THE PROSPECTING REPORT ON ROCK ART OF HELANSHAN GAOFU VALLEY

Abstract

The author accidentally found several photos taken by backpackers from a Ning’xia outdoor activity group — Tabgach Tribe. These photos contained numerous petroglyphs that we had never seen before. Thesepetroglyphs were discovered near Nuanquan Village of Chonggang Town, Pingluo County, in a valley known as Donkey Trench. By reviewing previous studies on Helanshan rock art, we found that just a few petroglyphs were recorded by the book Helanshan Rock Art, which was compiled by North Minzu University. Based on photos taken by the backpackers, we identified the location of Donkey Trench at Google Satellite Map. We confirmed that the valley’s name was Gaofu Valley by contacting local Forestry Management Station. Immediate prospecting of the Gaofu Valley revealed many pieces of rock art, with shapes of concentric circles, spirals, handprints, riders, animals, symbols, hunters, human faces etc.. The findings were remarkable complement to rock art of Helanshan.