Huashan Rock Painting Scenic Area in Chongzuo City is located in Ningming County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is a national 5A-level tourist scenic area and an important part of the "Zuojiang Huashan Rock Painting Cultural Landscape", a World Cultural Heritage. The scenic area is characterized by its ancient and mysterious rock paintings. It is the largest, most concentrated, richest in content, and best-preserved rock painting site among similar ones in the world. It is known as the greatest symbol of China's rice farming culture, a treasure of Zhuang culture, and a top-grade rock painting in the world. The "Zuojiang Huashan Rock Painting Cultural Landscape" consists of 38 representative rock painting sites in Ningming County, Longzhou County, Jiangzhou District, and Fusui County of Chongzuo City. The river section covered is 105 kilometers long, and the area is 6,621.6 hectares.
History and Culture
The Huashan Rock Paintings can be traced back to the Warring States period to the Eastern Han Dynasty, with a history of more than 2,000 years. They are the remains left by the Luoyue people, the ancestors of the local Zhuang ethnic group in the Zuojiang River Basin in Lingnan, during their sacrificial activities. The rock paintings were painted with a pigment made by mixing hematite, animal glue, and blood, and they are red in color. The painting is more than 170 meters wide and more than 40 meters high, covering an area of about 8,000 square meters. Except for the blurred parts, there are still more than 1,800 countable images. These paintings may be a record of a sacrificial ceremony and are the remains of witchcraft culture, truly reflecting the social activities of the Luoyue people that have long since disappeared.
The earliest record of the Huashan Rock Paintings appeared in "Strange News Records" by Zhang Mu in the Ming Dynasty. The "Ningming Prefecture Annals" compiled in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1883) also has relevant descriptions. However, many mysteries still remain unsolved, such as the content conveyed by the Huashan Rock Paintings, the methods used by the ancients to paint, and their purposes, which attract many scholars and tourists to explore.
Main Attractions
Huashan Rock Paintings
The Huashan Rock Paintings are the core attraction of the scenic area and the largest single rock painting in the world. The painting is 172 meters long and about 50 meters high, covering an area of more than 8,000 square meters. There are about 1,900 existing images in 111 groups. The painting mainly features human figures, as well as bronze drums, knives, swords, sheep-horn-shaped buttoned bells, and wild beasts. The human figures are in a posture of stretching their hands upwards and squatting halfway with their legs. The largest figure is 3.58 meters high, and the smallest is 20 centimeters high. The painting is ochre-red in color, with rough lines, various expressions, and vivid images, forming a magnificent historical picture scroll of the ancient Luoyue ethnic group.
Gaoshan Rock Paintings
The mountain where the Gaoshan Rock Paintings are located has two protruding peaks. The cliff facing the river is steep and upright. The North Peak is 300 meters high, and the cliff facing the river is about 250 meters long from east to west; the East Peak is about 200 meters high, and the cliff facing the river is about 170 meters long from north to south. Painted during the Warring States period to the Eastern Han Dynasty, there are more than 300 rock paintings in total. Among them, there are 191 human figures on the North Peak; there are 41 human figures, 10 drums, and a set of sheep-horn-shaped buttoned bells on the East Peak.
Longxia Mountain Rock Paintings
The Longxia Mountain Rock Paintings were painted during the Warring States period to the Eastern Han Dynasty. The rock paintings are divided into two locations. The first location is on the cliff on the southwest side of Longxia Mountain, about 100 meters away from the Ming River. The rock paintings are about 65 meters above the ground, with a painting area of about 20 square meters. There are 12 visible images, and 6 of them are relatively complete, all side-facing human figures; the second location is on the cliff facing the river on the west side of Longxia Mountain. The rock paintings are about 60 meters above the ground, with 50 images, including 44 human figures, 3 animal images, 2 bronze drum images, and 1 boat image.
Zhushan Rock Paintings
The Zhushan Rock Paintings were painted during the Warring States period to the Eastern Han Dynasty and are the uppermost rock painting distribution point in the Ming River Basin, a tributary of the Zuojiang River. Zhushan runs from north to south, with two peaks facing the river on the east side, forming a cliff. The South Peak is about 120 meters high, and the North Peak is about 100 meters high. The rock paintings are distributed on the cliff surfaces of the two peaks facing the river. The painting is about 400 meters wide and consists of multiple independent pictures. There are 169 existing human figures, 15 animal images, and 10 bronze drum images.
Delicacies
Ningming Sha Cake
Ningming Sha Cake is soft, glutinous, and sweet. When making it, the moistened glutinous rice flour is spread and compacted at the bottom of the mold according to the proportion. Then, fillings such as sesame seeds, red bean paste, lotus seed paste, and peanut paste are selected and compacted according to personal taste. It tastes of the fragrance of rice mixed with the aroma of peanut oil and sesame seeds, being glutinous and delicious, melting in the mouth, and leaving a lingering fragrance.
Huashan Brown Sugar
Huashan Brown Sugar retains a large amount of the nutrients of sugarcane. It can be directly brewed and drunk or used for food seasoning. For example, when making Huashan Brown Sugar Icy Jelly, the crystal-clear jelly has a Q-like elasticity. Sprinkled with crushed peanuts, crushed hawthorn, and dried fruits, and then drizzled with a rich and sweet brown sugar syrup, it has a rich taste and a long aftertaste.
Sweet and Sour Maba
Sweet and Sour Maba is a food made by marinating and roasting high-quality horse meat with natural plant spices. It has a strong fragrance, a suitable balance of sweetness and saltiness. Stir-fried with sweet and sour sauce, it is delicious and refreshing, tough but not hard, with a good chewiness. It is a famous dish for drinking and a delicious dish for a meal in the local area.
Mingjiang Sashimi
The fish meat of Mingjiang Sashimi is as white as snow and as thin as a cicada's wing. The meat is firm and has a bit of Q-like elasticity, tasting fresh and sweet when eaten. Paired with rich ingredients such as ginger, scallions, garlic, shredded papaya, shredded radish, and houttuynia cordata, and adding mustard and vinegar, one bite will give you a fresh, sweet, refreshing, and tender taste with a rich flavor.
Zhuang Ethnic Group's Bojifan (a traditional meal served in a winnowing basket)
The Zhuang Ethnic Group's Bojifan is to put various local characteristic delicacies in a winnowing basket covered with banana leaves, including white-cut chicken, roasted duck, fried river fish, stir-fried river shrimp, marinated duck feet, glutinous rice cake balls, and other delicacies. The dishes are rich and can meet the tastes of different people.
Tickets
The standard price of the cruise ticket for the scenic area is 90 yuan. There are sometimes preferential activities. For example, in December 2024, there was a half-price ticket of 45 yuan for the creation of a 5A-level scenic area. You can make a real-name reservation and purchase tickets on the WeChat mini-program "Qu Bianguan" or online platforms (Ctrip, Meituan, Fliggy, etc.) with your valid second-generation ID card. You can also purchase tickets offline at the tourist center.
Opening Hours
The general service hours are from 08:00 to 18:00. The specific hours may be adjusted according to the actual situation. In case of bad weather, the rock painting plank road will be temporarily closed.
Tour Route
First, you can enter the Huashan Rock Painting Tourist Center, visit the digital exhibition hall, learn about the history of the Luoyue people, and watch the Tianqin performance; then go to Bahe Wharf, take a cruise on the Ming River, and admire the ancient and mysterious Huashan Rock Paintings; after landing, visit the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall and watch the dance performance. In the afternoon, you can stroll around Zhulian Laomumian Art Village, have fun by the river beach, admire the Zhushan Rock Paintings, and experience the handmade production of traditional brown sugar. In the evening, check in at Huashan Hot Spring International Hotel, taste the Zhuang Ethnic Group's Bojifan, and take a bath in the natural hot spring.
Transportation
- Self-driving tour: You can directly navigate to the Huashan Rock Painting Scenic Area Tourist Center in Ningming or the Bayao Tourist Service Center to purchase tickets.
- Tourist special line: There is a tourist special line between Ningming Bus Station and Chongzuo International Passenger Transport Center.
- Scenic area bus: After arriving at Chongzuo South Station, you can transfer to the scenic area bus to reach directly.
Must-visit Attractions
- Huashan Rock Paintings: The largest single rock painting in the world, with a spectacular painting and rich images, having extremely high artistic value and historical and cultural value, and being an important witness of Luoyue culture.
- Gaoshan Rock Paintings: The mountain peaks are steep, and the rock paintings are well-preserved, allowing people to feel the charm of ancient rock painting art and experience the cultural atmosphere at that time.
Tour Suggestions
- Pay attention to the weather of the scenic area in advance and choose a sunny day to visit to better appreciate the rock paintings.
- Pay attention to safety when taking a cruise and follow the arrangements of the staff.
- You can wear comfortable shoes to facilitate walking in the scenic area.
- If you are interested in history and culture, you can consult relevant materials before the visit to better understand the connotation of the rock paintings.
Precautions
- The scenic area implements real-name reservation for ticket purchase. Be sure to make a reservation in advance.
- It is prohibited to carry any pets on the cruise, sightseeing bus, or into the scenic area.
- Due to the needs of cultural relic protection and safety assurance, flight activities such as aerial surveys and aerial photography are prohibited in the area of the rock painting plank road.
- It is prohibited to touch, and it is prohibited to smear or carve on the rock paintings, cultural relics, trees, and public facilities.
- In case of bad weather, the rock painting plank road will be temporarily closed. Pay attention to the notices of the scenic area in a timely manner.