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Human blood may have helped preserve ancient Chinese rock art for 2,000 years
The Huashan rock art landscape in southern China, close to the border with Vietnam, is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Researchers examined the Huashan rock art landscape in southern China, a UNESCO World Heritage site comprising thousands of images on river cliffs across more than 80 locations spanning 260 km. The paintings, which include depictions of people, instruments, boats, animals, weapons and other figures, date back at least 2,000 years despite the region’s extreme subtropical monsoon climate with scorching heat, heavy rain and frequent typhoons. Analysis suggests that traces of human blood in the pigments may have contributed to the remarkable preservation of the artwork over millennia.
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