Group (中瑞西北科学考察团) discovered several Yinshan rock paintings.

### Modern times[edit]

In 1974, Chinese archaeologist Gai Shanlin (盖山林) first saw the petroglyphs of Yin Mountains during a field survey.[14] At the end of the 1970s, Gai conducted a survey of the Yinshan Rock Paintings, published a book Petroglyphs in the Yinshan Mountains in 1986, giving a more comprehensive introduction to the census results.[15] In early 1980, Gai discovered thousands of petroglyphs in the western section of Yin Mountain in Inner Mongolia. This discovery drew great attention from the archaeological community in China and abroad.[16]

The comprehensive investigation of the Yinshan Rock Paintings began in 1976. Since then, many experts, scholars and tourists have been visiting the territory of Bayannur every year, and more than 10,000 rock paintings of Yinshan have been discovered. These petroglyphs not only reflect the beliefs, aesthetic outlook and worldview of the ancient inhabitants of the Yinshan region, but also reveal their nomadic living conditions.[17]

### Contemporary times[edit]

Researches show that the creation of the Yinshan Rock Paintings can be dated back to as early as 10,000 years ago, [18] and they have gone through 10 historical stages: the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Warring States Period, Qin and Han Periods, North and South Dynasties, Sui and Tang Periods, Western Xia Period, Mongolian Yuan Period, and Ming and Qing Periods, which truly record the production life, customs, religious beliefs, natural environment, and social appearance of the nomadic peoples in the northern China. [19]

In December 2010, about 500 Bronze Age grinded petroglyphs were found in Urad Middle Banner, located in the Yinshan region, including two drawings of human sexual intercourse, one with 2 people and the other with 3 people. Rock paintings of human sexual intercourse are rare in this area.[20]

## Conservations[edit]

In 2006, Yinshan Rock Paintings was included in the sixth batch of the list of Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in China. [21] Inner Mongolia invested about more than 14 million yuan to start a large-scale rescue census and protection project, as well as to build a solar-powered electronic video monitoring system.[22]

## Related books[edit]

* Shanlin Gai (1986). Petroglyphs in the Yinshan Mountains. Cultural Relics Publishing House. [23]
* Wang Xiaokun (2012). Study on Petroglyphs in the Yinshan Mountains. China Social Sciences Press. [24]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Donna L. Gillette; Mavis Greer; Michele Helene Hayward; William Breen Murray (16 October 2013). Rock Art and Sacred Landscapes. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 89–. ISBN 978-1-4614-8406-6.
2. ^ Centro camuno di studi preistorici (1985). BCSP, Volumes 22-23. Centro camuno di studi preistorici. pp. 91–.
3. ^ Lijun Sun (27 May 2020). The History of Chinese Animation I. Routledge. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-1-00-074050-9.
4. ^ Claudia Moser; Cecelia Feldman (1 January 2014). Locating the Sacred: Theoretical Approaches to the Emplacement of Religion. Oxbow Books. pp. 72–. ISBN 978-1-78297-616-5.
5. ^ "Introduction to Paintings of Yinshan Mountain". China Daily. 2013-12-19.
6. ^ "内蒙古新发现上千幅阴山岩画". Xinhua News Agency. 2016-08-06. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06.
7. ^ Fu Yuguang (30 December 2020). Shamanic and Mythic Cultures of Ethnic Peoples in Northern China I: Shamanic Deities and Rituals. Routledge. pp. 133–. ISBN 978-1-00-029558-0.
8. ^ "内蒙古新发现上千幅阴山岩画 内容以动物为主". QQ.com. 2016-08-06.
9. ^ Beijing Review, Volume 46, Issues 1-14. Beijing Review. 2003. pp. 40–.
10. ^ "Inventory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the 70th anniversary of the occurrence of what major events". Xinhuanet.com. 2017-07-17. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019.
11. ^ a b Gai Shanlin 盖山林 (1983). "郦道元与岩画" [Li Daoyuan and rock art]. 西北大学学报(哲学社会科学版) [Journal of Northwest University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition)] (in Chinese). 13 (1): 65–70.
12. ^ "1980: Discovery of Yinshan Rock Paintings". State Ethnic Affairs Commission. 2017-08-03.
13. ^ "The Rock Paintings of Yinshan Mountains". China.org.cn. 2007-07-24.
14. ^ "The Silk Road Cultural Imprint on the Cliff". People's Daily. 2020-02-18.
15. ^ "Yinshan Rock Paintings: Cultural Treasures of Nomads in Northern China on the Verge of Disappearance". Sina.com.cn. 2014-09-17.
16. ^ "Gai Shanlin's treasure trove of rock paintings of the Yin Mountains". Sina.com.cn. 2010-04-14.
17. ^ Bayannaoer League History. Inner Mongolia People's Publishing House. 1997. ISBN 978-7-204-03476-5.
18. ^ "Mysterious Yinshan Rock Paintings". Xinhuanet.com. 2014-09-17.[dead link]
19. ^ "Yinshan Rock Paintings to be declared world cultural heritage". China Network Television. 2010-09-19.
20. ^ "500 rock carvings are found again in Yinshan". Beijing Times. 2010-12-07.[dead link]
21. ^ "Nearly a thousand carved rock paintings were discovered in Inner Mongolia". China News Service. 2010-12-09.
22. ^ "About 500 Bronze Age carved petroglyphs discovered in the Yinshan Mountains". Lianhe Zaobao. 2010-12-10.
23. ^ Esther Jacobson (14 August 2018). The Deer Goddess of Ancient Siberia: A Study in the Ecology of Belief. Brill Publishers. pp. 250–. ISBN 978-90-04-37878-0.
24. ^ Wang Xiaokun (2012). Study on Petroglyphs in the Yinshan Mountains. China Social Sciences Press. ISBN 978-7-5161-0962-5.