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The XXIV Winter Olympic Games are about to open in Beijing. In the Winter Olympics, skiing, as one of the most traditional sports, will undoubtedly become the focus of people's attention. But what many people don't know is that the origin of skiing, an ancient sport with a history of tens of thousands of years, came from China.
In 2005, a pair of ski hunting petroglyphs were found in Dundebulak, Altay City, Xinjiang, which was confirmed to have started skiing activities as early as 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, compared with the previous research on 4,500 years in Sweden, at least 5,000 years in Norway, and 8,000 years in Russia, Altay has become the earliest origin of human skiing.
Skiing is one of the oldest sports in the world, and at least thousands of years ago, humans living in northern Europe and central Asia began to practice skiing. For quite some time, the origins of skiing were thought to have originated in Scandinavia, the English word SKI originated from the ancient Norwegian word SKITH, and stone carvings found in Scandinavia indicate that snowboarding was already used by locals during the Stone Age, 4,000 years ago.
Previously, petroglyphs on skiing were found in Scandinavia, Norway
It is understood that a petroglyph dating from around 2500 BC has been found in northern Norway depicting a man with huge skis on his feet; the Museum of Giyugaden in Sweden has a collection of skis about 4,500 years old; Russia has found fragments of skis made about 8,000 years ago in the peat swamps of the Ural Mountains... But they are not as old as the ski hunting petroglyphs of Dundebulak in Xinjiang.
In 2005, a Xinjiang farmer discovered a cave on ski petroglyphs in Dundebulak, in Xinjiang's Altay region, which archaeologists speculate is a remnant of the late Paleolithic period from 10,000 to 30,000 BC, predates northern Europe. At this point, the origin of skiing has also moved from Norway to China.
Tens of thousands of years ago, a group of Altay ancestors armed with wooden sticks, carrying bows and arrows, and stepping on fur skis galloped in the alpine snowfields, and beside or in front of them were bison, wild horses, elk that were desperately fleeing... Now, let's shift the focus to the Khandgat Mongol Village, 49.5 kilometers from downtown Altay, and explore the magical beauty of the origin of human skiing.
Painted petroglyphs of the Khan DegatTun Debulak Cave in Xinjiang
The terrain of Khandgat Mongol Township is mainly mountainous, the terrain is basin-like, the north is high and the south is low, of which the northern mountainous area is 1000 to 2500 meters above sea level, the middle and lower reaches of the Khandgat River in the south are 800 to 1000 meters above sea level, and the highest point in the territory is located in the Huergeng Mountain, with an altitude of 2500 meters; the lowest point is located in the Dablehart River Valley, with an altitude of 700 to 800 meters. "It has a temperate continental semi-arid climate with long, snowy winters and briefly cool summers." Lin Haiyu, member of the party committee and deputy mayor of KhanDegat Mongol Township, once told the media, "Over the years, experts and tourists from all walks of life have come to the painted rock paintings of Dundebulak Cave, and everyone has a common wish - to appreciate the unique charm of the origin of human skiing and to see the magnificent picture of human ski hunting tens of thousands of years ago." ”
The painted petroglyphs of Dundebulak Cave are located in the upper valley of the Dundebulak River, about 4 km northeast of the Khanderbrak Mongol Township Government, and there are 5 cave petroglyphs, of which Caves No. 1 and 2 are on the east side of the Dundebulak River Valley, and Caves 3, 4 and 5 are in the Hexi area.
Painted petroglyphs of Dundebrak Cave
Cave No. 1 is 3.5 meters wide, 0.8 meters high and 1.7 meters deep, and the petroglyphs are mainly based on animals and hunting, mainly bison and wild horses, the body of the bison is obviously larger than other animals, the double horns are forward- and the neck is thick, the long snout, and the short legs; the wild horses are represented as vertical manes, some are running, some are walking; there are also human face patterns, tightly arranged short lines, three-line patterns (some look like handprints) and some simple abstract patterns. In this petroglyph, there are four groups of figures: the first group is a hunter with a bow and arrow; the second group has two dancers; the third group of 10 people, all of whom are bent over and walking slowly; the fourth group is recognizable with four people, and the middle two seem to step on a long strip of snow. Cave 2 shows animals outlined by two figures and four lines, one of whom is armed with a bow and arrow, and the animals are unrecognizable.
It is reported that these petroglyphs are painted on the inner wall with two colors of ochre and deep ochre, and the reason why they are still clearly visible after tens of thousands of years is because this pigment is not easy to fade, and the other is to choose to paint on the inner wall of the stone shed, which can prevent wind and sun and rain soaking. There is no doubt that both represent the vision and wisdom of the ancients.
In the Wulianghai Folk Culture Exhibition Hall in the Mongolian Township of KhanDegat, in front of the gate is a model of the "Dundebulak Ski Hunting Rock Painting", and the overview of the rock painting below is as follows: "The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: 'There is a country of nailed spirits, and its people have hairy horseshoes from under their knees and are good at walking'. "This is the earliest written record of skiing in The Country. The rock shed painting is small and shallow, painted with four groups of figures and some bison, wild horses and other animals, experts believe that the third group of characters in the rock shed has about 10 people, of which 6 people have a more obvious silhouette, the character posture is basically standing, there are extensions under the feet, the upper body and knees are bent forward, and the movement is obvious, in line with the posture of the skier. In the petroglyphs, several people are pedaling snowboards, and some are holding single poles, and the animal forms are vivid. The skier's upper body is wide, the legs are thin, and the back of the character is raised, as if carrying something, and it seems to be wearing a wide winter coat, which is blown up by the air current generated by the slide. This posture bears a striking resemblance to the skiing posture of Altay farmers and herders today. Each group of rock paintings in the rock shed has different shades of color, divided into ochre red and dark ochre red, the pigment comes from hematite, the chemical stability is good, so it can be preserved for a long time; in addition, its painting art style has changed slightly, indicating that the time of rock painting creation may be sooner or later, but it is generally certain that this group of ski hunting figures belongs to early works, and its creation time is no later than 10,000 BC.
Dundebrack painted petroglyph part, bison
Dundebrack painted petroglyphs of local human faces
On January 16, 2006, experts and scholars from the China Ski Association and other departments issued the Altay Declaration "The Altay Region of Xinjiang, China is the Earliest Origin of Skiing in the World" to the world. On December 15 of the same year, a press conference was held in the Great Hall of the People on "China Xinjiang Altay is the Earliest Origin of Human Skiing", announcing that Altay in Xinjiang, China is the earliest origin of human skiing. On January 18, 2015, more than 30 ski history experts and scholars from 18 countries and regions, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, the United States and Austria, jointly issued the Altay Declaration, reaching a consensus on "Altay in Xinjiang, China is the most important ancient ski region in the world". On August 25, 2018, Altay also officially became the snow capital of China.
To this day, Altay still preserves the tradition of hand-making ancient "fur skis" using pine wood and horse leg fur, inheriting the unique snow production and lifestyle of the indigenous people.
The people of Altay participate in skiing
Sport of the People of Altay
Previously, according to Shan Zhaojian, China's first ski champion and technical adviser to the Ski Association, a place suitable for skiing must have several prerequisites, namely: cold weather, heavy snowfall and long snow storage time, many hills, and unique tree species that make skis. The Altay region belongs to the typical temperate continental cold climate, with more snowfall and snowfall in winter, snow storage for up to half a year, more mountains and forests, and the conditions for skiing and making ancient skis.
Shan Zhaojian has conducted several field trips to the ski hunting petroglyphs of Dundeblak. He believes that the figures on the petroglyphs are skiers with snowboards and single poles, and their posture not only has a striking similarity with the skiing posture of some Kazakh and Mongolian farmers and herdsmen in the Altay region, but also many locals are still keen on fur skiing.
Domestic and foreign experts and scholars and ski enthusiasts conduct research and investigation in Altay
In the exhibition hall of ancient fur skis in The Mongolian Nationality Township of KhanDegat, dozens of pairs of fur skis are arranged in order according to the age of production, so that viewers can feel the changes in history. The front wall of the exhibition hall displays photos of domestic and foreign experts and scholars and ski enthusiasts in Altay. On the left side of the pavilion, there is a house with several pairs of half-finished fur skis and special tools for making skis. According to Lin Haiyu, "This is a workshop where the local ancient fur ski-making inheritors demonstrate their craftsmanship on the spot, and now it has become a training base, attracting many young people." ”
(This article is synthesized from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Altay Daily, Tsinghua University Small Research Online, etc.) ）
Editor-in-Charge: Lu Linhan
Proofreader: Yijia Xu