China News Service, Yinchuan, September 8 (Reporter Li Peishan) In recent days, the preliminary survey and research project on the protection of the rock art body in the Helankou rock art site area in Helan Mountain, Ningxia has entered the stage of intensive field operations. The reporter saw at the scene on the 8th that field cultural relics protection team members walked among the rocky slopes, leaned over and carefully inspected every exposed rock mass, and carried out special surveys and emergency protective measures for hidden danger points. A technological emergency repair and digital preservation work to protect thousands of years of rock art is continuing in the mountains and fields.
The staff used professional equipment to carry out high-precision digital collection of rock paintings. Photo courtesy of Yinchuan City Helan Mountain Petroglyph Management Office
Helan Mountain rock paintings are carved on the rocks, vividly recording the production, life and spiritual world of ancient ancestors. However, the open-air rock paintings, which have experienced thousands of years of wind and rain, have been eroded by weathering, freezing and thawing, and temperature differences between day and night for a long time. In many places, the rock walls have become hollow and cracks have spread. The stone carvings have become lighter and lighter, and the risk of rock mass peeling has continued to increase. In addition, many rock paintings are hidden in steep mountains and half-buried soil. They are highly concealed and difficult to manage and protect. It is difficult to achieve regular and accurate monitoring by relying on traditional manual management. The precious prehistoric stone carvings are constantly experiencing wear and tear over time.
Staff members used three-dimensional scanning equipment to collect field data from rock art sites. Photo courtesy of Yinchuan City Helan Mountain Petroglyph Management Office
Zhang Jianguo, a member of the party group and deputy director of the Helan Mountain Petroglyph Management Office in Yinchuan City, said that relying on physical reinforcement and other protection methods can only delay the weathering process, but cannot completely resist natural erosion. In order to accurately understand the current status of rock art preservation and determine the evolution trend of diseases, the Helan Mountain Rock Art Management Office has launched a preliminary survey and research project on the protection of rock art bodies since July 2021, leveraging modern technology to carry out systematic survey and protection, and strive to preserve precious "digital memories" for thousands of years of rock art.
This project builds a systematic survey and research system from six dimensions. Through four basic tasks: high-precision three-dimensional digital surveying and mapping, rock painting disease classification assessment, rock mass physical performance testing, and regional environmental dynamic monitoring, the rock painting remains are comprehensively assessed. At the same time, the staff specially tracked and analyzed the actual effectiveness of previous protection materials, and carried out targeted testing and research and development of new materials and new technologies for rock mass repair and reinforcement, laying a solid data foundation for the scientific protection, refined restoration, activation, display and utilization of rock paintings. At present, various survey and research work are progressing in an orderly manner, and phased results such as digital collection and disease assessment continue to accumulate, laying a solid foundation for subsequent systematic and normalized protection.
At the field operation site, technicians used professional equipment such as 3D laser scanning, drone mapping, and high-definition image collection to capture the subtle textures, wear marks, and various disease details of the rock paintings with millimeter-level ultra-high precision. They built standardized three-dimensional digital models in batches, and simultaneously organized and improved digital data such as electronic rubbings and precise line drawings to build a permanent and traceable digital archive for the prehistoric stone carvings scattered in the Helan Mountains.
Zhang Jianguo said that the complete set of detailed and complete digital data accurately freezes the current complete appearance and preservation status of the rock paintings. "Even if the physical stone carvings are gradually eroded by long-term wind and frost erosion, the exclusive 'digital memory' can still be permanently retained and used continuously, and can continue to provide core data support for the study and diagnosis of rock art diseases, academic research on prehistoric civilization, and cultural tourism revitalization display, so that the civilization imprints carved by ancient ancestors on the rocks can transcend the barriers of time and be passed down from generation to generation." (End)
