An Interpretation of the Culture of Rice Cultivation in Luoyue Huashan Rock Paintings

Hu+Baohua++Liu+Lice

Abstract：In 2016， the “Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape” in Guangxi was inscribed on the （UNESCO） World Heritage List， and became Chinas first rock art site to be inscribed on this list. The rock art vividly represents the spiritual and social life of the ancient Luo Yue people who inhabited the area of the Zuo River from the 5th century B.C to the 2nd century A.D. This article aims to analyze the specific relationship between the Huashan Rock Art and the culture of rice cultivation from the perspective of human interaction with the environment in ecoanthropology， and proposes that the Huashan rock paintings themselves represent the ritual ceremonies of rice production.

For a long time， anthropologists have researched the topic of the relationship between humans and the environment. Humans are born in the natural environment， and， since their birth， humans have maintained a close interactive relationship with the natural environment. On the one hand， the environment is the material foundation for human survival， and human development is conditioned by the environment； on the other hand， human production and behavior also affects the natural environment—natural resources are utilized and transformed by humans. Culture is formed within this close interaction between human beings and the environment. Ecological anthropologists concern themselves with the role culture plays within the relationship between man and the environment， assuming that humans understand their environment and resources through culture. Meanwhile， humans also receive or use these resources through culture. As such， culture is a kind of intermediary mechanism between humans and the environment created by human beings in order to ensure their security and survival.

Zuojiang Valley is one of the numerous Neolithic sites recently found in Guangxi Most of the sites are remains of unearthed stone shovels that are widely distributed in more than 50 sites along the Zuojiang river， for example， in Longzhou， Jiangzhou， Ningming， Daxin， Fusui， and Nanning， etc.. Stone shovels are a kind of composite tool made of wood and stone which can be used to turn the soil， dig a ditch， level the land， and so on. The emergence of the large number of shovels indicates that during this period， farming using hoes had come into being in the Zuojiang Valley. As early as the 1940s， archaeologists researching agriculture， and related topics confirmed that South China was one of the origins of rice domestication. Other studies demonstrate that rice production had begun in the Guangxi area 9000 years ago， indicating that this is one of the centers for the origin of rice cultivation.

In the preQin period， the Luoyue people of the Baiyue ethnic group lived in the area of Zuojiang River， an area which belongs to the area of karst landforms interwoven with mountains and waters. It is characterized by a subtropical monsoon climate with abundant heat and rainfall. By this time， in accordance with the geographical and climate conditions， the Luoyue people chose to make a living by cultivating rice. As a result， rice cultivation became the center of their social life， and praying for the harvest became their permanent pursuit. Therefore， their cosmology， cultural values and customs formed on this basis and they all embody the characteristics of a rice cultivation culture. The Huashan Rock Art， as an important relic of the Luoyue peoples means of production and life， contains rich elements and features of a rice cultivation culture that illustrate the social and spiritual life of the Luoyue people.

Among all the elements of Huashan Rock Art， more than 90 percent are portraits of humans using the same gesture—namely， hands spreading to both sides， elbows pointing upwards， squatting with legs split and knees bending downwards. Since the gesture very much resembles a leaping or a lying and stretching frog， it is named the “frog-shaped man”. The picture of the “frog-shaped man”， repeatedly represented in Huashan Rock Art， expresses the strong admiration the ancient Luoyue people had for frogs. Frogs not only catche and eat pests， thereby preventing crops from any damage， but they also are sensitive to changes of weather. By paying attention to the changes in the croak of the frogs， people can predict whether a thunderstorm is coming or whether there will be a great drought. For the Luoyue， seeing frogs signified a good harvest. The Luoyue， by associating the special charateristics of frogs with rice production， made frogs a symbol of the harvest. The symbol of the “frog-shaped man” was a way of showing their intimacy with the “Frog Deity” which in turn showed the Luoyue peoples ultimate goal of realizing a large population coupled with rich production.

There is a close interaction between human culture and the ecological environment. As human society developed， the stage of hunting and gathering advanced into the period of of the Agricultural Revolutionin which agriculture became the main mode of production. The interaction of human culture and the ecological environment is reflected in that people believe that they are united with the universe in a continuous manner. Heaven， earth， insects， grass and people are all one piece， closely related to each other； so our position is to keep in harmony with nature， and respect each other. Therefore， the Luoyue peoples wish for the reproduction of their own people is extended to the harvest of crops. Meanwhile， worship of the frogs reproductive ability was extended to praying for a good harvest.

There are images of a “Pentagram” found in Huashan Rock Art. They are identical with the image of the sun rays found in the center of the surface of each of the bronze drums cast and used by the Luoyue people. In rock art， there are images of “sun rays” which are substitutes for the bronze drums during sacrifices. These in turn are similar to the “Maguai Festival” where we can see people from the Zhuang ethnic group dancing and playing the bronze drums. As an ethnic group which cultivates rice， the Luoyue people portrayed the ceremony of sacrifice to the sun on their rock art in order to illustrate their worship of the sun， and their aspirations for favorable weather and good harvests.

Using the sun pattern as an artistic decoration or as an image in rock art is associated with ancient peoples worship of the sun. Globally， people have found that the sun pattern consisting of a round circle with rays emanating from it， universally existed in archaeological ruins. While personifying and deifying the sun， peoples belief in the sun is particularly prominent in ancient farming areas. Because these places have sufficient sunlight and rain， and enjoy superior natural conditions， people are， thus， dependent on the sun， rivers， and rain all of which are the lifeline of farming for the tribes. As a result， sun worship is inevitably a primitive belief. Therefore， during the rapid development of an agricultural economy in early society， the changes in the regulations of the suns movement affects agricultural production at all times， and as such， worshipping the sun plays an important role in peoples daily life.

There are images of birds， as well as humans with feathers decorating their heads. People from the Baiyue ethnic groups believed that they were the descendants of birds， and， accordingly， held birds in deep admiration. There are also some prevailing legends about how birds helped people cultivate the fields. In fact， birds really can help wild crops grow by spreading seeds， which inspired humans to domesticate rice at an early stage of development. The worship of birds is closely connected with the origins of agriculture. In the rock art， the Luoyue people dress like birds and dance with feathers on their heads in the hope of communicating with the gods and praying for good harvest.

The pictures of boats found in the rock art allude to the ritual ceremony of the Luoyue people to the God of Water in the hopes of preventing floods and ensuring the safety of their harvest. Therefore， water worship is another universal in agricultural culture. Rivers are considered the home of the God of Water. It is an important ritual to make a sacrificial ceremony on traveling boats in the process of rice cultivation.

The development of human society experienced three stages：（i） Hunting and Gathering； （ii） the Agricultural Revolution； and （iii） the Industrial Revolution. All of them reflect the interaction between human culture and the environment. During the initial phase of the Agricultural Revolution， the interaction between human culture and the environment shamanistic rituals were pervasive throughout the entire production process. Similarly， the creation of Huashan Rock Art is also associated with rituals of the rice production. In fact， today， many activities of the religious rituals practiced by the Zhuang people in Longzhou County of Zuojiang Valley in Guangxi are related to rice farming.

As for the rock art in the early period of human society， a large part of it is the result of shamanistic ceremonies.Praying for good weather and a good rice harvest were an important purpose of the rituals. The location of Huashan Rock Art， carefully selected by the rock art painters， is on cliffs that are difficult to access by ordinary people； the location is selected with the purpose of restricting nonessential people. it. The rock art expressed mysterious desires and appeals， so， the rock art sites were sacred places from which blasphemers were prevented from accessing and the communicating with holy spirits. Eightyone rock art sites have been discovered along Zuojiang Valley， and the distribution of rock art is associated with rice fields. 78% of rock art sites are located at river bends where there are fertile alluvial sandy lands suitable for planting， cultivation and irrigation. The land across the sandbar and Huashan Rock Art constitute the spatial pattern of mutual protection. At that time the Luoyue people had little knowledge about the factors that affected rice production， so they constantly held ceremonies to pray for the rice harvest. In order to realize the eternal sacrificial effect of time and space， people used a variety of methods， including painting the ritual process on the cliffs， which formed the Huashan Rock Art.

The Huashan Rock Art reflects the culture of rice cultivation. Thousands of years later， this culture still exists in the lives of the descendants of the Luoyue rock art painters， i.e. the ZhuangDong language family groups. Some of the cultural memories of rice cultivation became rituals of folk beliefs， and some turned into ethnic festivals. The rice culture elements shown in Huashan Rock Art， such as the emphasis on the worship of frogs and birds， the respect given to the sun and rivers， and the peoples desire to integrate their lives with nature， are still of great value now in the ecological environmental protection during the present era of industrialization.

Today， based upon the increased protection of rock art， when we study Huashan Rock Art， we can acquire an overall understanding of the cultural ecological system of the Huashan culture. Furthermore， we can take a broader perspective to look at the Huashan culture， and expand the cultural studies on rice cultivation to eventually move to a study of rice cultivation civilizations which emphasizes the harmonious and balanced relationship with the natural environment， between society and the universe. When faced with the dilemma of modern and postmodern development of the industrial revolution， human society should seek the wisdom of survival from those rice cultivating civlizations and emphasize that the harmonious coexistence and common prosperity with all creatures in nature is the only way for the sustainable survival of human civilization.

Key Words：Huashan Rock Art； Luoyue People； Worship of Reproduction； Rice Cultivation Civilization

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