Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art of Chongzuo, Guangxi | The only World Heritage rock art in Guangxi
|The only World Heritage rock art in Guangxi. 👉🏻The Huashan Rock Art is located in Chongzuo, Guangxi. In the Zhuang language, Huashan is called "Balai", which means "a mountain with paintings". Today, all the mountains along the Zuojiang River with the name Huashan have rock art on their cliffs. Created by the Luoyue people between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC, the rock art is widely distributed along the banks of the Zuojiang River. It consists of 38 rock art sites in 3 areas, which belong to Ningming County, Longzhou County, and Fusui County, respectively.🏞️
🔸The rock art has the following four characteristics:
🌟Rich content
The content is mainly about the sacrificial scenes of the Luoyue people, covering ghosts and gods, fields, river gods, bronze drums, and prayers for victory. The murals include a variety of images, such as people, animals, vessels, and tools.
🌟Distinctive features
The rock art is painted with ochre red pigment on the yellow cliffs 15–100 meters above the river bend. The content is mostly simple graphics, and the "squatting human figure" is the most numerous and proportionate among the known rock art heritage in the world.
🌟Numerous
The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape has 109 rock art sites and 4,050 images, making it the largest, most numerous, and most densely distributed ochre red rock art group in southern China and even Southeast Asia.
🌟Exquisite techniques
The 2,000-year-old painted murals are still colorful today, showing the pigment mixing techniques of the time. The painting techniques on the cliffs by the river are also amazing.
👉🏻Therefore, the Huashan Rock Art occupies a very important position in the world and Chinese rock art. Through them, we can get a glimpse of the life of the Luoyue people 2,000 years ago.
✅The core of the rock art is the "Huashan Rock Art" in Ningming County, which has the largest area, the most concentrated and richest images, and the best preservation. However, due to its proximity to the nature reserve, it is inconvenient to access and can only be reached by boat.
✅[Highlights]
📌Rock art: The Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is listed as a World Heritage Site, mainly consisting of rock art, cliffs, rivers, and land. These rock art sites are important cultural relics left by the Luoyue people along the Zuojiang River from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century AD.
✅[Transportation]
📌Cruise: Take a cruise at the pier to the Huashan Rock Art and view it from the boat. The ticket is CNY 80, and the round trip takes about 2.5–3 hours.
📌Self-driving: Cars can take a ferry at the pier to the opposite bank, where you can drive to the Huashan Rock Art viewing platform and view the rock art across the river.
⏰Opening hours: 8:30–16:00
💰Ticket price: CNY 90 (including boat ride and guide)
🚢The rock art on the mountain can be seen at the 7th bend, and the Huashan Rock Art can be seen after the 8th bend.
Accommodation
Huashan Hot Spring Town is a good choice. Backed by the Shiwanda Mountain, Huashan Hot Spring Town has natural hot springs. The hotels and homestays are built on the mountain, with a staggered layout. Surrounded by green mountains and clear water, the air is fresh, and everything is wonderful. At dusk, the outdoor pool presents a view of the water and sky, and the whole scene is beyond words. You can watch the sunset in the infinity pool and enjoy the sunset over the mountains, which will completely relax your mind.
Next to the Hot Spring Hotel is the Luoyue Culture Palace, which was built in memory of the Zhuang ancestors, the Luoyue King. It is full of historical traces and cultural atmosphere.
Tips
There are two cruises every day, at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm, respectively. The tour takes 3 hours. If you miss the cruise or the number of people is not enough to start the cruise, you can also drive to Yaoda Village, where you can view the rock art across the river (for free). However, since there is no bridge, the ferry charges a fee of CNY 10–20 per car.