Archaeologists claim that the Badain Jaran Desert in North China, one of China's major sandstorm sources, was once habitable.

Archaeologists draw this conclusion from the large amount of cultural relics and rock paintings excavated in this region.

Archaeologists of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region have just discovered a cultural site dating from the Paleolithic Age to the Shang (16 century BC-11 century BC) and Zhou (11 century BC-221 BC) Dynasties in the eastern border area of the desert, where an unprecedented large amount of stone items of the Alxa Region were unearthed.

At the same time, nearly 800 rock paintings were discovered in the southeastern part of the desert, most of which are animals and laboring scenes.

"The two new sites are only a small part of the ancient cultural relics discovered in the Badain Jaran Desert," said Gai Shanlin, a research member with the local archaeological research institute.

According to Gai, numerous rock paintings have been discovered in the east and south of the desert. And ruins of ancient people were discovered near almost every lake in the desert.

"Most of those ruins and rock paintings can be dated back to the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age, when the ecological environment of the region was quite different from now," said Gai.

"For most rock paintings were about animals such as horses, deer, argali and camels, as well as scenes of riding, herding and hunting," said Gai.

"All are strong evidences that from the primitive age to 2,000 years ago, the region had been an Eden for animals and ancient people," said Gai.

This opinion was further proved by research of ecologists.

According to Jin Heling, research member with the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, about 4,000 to 7,000 years ago, a great number of lakes appeared and many oases came into being in the Badain Jaran Desert, which began to form 7,000 years ago.

"Therefore, it is understandable that so many ruins were discovered in this region," said Jin.

The cause for the extinction of the Badain Jaran culture is definitely related to the deterioration of the ecological environment, said Gai.

According to Gai, about 3,000 years ago, climate of the Inner Mongolian Plateau became cold and dry, resulting in the drying up of many lakes and the expansion of the desert.

The deterioration of the desert region aggravated under the influence of human behavior after the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), said Jin.

"Like most ancient civilizations, such as the Maya and Loulan, the rise and fall of the ancient Badain Jaran civilization is closely related to the natural environment," said Gai.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2004)