The Legend of Mazong Mountain on the Border of Mysterious Rock Paintings in Canglang of Gobi

Twenty-eight years ago, that bleak winter, I joined the army and came to the Black Gobi. At that time, I was passionate and ambitious. Twenty-eight years have passed, and I have passed the year of no doubt. I have returned to the Black Gobi, an ancient wasteland. Everything is like yesterday, the car was running on the black Gobi, and my vision gradually became broad and distant. Colorful colors are gradually replaced by hills painted black, beaches painted black and black gravel. I walked into this black world again. This life is destined to meet all the blacks again. Everything seems to be on the surface of the moon, so desolate, dead and without emotion.

From a distance, Mazong Mountain looks like bundles of flying black horse manes. The mane is upright and powerful. The rugged gravel road in memory has long been replaced by a wide and flat asphalt road, but the road is far away. After crossing a mountain, another mountain appeared in front of us. Through a Gobi, the front is still a Gobi, and a canyon is drilled. There is still a canyon ahead. Although the car is speeding, it will always come to the end. Mazong Mountain is testing our patience and Mazong Mountain is testing our piety. The loneliness and arrogance of a mountain peak in front of us, as well as the innate tolerance and grandeur from Pangu.

A Gobi desert is absolutely ruthless, showing a solemn and stirring atmosphere and a desolate artistic conception. Mazong Mountain extends from Shandong to the weak water west bank in western Inner Mongolia, wedged into the eastern edge of Lop Nur Depression in Xinjiang in the southwest, extended to National Highway 3 12 Bridge Bay in the south, and adjacent to Mongolia in the north. Although vast, it is not noble. In other words, Mazong Mountain is like piles of ashes left by the fire, desolate and ugly, and also like a semi-finished product that has just risen and been abandoned in the orogeny, lost and wretched.

From the northeast via Zhangjiakou and Shi Jing via Ejina in Inner Mongolia to the north of Hexi Corridor in Gansu, it enters the Black Gobi and leaves Mingshui to the west to reach the East Tianshan Mountain in Yiwu and Bakun, Xinjiang. Although this road is mostly a desert Gobi, there are springs along the way, which greatly shortens the distance. Therefore, most business travelers, officials and troops choose this road to enter and leave Xinjiang, and over time it has become what people call the Silk Road of the Northern Grassland. Although the vast black Gobi is desolate, in its broad embrace, animals are still active and plants are still tenacious. Plants include camel thorn, Haloxylon ammodendron, red willow, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Achnatherum splendens, Malan, Allium mongolicum Regel, rhubarb (dry lotus), and even Cynomorium songaricum and Cistanche deserticola, which are called desert ginseng. Because few people bother us, there are groups of argali, antelope, capra wild goats, wild horses, wild donkeys, lynxes, wild camels and even Gobi bears and Gobi waves.

The legend about "Canglang" is absurd, and it is a mysterious legend in the Black Gobi. Legend has it that a red male wolf mated with a black female wolf and gave birth to a blue wave. Young blue waves, bright eyes, satin-like color, wandering on the grassland. One night, the beautiful wife of Hun Tou Man Khan fell asleep, and Canglang got into her tent. She exclaimed, Tou Man Khan picked up his sword and cut it at Canglang's head. Canglang quickly dodged, and one ear was cut off on the spot. With a scream, Canglang rushed out of the tent and disappeared into the depths of the vast grassland. Pregnant in October, Tou Man's wife accidentally gave birth to a wolf-like hero, that is, the favored one.

This story is legendary. How did A Canglang sneak into the Huns' home on a moonlit night, and then have sex with her and have children? The boy has a wolf face, is smart and brave, and when he grows up, he becomes the first generation leader of Xiongnu, tying horses on the grassland and shooting sculptures. Is it just a legend that Canglang courted Xiongnu women? When I was a soldier, I heard this story from herdsmen and began to read history books, trying to understand the deep meaning behind Canglang from limited information, and to examine and explore the metaphorical code.

Historical records? "Biography of Xiongnu" contains: "At that time, Donghu was strong and Yueshi was prosperous, and Xiongnu Khan was called Tou Man." This shows that Tou Man is the first Khan. Shan Yu surnamed Luan Lu, and the Huns called it "Fu Li painted Shan Yu alone". The so-called "ploughing" means "sky", "solitary painting", "son" and "sweat" means "boundless". The literal translation of "Independent Plough Painting" means "Emperor" and "Great Leader under the Heaven". During the reign of Tou Man, although the Huns had developed into a powerful military force, the Central Plains was under the rule of the powerful Qin Dynasty. Therefore, in a long historical period, the Xiongnu forces have been confined to the area from Yinshan to the north of Hetao. Modu chanyu is the eldest son of Tou Man, who was first promised to Yueshi. His half-brother who loves him once plotted to kill Yue's hand. Modu chanyu learned that he had stolen the moon's good horse and fled back. Tou Man was moved by his heroic behavior, so he was named "Wan Qichang". In order to get revenge, he practiced riding and shooting hard, strictly trained foot soldiers, and even his relatives were spared as pointed out by the blade. After several times of strict actual combat, Mau Tau finally killed Tou Man in 209 BC (the first year of Qin Ershi) by "singing cymbals to kill his father" and gained independence.

According to Shu Wei? "The Biography of High Cars" wrote: "The Huns had two daughters, and they were very beautiful, and all the people in China thought they were gods. Shan Yu said,' I have these two daughters, and I can deserve them. They will deserve heaven.' So he built a high platform in no man's land in the north, put two women on it and said,' Please come from heaven to meet him.' Year after year, an old wolf kept howling on the stage day and night, but he couldn't go because there was a hole under the stage. His youngest daughter said,' My father is here and I want to be with heaven. Now the wolf is coming, either sacred or angel. "Will be under it. His elder sister was startled and said,' This is an animal, and it is nothing more than insulting parents! My sister was disobedient, I gave birth to a wolf wife, and then I became a country. So, it has a long song and howls like a wolf. "

This story may be more legendary, but Huns really worship wolves. The Huns were so beautiful that the magic capital Khan painted a blue wave on the flag, which was pointed by the wolf flag, and then the ministries surrendered and unified the sixteen countries in the western regions. Then he made his fortune in Yanbei, and Deng Baishan was besieged by Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, who bribed Khan's wife to escape. The Borzoi Flag ran across the Hexi Corridor, beheaded the King of Yue family and used his head as a wine vessel. The Yue family began to "escape, often blaming the Huns".

Since then, the Vietnamese have moved to the Ili River and Nalin River basins. These Yue people who moved westward are called "Dayue people" in the history books of Han Dynasty, and a few who did not move westward are called "Xiaoyue people". The Huns then took control of Yue's hometown Hexi Corridor. Modu chanyu once said: the place where Xiongnu cattle and sheep graze is the border of Xiongnu. Modu chanyu wrote to Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to rule Xinjiang alone. Morton later died in the army account. On the day of burial, Canglang brought thousands of swans. They spread their wings as white as snow and covered the sun to see Khan off.

Over the past two thousand years, more than 20 ethnic minorities, including Xirong, Qiang, Yueshi, Wusun, Xiongnu, Tubo, Tangut, Uighur and Mongolia, have come here to graze and hunt. Later, in numerous conflicts and encounters with farming people, most of them gradually merged into the Han family, while others became ethnic minorities in China. Nowadays, the ancient Xiongnu nationality has long since disappeared in the long river of history and has long been integrated into the Han nationality or Mongolian nationality. Except the Huns, the myth of wolf ancestors has been circulated among other nomadic tribes in ancient northern China. The grassland canglang still lives in Mazongshan area of nearly 40 thousand square kilometers. The smoke and songs of herders during the transition are indicators of the direction of wolves. It is said that wolves are human beings, with a keen sense of smell, wit and courage. They are good at long-distance raids and team fighting.

Gobi Canglang usually hunts wild animals such as antelopes and rabbits, and only attacks domestic animals when they are hungry and cold. From generation to generation, it recorded the wonderful stories of wolf and sheep, wolf and horse, wolf and camel, wolf and man, wolf and wolf. Among the Mongolian, Yugur and other ethnic minorities, there is still worship of wolves, which seems to give us an answer. Perhaps the Mongolians living on the grassland are of Hun descent, and the wolf nature symbolizes the inner spirit of these peoples' courage and tenacity. Therefore, as a beautiful image, it has been circulated among the grassland nationalities for a long time and has not died out. Canglang is the spiritual totem of northern minorities.

According to scientists' research, Mazong Mountain belongs to the Beishan plate fault zone in geological structure, which consists of a series of goose-shaped mountains, probably formed in the orogeny 1 100 million years ago. After Cambrian, Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic ... the vast and distant time is unimaginable and out of reach. Even if human imagination is exhausted, there is no end in sight, and there is no reason. Mazong Mountain has been a magical area with a strong sense of mystery since its birth. The black Gobi in vast expanse has a trance-like feeling, penetrating only the flesh and blood of visiting and reviving history.

The discovery of dinosaur fossils and paleontological fossils that have been sleeping in the black Gobi for hundreds of millions of years aims to reveal the vicissitudes of history and the great changes in the world. Carved rock paintings scattered on the cliffs of mountain streams record the scenes and feelings of human production and life in the history of this area. A beacon tower site and a military fortress located in the hinterland of the Gobi desert tell human beings its historical silhouette of swords and swords. In recent years, the legendary story of Black Lama, the foresight of Governor Yang Zengxin, and the desolation of Mingshui ancient city have made this area more mysterious.

In the northwest of China, Yinshan Mountain, Langshan Mountain, Qilian Mountain and Helan Mountain, and then Tianshan Mountain, Altai Mountain and Kunlun Mountain in Xinjiang, in these towering mountain systems, in addition to snow-capped glaciers, desert Gobi and mountain grasslands, in addition to exotic animals and plants, there are actually rock paintings scattered everywhere. Subei Mongolian Autonomous County is located between Qilian Mountain and Mazong Mountain. In this vast and solemn land, legends are endless and colorful. This Mongolian Autonomous County is located in the westernmost and northernmost part of Gansu Province, on the north and south sides of the western end of Hexi Corridor respectively. The county is divided into two unconnected areas, Nanshan and Beishan, with a total area of 66,748 square kilometers, accounting for 15% of the total area of Gansu Province, which is more than half of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Jiangsu, Liaoning and Anhui provinces. The natural environment between north and south is very different. The southern foot of Qilian Mountain has an average elevation of more than 3,500 meters, and Tuanjie Peak has an elevation of 5,826.8 meters, which is the highest peak in Gansu Province. The foothills are high plains with sloping gravel Gobi. Beishan area is characterized by middle and low mountains, remnant hills and Gobi. There are the most beautiful snow-capped mountains, lush grasslands, vast Gobi, charming deserts and unique Mongolian customs.

In the long historical development of Subei County, there were ethnic minorities such as Xirong, Qiang, Yueshi, Wusun, Xiongnu, Tubo, Tangut, Uighur and Mongolia. , left a lot of valuable historical and cultural wealth, especially rock paintings, recorded the mode of production and social conditions at that time, and largely reflected the spiritual outlook, ideology and religious beliefs of ancient northern nomadic people. As early as the Warring States period, China mentioned rock paintings in Han Feizi, and the northern Wei geographer Li Daoyuan also described Yinshan rock paintings in Notes on Water Classics. The ancient horseshoe-printed rock paintings of Guangwu (Yongdeng County, Gansu Province) and Jinchang (Guazhou County, Gansu Province) are mentioned in Shuijing Annotation, which may be the earliest record of rock paintings in Gansu Province. Subei is a rock painting county in Gansu Province. More than 50 rock paintings have been found in China, totaling more than 5,000, of which more than 3,000 are clearly visible, mainly distributed in the northern foot of Qilian Mountain and Mazong Mountain.

In Daheigou, Qigelu, Yeniugou, Huiwanzi and Hongliugou of Qilian Mountain. Biegai Township Crescent Lake, Chagan Lake, Daquan and Hongliuxia; Hongkeng, Alkali Spring and Three Gorges in Yuhong Township; Little Alga Le Tai in Yanchiwan Gorge. In Mazongshan area, there are stone carving sites of ancient nomadic people such as Heishanliang, Wugedun, Shandel, Huduge, Zadegai, Huo Ran and Heshangshui in Lao Dao. Rock paintings are always tempting us. They are works of art left by our ancestors on the earth. Looking for rock paintings this time is destined to be an unusual thing. Under the guidance of the old herders and guides, we

Wandering in the valley, because ancient rock paintings are mostly written on cliffs washed out by rivers. Those bare rock cliffs, gloomy and rugged peaks and ferocious rust shale are silent, gloomy and gaunt, as if hiding peerless loneliness. We are searching for Mazong Mountain, and Mazong Mountain is waiting for us to find that there is no road, so we have to get off and dig ditches up the mountain. Only local herdsmen and sheep or wild goats, foxes and rabbits walked along the narrow path. Stepping on the hot sand and sharp stones, clusters of weak and gaunt desert plants flashed by.

Suddenly, a lizard swam quickly on the beach. Dinosaur fossils were unearthed in Mazong Mountain. In that distant era, these giants once ruled the earth, and they were the real masters of the earth. Dinosaurs are not so much like lizards as lizards are smaller versions of dinosaurs. Due to climate change and ecological deterioration, dinosaurs disappeared and perhaps evolved. They are happy with the situation and gradually adapt to the environment here. Natural selection, survival of the fittest, became a lizard staying in the black Gobi. Maybe they still have the blood of dinosaurs in their bodies and still show the tenacity of life. Suddenly a red flame flashed in front of my eyes. Suddenly, a sand fox jumped up from the rock and ran to the opposite hillside, stopping and looking back at us uninvited guests from time to time.

The early rock paintings in Mazongshan belong to the primitive nomadic rock painting era, that is, the Paleolithic Age in the Central Plains, which is about 1 10,000 years ago. The contents include bighorn deer, rhinoceros, bison, jackals, tigers and pythons. It shows that the climate here at that time was warm and humid, with abundant rainfall and dense forests, which had obvious subtropical climate characteristics and provided suitable climatic conditions for the reproduction of many animals. These animals are contemporary with the rhinoceros in the black mountain rock paintings in Jiayuguan. Mid-term rock paintings belong to the cultural remains of nomadic people in the Warring States, Qin and early Western Han Dynasties. During this period, the Hexi Corridor was inhabited by ancient nomadic peoples such as Wusun, Yueshi and Xiongnu. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Wusun lived in the "Qilian Dunhuang" in the Hexi Corridor. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Vietnamese forced Wusun people to move westward to the Ili Valley, occupying the whole Hexi Corridor. Later, the Huns defeated the Yue family, and in 174 BC (the early years of Emperor Wendi), the powerful Huns occupied Hexi.

Huns like to paint with tigers to show their fierce national character. Many tigers are vividly carved in groups, and some tigers are also engraved with line patterns. Sandel is located 80 kilometers northwest of the town, and it took six hours by car and on foot. Sandel's rock paintings are mostly carved on boulders on the bare ground in hilly areas, where the stones are black and the rock paintings are pale yellow. Most of them are mainly animal husbandry, and it is rare to see the thrilling hunting scenes with bows and arrows. The theme of rock paintings is mainly a single animal, with more than 100, but only two cases of hunting activities were found, that is, hunters shot (hunted) wild camels and goats with bows and arrows. Animal groups include bison, camels, sika deer, bighorn deer, goats, foxes and dogs, indicating that family farming has developed to a higher level. It is conceivable that the vast grassland is full of cattle and sheep, and the herds are accompanied by horses, donkeys and other large livestock. Some are looking for food, some are watching, and others are standing in the herd to look after the livestock. Groups of wild donkeys and wild horses stroll in the grassland, and capra wild goats play in the mountain stream, which reflects the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

The "Old Road Huduge" rock painting is distributed in the east side of Huduge Well, Heimazongshan Mountain North Road, Mazongshan Town, stretching for 4.5 kilometers from east to west. It is the place with the widest distribution area and the richest content among the rock paintings found in Mazongshan area at present. Looking all the way along the steep rock wall, I feel that I have crossed the time and space of the years, and there is a feeling of going back in time. There are both excitement and regret. Climbing a gap in the low hill, I climbed this hill again in order to shoot the commanding heights. On the mountain, I saw black desert varnish boulders scattered everywhere. Several bighorn sheep are carved on a flat black boulder. The angle is so big that it will even exceed the body itself. With the exquisite rock paintings constantly displayed in front of us, our whole body fatigue disappeared unconsciously, and the whole trip was full of excitement and excitement. In the east of the old Hudu ancient well, there are more than a dozen wavy slopes, cliffs, stone walls and collapsed black stone faces, and various rock paintings are constantly displayed. Modelling technique of rock paintings has chiseling, grinding and line carving. There are two kinds: portraits of people and animals. Animals include horses, bison, goats, wild camels, dogs, wild donkeys, deer, wolves and bison. Figures include horseback riding and hunting.

The movements of these animals are all depicted by lines, and they are all carved on this dark stone with sharp tools (sharp stones) according to the physical outline. The so-called carving is to cut the black paint on the surface of the stone to expose the internal substances of the fresh gray-white rock. This is just like intaglio carving in seal cutting. Carve the characters' strokes on the plane and you will draw a rock painting. Rock paintings were originally "painted" by chiseling away desert pigments from rocks, which surprised me. The symbols in rock paintings are puzzling, which may be the writing form of characters or their predecessors. As a relatively mature ancient script, the scripts of ethnic minorities in the western regions (Xiongnu and Mongolian) had some stages of development before it. The ancient Huduge rock paintings artistically reflect the material and spiritual life of the nomadic people in the ancient Hexi Corridor, such as hunting, grazing, war, dance, sacrifice and reproductive worship. Although the carving technique of rock painting is simple, it has profound artistic conception, vivid modeling image, rough and powerful lines and unique style. Some of these rock paintings are representative. A huge black rock is located at the eastern bottom of the low hill in the west of the old Huduge well. It is a cuboid lying on the ground, and the surface of the hard iron-black stone is smooth and flat. Within the range of 2.5 meters wide and 1.6 meters high, there are five mysterious symbols, two of which are exactly the same, which are very similar to Mongolian Su Liding.

In the Secret History of Mongolia and other historical documents, Su is regarded as a symbol of clan and tribe. Sue is a symbol of invincible, running towards the light, invincible among the ancient Huns and Mongols. The other three symbols in rock paintings may be different writing forms of characters or their predecessors. The secrets hidden by these mysterious symbols need to be deeply explored from the origin of words and so on. Many rock paintings in the Daohuduge Rock Painting Group are "impressions" of the painting era before human beings have written records. The picture is abstracted into pictographic, cognitive and referential symbols to express a complete meaning. The symbols of rock paintings, to some extent, are similar to the current language, or original notes, or cooperate to explain some events, or metaphor some ideas and religious beliefs at that time. The other is located at the northeast 1.5km of Huduge well on the old road. The reproductive worship pictures carved on black rocks are the most interesting.

Reproductive worship is a manifestation of the ancestors' pursuit of happiness in life and the hope that people and animals will prosper. Reproductive worship is a kind of praise for the reproductive ability of biology. This picture of livestock mating is the only primitive reproductive worship rock painting found in Mazong Mountain at present. It is an important event for ancient nomadic people to overcome nature and decide life and death, which reflects the desire of grassland ancestors to pray for reproduction and hope to achieve common prosperity for human beings and animals through sexual intercourse. Whether these secrets are hidden in Huduge rock paintings on Mazongshan Road is worth studying from the aspects of the origin of symbols and characters, religious beliefs and so on. Many rock paintings are records of the painting era before human beings have written records. In primitive times, the symbolic schema of rock painting is not a rash and simple line drawing activity, it contains profound connotation. To some extent, it is similar to our language today. These symbols are primitive notes, or cooperate to explain some events, or imply some ideas and religious beliefs at that time. But now it is difficult for us to identify their display sources. The ancient Huduge rock paintings are of great value to the study of the social life, history and culture of the ancient western regions such as Xirong, Qiang, Yueshi and Wusun who lived in Hexi Corridor during this period.

Zhadegai Rock Painting Point in Huo Ran is located in the middle of the dry river bed in the north of Mazong Mountain. A group of capra ibex are carved on the boulder. The leader in front is looking back, and the other goats are following, as if there are animals chasing behind. The picture is still and moving, and the movement is vivid. The grinding and engraving techniques of Zadegai rock paintings in Huo Ran are simple and have the style characteristics of early rock paintings. When you witness the beautiful and strange animal images carved on the cliff, it seems that you have entered the temple of primitive carving art. Deer and goats are foraging in the jungle of mountain streams, wolves are crouching in the grass waiting patiently for their prey, birds are soaring in the sky, snakes are crawling on the grass, and hunters are fighting fat bison with crossbows. Colorful pictures are dizzying. What are the intentions of these rock painters? The art of rock paintings scattered in the ravines and valleys of Mazong Mountain is a true portrayal of the life of our ancestors. Experts speculate that about 1 10,000 years ago, the northwest of China had humid climate and dense forests, and some animals migrated or became extinct due to climate change.

Most of the rock paintings in Mazongshan Mountain are carved on the flat rock desert varnish, and the rock is the earliest drawing paper prepared by nature for human beings. Desert pigments mask the true colors of rocks. Most people don't use the word desert varnish, but use various words, such as "stone rust", "stone scale", "Shi Gan" and "stone paint". Some names seem accurate. Desert varnish refers to a thin layer of light brown or dark brown coating material covering the surface of arid and semi-arid desert and Gobi. The older you get, the darker and brighter the color. As long as a sharp stone is chiseled on the surface with desert pigment, a fresh light gray new face will be revealed. After a black Gobi gravel is broken, it can be seen from the cross section that the outer layer of the rock is wrapped with black desert paint, and the color of this black film is very different from the color of the rock itself. A little modification is a rock painting. It is said that the cause of desert varnish is very complicated, and it is called the eternal mystery.

Desert paintings on rocks in arid areas are formed under harsh natural conditions such as high temperature, drought and little rain. According to an article on the website of Science magazine, Randall, a paleontologist from Imperial College London, London, England? An international research team led by Perry used modern analytical methods including high-resolution electron microscope and spectrometer to study rock paintings. The final result overturns the mainstream theory about rock paintings, that is, rock paintings are composed of microorganisms living in rocks. They found that the composition of rock paintings is mainly silicon dioxide, which can fall from the atmosphere or "ooze" from the rock itself. Under the long-term natural action, silicon dioxide becomes a gelatinous substance, then hardens and finally forms a rock painting. According to this view, rock paintings are formed by silica captured from the air and oozing from itself.

Creating rock paintings on desert pigments provided a natural painting place for our ancestors. From this point of view, the ancients carved rock paintings on rocks with the help of the "inconsistency" between the surface and the interior of rocks. Most of the rock paintings are carved on the desert varnish, which is the result of the climate in arid areas acting on the surface gravel. Therefore, desert varnish is widely distributed in arid areas, and it can be further said that the distribution area of rock paintings in northern China coincides with the arid areas in northwest China, which means that the rock paintings in northern China are widely distributed in the arid areas in northwest China. Northwest arid areas mainly include Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and Xinjiang. In addition, Qinghai and Ali and Naqu areas in northwest Tibet should also be included. They are also arid and semi-arid areas.

Mazongshan area is the most typical black Gobi. The whole Gobi desert is black, and the desert varnish on the gravel reflects the afterglow of the sunset in the evening, flashing in bits and pieces, as if the stars were upside down. The black Gobi has a lot of gravel and lacks luster and wetness. It's bright and black. Our ancestors used to graze in Mazong Mountain. They eat beef and mutton, drink koumiss and wear clothes made of animal skins. In their spare time, they may inadvertently pass the time, or worship and sacrifice nature, biology, heaven and earth, totem, and record their lives with stones as pens and paper: hunting, grazing and domestication. Where there are rock paintings, there are sunny faces everywhere. Ancient nomads carved rock paintings with convex and concave engravings on flat rocks sheltered from the wind and sun. It is conceivable that in remote ancient times, the production and living conditions of nomadic people were very difficult, and there were no special houses and barns as pastures. Hills sheltered from the wind and sun may be their winter pastures or barns. They snuggle up next to the livestock, keep warm in the cold night, or make a bonfire and barbecue beef and mutton. When they are happy, they make rock paintings with feelings, convey some information in pictographic and cognitive ways, record their daily lives and express a relationship. Where there are rock paintings, the population is relatively concentrated, and it is also the center for nomadic people to gather, rest and entertain.

Rock paintings are like history books painted on cliffs. China's books of past dynasties often only record the lives of emperors of different generations, but rarely reflect the daily life of the people at that time. And these rock paintings, like the history books of ordinary nomads, preserve all these pasts. It is like a vivid picture, with these simple and simple lines, the ancient times are unreservedly displayed in front of us modern people. Mazongshan rock paintings are widely distributed, numerous and long in span. They include not only the contents of early hunting times and nomadic life, but also pictures of late and recent production and life, and even mysterious symbols that are difficult to decipher in ancient times. Besides animals, there are hunting, figure dancing, images of gods, grazing, knights, chariots, stone carvings and so on. In particular, the mysterious symbol rock paintings found in Mazong Mountain "Lao Dao Huduge" are rare in the history of rock paintings in China and even in the world. Most of the rock paintings were formed in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period and the Western Han Dynasty, and the latest rock paintings were also formed in the "Emperor Kai" period of the Sui Dynasty, even tens of thousands of years in ancient times. Horseshoe rock is a masterpiece painstakingly carved and painted by the ancients. Mazongshan rock paintings are the witness of the life and culture of ancient nomadic people, and provide important materials for studying the social life, history and culture of ancient nomadic people such as Xirong, Qiang, Da Yue, Wusun, Xiongnu and Turkic living in Hexi Corridor. Walking into Mazong Mountain and approaching rock paintings, we are proud of the creation of our ancestors.

Walking out of Mazong Mountain and returning to the hustle and bustle of the city, our mood has been difficult to calm for a long time: rock painting is the simple music of human childhood songs, the stumbling footprint of early art, and the vivid and realistic scene of the long-term game between man and nature. The ancients used stone as a pen and stone as paper. Although the lines of rock paintings are simple, we must use our imagination to understand what is painted on the stone. Rock paintings, the legacy of human civilization thousands of years ago, seem to be the message left by our ancestors. They travel through time and space, which is the distant call of ancient nomadic people. They carved stones and had deep and sincere conversations with us again and again.