Qiusang Village, Tibet: When the village is blazed by mysterious "ancient human hand and foot prints"

China News Service Lhasa, January 20 Title: Qiusang Village, Tibet: When the village was on fire by mysterious "ancient human hand and foot prints"

China News Service reporter Ran Wenjuan

Because of the footprints left by a group of ancient humans, qiusang village in the Dulong Deqing district of Lhasa, Tibet, has suddenly become lively recently. In the originally quiet winter village, from time to time, the media and visitors come specially.

Archaeology Magazine, the world's authoritative archaeological academic journal, recently selected the "World's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries" in 2021, and the ancient human hand and foot prints found by Professor Zhang Dian of Guangzhou University and others in Qiusang Hot Spring in Tibet were selected. These hand and foot prints are located on the Guquanhua sediment near the Xiongqu River in Qiusang Village and consist of 5 handprints and 5 footprints that are intentionally pressed. The Isotope Laboratory of Xi'an Jiaotong University determined the surface age of the surface between 226,000 and 169,000 years by uranium measurement. China News Service reporters departed from Lhasa on the 19th and arrived here about an hour and a half by car.

Qiusang means "good water" in Tibetan, and the hot springs here are famous near and far. Located on a hillside, Qiusang Hot Springs is dotted with ancient and modern springs, as well as ancient architectural remains from hundreds of years ago. On the sedimentary rock of calcium carbonate springs on the ground, the reporter saw a number of clear hand and foot prints. Around it, local villagers pile up mani piles and tie hada. In the cold winds and drifting snow of the wilderness, these ancient imprints add a sense of mystery.

The "code" embedded in these hand and foot seals needs to be further cracked by the academic community, but for Qiu Sang Village, these marks are not only precious historical witnesses, but also a rare opportunity to "go out of the circle".

After the hand and foot prints were selected as the "World's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries", Li Jiahui, the first secretary of the general branch of the party in Qiusang Village and the leader of the village-based task force, was busy with his work. These days, many people contact him and want to come to investigate or talk about cooperation. "For Qiusang Village, this is a good thing, and we are very cautious about it."

"Protection must come first." Li Jiahui has been paying attention to the archaeological progress of the project and often consults with experts from the archaeological team. "The protection of relics is a very professional thing, we can't just rely on enthusiasm, we must be scientific and professional."

He said that the relics of ancient human hand and foot prints have been highly valued by departments at all levels. In the near future, consideration will be given to covering these hand and foot print relics with glass and installing surveillance equipment such as cameras to prevent illegal elements from destroying them. In addition, it is also necessary to improve the protection awareness of villagers and mobilize villagers to check the ruins from time to time.

Qun Pei, 57, has been living in Qiusang Village, and he has seen these hand and foot prints since he was a child, and everyone has always regarded them as the marks left by his ancestors. "We all respect these marks and often go to Hatha." When he learned that these marks "became big news," he hoped that these ancient hand and foot prints would "bring more blessings to the village."

Li Jiahui also wants to seize this opportunity to "go out of the circle" and make the tourism industry in Qiusang Village catch fire. These days, his brain is running fast, and he actively connects with cultural and creative and tourism planning agencies, and has come up with many preliminary ideas. "We intend to create cultural and creative products with ancient human handprints, and we can also let tourists leave their own handprints, and we also intend to develop hiking tourism routes to let tourists follow in the footsteps of ancient humans..."

Li Jiahui said that Qiusang Village is a place with profound historical and cultural accumulation. It is said to be the birthplace of Uttar Yundan Kampot, the originator of Tibetan medicine, and the Quisang Hot Springs are more than 1,500 years old and contain a variety of minerals. In recent years, Qiusang Village has been focusing on building a Tibetan medicine and health resort, improving various infrastructures, and the originally remote and isolated villages have become richer day by day.

"The archaeological discovery of ancient human hand and foot prints has made Qiusang Village the icing on the cake. The opportunity is rare, we must revitalize the resources and make the villagers' lives better. Li Jiahui said that along the footprints of ancient humans, we must walk out of a kangzhuang road to a better life. (End)

Source: China News Network