China unearths prehistoric rock paintings for the 1st time in Hainan Province

CAIRO – 3 March 2022: The Chinese Academy of Sciences announced Thursday the discovery of rock paintings carved in a Paleolithic cave in south China's Hainan Province.

It is the first archaeological discovery of its kind on the tropical island.

According to the Chinese Xinhua agency, archaeologists have identified the Paleolithic site, which was discovered in Wangxia Township, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, as the oldest inhabited cave site found in Hainan Province so far, according to Li Chaorong, a researcher from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Chaorong stated that the antiquities date back between 65,000 to 55,000 years ago, adding that the remains of the drawings on the rocks extend to more than 20 meters into the cave. More research is expected to study the geology and environment surrounding the Paleolithic ruins.