The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape () is an extensive assembly of historical rock art that was painted on limestone cliff faces in Guangxi, southern China. The paintings are located on the west bank of the which is a tributary of the Zuo River.Guo Hong, Han Rubin, Huang Huaiwu, Lan Riyong, and Xie Riwan Types of Weathering of the Huashan Rock Paintings, in: Agnew, Neville, ed., Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, People's Republic of China, June 28-July 3, 2004. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, 2010. Archived from original The area of the paintings is part of the Nonggang Nature Reserve and belongs to Ningming County. On July 15, 2016, Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape was listed as the 49th UNESCO World Heritage Site in China.
The main painted area along the cliff has a width of about and a height of about "The Rock Painting of the Mountain Huashan - UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List". Archived from original and is one of the largest rock paintings in China. The paintings are located between and above the river's water level. The main area contains about 1900 discrete countable images arranged in about 110 groups. The paintings have a red color and were executed using a mixture of red ochre (hematite), animal glue, and blood. They depict human figures as well as animals along with bronze drums, knives, swords, bells, and ships. Human figures are typically between and tall, but one figure reaches in height.
The paintings are believed to be between 1800 and 2500 or between 1600 and 2400 years old. The period of their creations hence spans the times from the Warring States period to the late Han dynasty in the history of China. Many of the paintings are thought to "illustrate the life and rituals" of the ancient Luo Yue people, who inhabited the valley of Zuo River during this period and are believed to be ancestors of Zhuang people, Muong people and Kinh people.
An exhibition in the Zhuang Nationality Museum in the City of Chongzuo () is dedicated to the history and interpretation of the paintings.
References
External links The Rock Art of Huashan - Sacred Meeting Place for Sky, Water & Earth UNESCO UHC: Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape