More than a thousand cliff paintings in Pingdingshan have been identified by the experts as ancient characters on June 29, 2011. They are being regarded as another part of ancient Central Plain culture.

The cliff paintings have been found within an area of 30 sqaure kilometers on more than ten mountains in Jiutou natural scenic spot, including Qinglong Mountain, Jiutou cliff, Spider Mountain and Yunmo Mountain.

The fanciest character is shaped like a large turtle's shell. According to legends, character markings on turtle shell stone were invented by Cang Jie, the historiographer of the legendary ruler Yellow Emperor. The paintings were deduced to record ancient people's lives and other information before Chinese characters were invented.

The symbol in this picture means "sun" and has been discovered more than 20 times on turtle shell stones. Experts believe that these stones were used by ancient people to worship heaven, sun and moon. The cliff paintings are rare and have drawn the attention of many archaeologists nationwide.

cliff paintings in Pingdingshan have been identified by the experts as ancient characters on June 29

cliff paintings in Pingdingshan have been identified by the experts as ancient characters on June 29