Petroglyphs in Kucaigou

Petroglyphs in Kucaigou

Located about 10 kilometers north of the urban area (near the simple road from the city to the Wuhai coal mine), these petroglyphs are carved on the cliffs within Kucaigou, a gully located about 1 kilometer south of the Wuhai coal mine along the roadside.

The petroglyphs are distributed starting from the mouth of the gully, concentrated mainly on the dolomite cliffs to the south, with a small number also found on the northern cliffs.

From the Mooregou toll station on the dedicated coal transport road, drive northeast along a cement coal transport road for some distance, then turn south at the Mooregou main mine and continue for about 2 kilometers—the petroglyphs in Kucaigou will be on the east side of the road.

Decades ago, there was a waterfall in Kucaigou, about 7–8 meters high and 2 meters wide, which flowed year-round. However, due to environmental degradation and coal mining over the past ten years, the waterfall gradually dried up, and today it has completely ceased to flow.

The petroglyphs on this large rock appear, based on their markings, to have been chiseled there relatively recently. Due to weak awareness of cultural heritage protection, people were even quarrying stones at the mouth of Kucaigou’s petroglyph gully just a few years ago. Although a stone stele has now been erected and barbed wire installed, it still hasn’t stopped people from causing damage. Many petroglyphs have been ruined by chemical solutions used for tracing.

Over a decade ago, the petroglyphs here were relatively well preserved, with little human damage. But with the development of coal mining in recent years, more and more people have come to the area, and many have used chemical solutions to trace the petroglyphs off the rock walls—a practice that has undeniably caused fatal damage to the petroglyphs.

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