Zhuozi Mountain Petroglyphs

8:00 – 16:00

15 RMB per person

Eastern part of Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

All year round

To be confirmed

In 1997, Wuhai had one major railway trunk line, the Baotou–Lanzhou Railway. There were a total of 18 arterial highways, including National Highway 110 from Dengkou to Mahuanggou and National Highway 109 from Qipanjing to Shizuishan. The annual passenger transport volume reached 1.9418 million person-times, and freight volume totaled 11.1647 million tons. Among them, railways handled 311,800 passengers and 2.4147 million tons of cargo; highways carried 1.63 million passengers and 8.75 million tons of goods.

Zhuozi Mountain sits in eastern Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with its main peak standing at an altitude of 2,149.4 meters. The mountain range stretches roughly 75 kilometers from north to south. It borders the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia to the east, and lies about 2 kilometers west of the Yellow River that cuts through the urban area.

Boasting magnificent rolling peaks, the mountain gets its name from its flat-topped main peak, which resembles a table when viewed from afar. The mountain features well-developed V-shaped gullies with cutting depths mostly ranging from 150 to 250 meters. Large valleys such as Maoergou and Subaiyin Gou have relatively flat gully bottoms.

Countless ancient rock art relics survive on the sheer cliffs and limestone bedrocks along the gullies of the Zhuozi Mountain Range, collectively known as the "Zhuozi Mountain Petroglyphs". Successive nomadic peoples including the Qiang, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Turkic, Uyghur, Tangut and Mongolian tribes once lived and multiplied here, creating splendid ancient civilizations. Though centuries have passed, the precious artistic treasures left by these ancient nomads — the petroglyphs carved into limestone rocks and cliffs — remain permanently preserved as historical relics.

Petroglyphs are hailed as humanity’s earliest canvases. The Zhuozi Mountain Petroglyphs in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia, host the world’s densest concentration of human-face rock carvings, and Wuhai City is stepping up efforts to protect this invaluable heritage.

Covering a total area of over 16,000 square meters, the petroglyphs were first discovered by local herdsmen while grazing livestock in 1973. Their motifs mainly include sun gods and other human facial images, animal figures, hunting scenes and symbolic marks. Each carving stands as an independent artwork with distinct expressions, making them rare rock art relics nationwide. Dating back to the Neolithic Age, all the patterns were formed through chiseling and grinding, constituting historical and cultural heritage left by northern Chinese nomadic tribes. The human-face petroglyphs in particular rank among the finest examples of such art in China and across the globe, embodying the rich imagination and yearnings for a better life held by early humans.

Li Xuefei, Director of Wuhai Cultural Relics Station, Inner Mongolia: "Our petroglyphs differ from those found elsewhere, as they are carved on gentle slopes instead of vertical cliff faces. Atmospheric particles settle directly onto the rock surface and trigger chemical reactions when exposed to moisture, making the protection of these rock carvings extremely urgent."

Given their location on inclined slopes and proximity to factories and mines, the Zhuozi Mountain Petroglyphs face high risks of damage. Wuhai City is planning to build a museum at the petroglyph ruins to better safeguard this precious heritage of humanity