Painted cliff
170 m wide.
Yumeto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rolfmueller — CC BY-SA 3.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · Rolfmueller — CC BY-SA 3.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0
Red paintings on limestone cliffs above the west bank of the Ming River, a tributary of the Zuo River, in Ningming County in south-west Guangxi. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016, they are thought to be between 1,800 and 2,500 years old, from the Warring States period to the late Han dynasty. The main panel is about 170 m wide and 40 m high and sits 30 to 90 m above the water, with about 1,900 images in some 110 groups, painted in red ochre mixed with animal glue. They show people, animals, bronze drums, swords, bells and boats, and are believed to record the life and rituals of the ancient Luo Yue people, ancestors of the Zhuang. Tickets cost CNY 100, or about CNY 130 with the boat trip beneath the cliff; it is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, with last entry at 4 pm, and boats run five times a day, per visitor guides. Ningming has a high-speed rail station, opened in December 2025.
170 m wide.
Beneath the cliff.
Karst scenery.
Ming River, Ningming County, Chongzuo, Guangxi
Take the high-speed train to Ningming station, opened in December 2025, then a car to the boat pier, or drive all the way in about three hours; plan a full day.