Atlas of China
Rock Paintings of Helan Mountains (Helankou) 贺兰山岩画Hèlánshān Yánhuà
4A scenic area · National heritage site · Yinchuan, Ningxia
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Yinchuan
- Region
- Ningxia
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- 4A scenic area, National heritage site
About Rock Paintings of Helan Mountains (Helankou)
The Helankou gorge is the best-known site of the Helan Mountains petroglyphs, with some 6,000 images carved on boulders and cliff faces along the valley and generally dated to between about 10,000 and 3,000 years ago. They show animals, herding and hunting scenes and, above all, stylised human faces, about two-thirds of the range's face images being found here, along with a few later Tangut (Western Xia) inscriptions. The Yinchuan World Rock Art Museum near the entrance explains the carvings.
How to get to Rock Paintings of Helan Mountains (Helankou)
About an hour by road north-west of central Yinchuan, at the Helankou valley in Helan County.
Nearby
- Western Xia Mausoleums 西夏陵 30 km
Earthen mounds of a vanished Tangut empire, beneath the Helan Mountains
Also within 20 km: Helan Mountain National Forest Park (Suyukou) 贺兰山国家森林公园 (under 10 km), Twin Pagodas of Baisikou 拜寺口双塔 (under 10 km), Seeing Helan Performance Town (Manpu Town) 看见贺兰演艺小镇 (10 km), Zhenbeibu China West Film Studio 镇北堡西部影城 (10 km), Zhihui Yuanshi Winery 志辉源石酒庄 (20 km).
On the map
Open Rock Paintings of Helan Mountains (Helankou) on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Rock Paintings of Helan Mountains (Helankou) on the map