4,000-year-old rock paintings discovered in Inner Mongolia

Several 4,000-year-old rock paintings depicting the celebration of birth in a tribe have been discovered in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, archeologists said.

The ancient paintings were found on two sides of a giant rock in Mandela township in Alxa Right Banner. Many human figures dancing hand in hand are carved on one side, while three people in a row, a female in the middle, are on the other side, according to the local cultural relics bureau.

"These well-preserved paintings depict a tribe celebrating the birth of a child," said Wu Yi from the bureau. "They record the ancient tribes' reverence for the prosperity and circle of life."

Wu said the paintings' unique content can offer precious materials for Chinese archeological and anthropological research.

More than 2,000 rock paintings have been found in Mandela township. Local authorities have hired local herders to patrol on the sites for better protection of the paintings.

More than 1,200 rock painting sites, scattered in over 100 counties in 28 provinces and regions, have been found and recorded across China, according to statistics released by the Chinese Rock Art Association in 2017.