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Rock paintingis a way of artful expression developed by Chinese ancestors who painted and carved pictures and graphs in rocks to record different aspects of ancient human society. China is a country with the most widespread and richest rock paintings in the world discovered as early as 1,500 years ago. TheHelan Mountainsare just one area featuring a wealth of such wonders.

Located 17 km northwest ofYinchuan Cityin theNingxia Hui Autonomous Region, the grand Helan Mountains, located over 3,550 meters above sea level, have traditionally served as a natural barricade against desert winds and foreign invaders.

Many ethnic groups have lived near the mountains since ancient times: There is proof of human activity here from as far back as the New Stone Age. In the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th century-221BC), Qiang, Rong and other ethnic groups moved to the area for grazing purposes, and in theQin Dynasty(221-206BC), counties were set up and the area was officially brought under the administration of the central regions.

Over the past 2,000 years, the Huns, Xianbei, Qiang, Rouran, Tujue, Tubo, Dangxiang and Mongolian groups led a nomadic life here in succession. They worked hard with the Hanpeople, and left behind many wonderful rock paintings reflecting the culture of ancient nomadic groups.

Hailed as a major wonder of ancient Chinese civilization, the rock paintings discovered in the Helan Mountains number in the tens of thousands and span over thousands of years, stretching over hundreds of miles. The rock paintings faithfully record the natural environment and production of northern nomadic groups, revealing their social conditions, way of life and religious beliefs.