The Maodao Kulun Rock Paintings, drawn on a cliff of about 2
kilometers running along the boundary between China and Mongolian
Republic, were found in Bayabnaoer City and consist of fifteen
group sand more than 180 pieces with lamb, elks, hounds, scenes of
hunting and designs derived from human figures depicted. Experts
have made preliminary identifications and concluded that these
paintings are 2000 to 3000 years away from today and are a portion
of the rock painting group of Yinshan Mountains scattered along the
Yinshan Mountain Ranges.
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Compared with the previously found rock paintings, the paintings
of Maodao Kulun are marked by the following major differences. The
facial features depicted bear more resemblances to those of the
members of the nomadic minority nationalities of the North. Unlike
the previous pictures of sun-worshipping rites where the sun is
high above and humans below, the rock paintings of Maodao Kulun
present pictures with sun hanging above while humans standing by
its side. Some unusual and primitive symbols can be seen in these
paintings, which have preliminarily been deduced as pictographs and
symbols of primitive currencies. Densely depicted designs of
celestial bodies like the sun, the moon and the stars can also be
found in these paintings. The discovery oftherock paintings of
Maodao Kulun has supplied precious materials for the study of the
culture of the ancient nomadic minoritynationalities in China.
The rock paintings of Yinshan Mountains consist ofmorethan fifty
thousand pieces that present scenes of culture and life of the
ancient nomadic minority nationalities of Chinaincluding the Hun,
the Sienpi, the Turk, the Nuchen and the Mongolians. As an integral
part of the rock paintings of Yinshan Mountains, the rock paintings
of Maodao Kulun are the group closest to the northern frontier.