Helan Mountain Rock Art

Background

Helan Mountain Rock Art is the collective name for a series of rock carvings scattered through the Helan Mountains of Ningxia, from Shizuishan in the north to the Zhongwei area in the south. Helankou is the most concentrated and representative site, holding about two-thirds of all the human-face carvings. The main subjects are human faces, animals such as sheep and deer, and herding and hunting scenes, made mostly by pecking and by grinding; the most striking, the "Sun God", has a round face, two eyes and lines radiating from its head. Some of the Helankou carvings also bear Western Xia script. Helan Mountain Rock Art is representative of rock art in northern China. Its dating is still unsettled: the more widely accepted view is that the earliest carvings appeared about 10,000 to 3,000 years ago and that carving continued into the Western Xia period, and they are generally attributed to the ancient nomadic peoples who lived in this area one after another. In 1996 the rock art was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Local customs

• Follow the gorge trail and pick out the carvings one by one
• visit the rock art exhibition hall first to learn about dating and subjects, then see the Sun God and the human faces on the cliffs
• the site pairs well with the Western Xia Mausoleums and Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio for a day trip.

Travel tips

• The site is mostly valley trails, so wear non-slip shoes and bring drinking water
• summer afternoons are hot, so mornings are better
• ticket prices and opening hours are as officially announced by the scenic area.
• It takes about an hour by car from downtown Yinchuan, and tourist shuttle lines also run from Yinchuan. May to October is the most pleasant season
• the soft light of spring and autumn is good for viewing and photography, while winter is cold.