International Academic Symposium on Rock Painting and World Civilizations - 14 September 2026
The symposium took place under the guidance of the China International Communications Group (CICG), and hosted by the Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Following the Opening Ceremony, the Welcome Address was given by Zhou Yushu, President of the Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences.
The symposium, held in the Academic Lecture Hall in the He Qiguang Building on the Honder campus, was concurrently translated into four languages, and organised over 4 sessions:
- Session I: Discovery and study of Prehistoric Rock Art around the World
- Session II: International Archaeological Discoveries and Research
- Session III: Mutual Learning of Prehistoric Civilizations & Studies on Written Symbols
- Session IV: Research on Innovation in the Development System for Cultural Relics
International participants:
- Lucy Birkbeck, Board Director, Bradshaw Foundation
- Peter Robinson, Director, Bradshaw Foundation
- Oleg Nikolaevich Slobochkov, President, Russian University of World Civilizations
- Narantsatsral Delgerkhuu, Professor, Mongolian University of Science and Technology
- Tim Streck, Sr. Director, Microsoft Corporation - Retired
- Yulia Viktorovna, Professor, Russian University of World Civilizations
- Zhang Xihao, Principal Researcher in East Asian Prehistoric Rock Art
Presentations included:
- Wu Jiacai, Director of the Rock Art Research Institute, Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts & Sciences: 'Rock Art depicting 11 distinct ancient landforms within the Hongshan Culture region'
- Peter Robinson, Bradshaw Foundation: 'A Global Report'
- Tong Tao, Professor at Minzu University of China: 'The Silk Road Traversing the Himalayas'
- Wang Jianping, founding President of the Chinese Rock Art Society: 'A Brief Study of Prehistoric Art from the Yinshan-Hetao Region'
- Zhang Yasha, Director of the China Rock Art Research Centre, Minzu University of China: 'The Discovery & Study of the Ancient Rock Art Trail along the Silk Road on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau'
- Gai Zhiyong, Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolia institute of Cultural Relics & Archaeology: 'Observation of Rock Art in relation to the broader environment and surrounding archaeological sites'
- Zhang Xiaoxia, Vice Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Inner Mongolia Normal University: 'Knowledge Graph Construction & Digital Development Trends of Rock Art remains'
- Tao Jianying, Director of the Chifeng Museum: 'A Discussion on the Hongshan Culture'
- Tim Streck, Sr. Director, Microsoft Corporation - Retired: 'Better Together; the power of collaboration'
on Rock Painting and
World Civilizations
President of the Inner Mongolia Honder
College of Arts & Sciences
Rock Art Research Institute
at Honder College
and Peter Robinson, Director,
Bradshaw Foundation
Director of the Rock Art
Research Institute
at the Inner Mongolia Honder
College of Arts and Sciences
The Bradshaw Foundation would like to thank Zhou Yushu, the President of the Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences, for his commitment to advancing cultural and archaeological research and for making this event possible. We would also like to thank Professor Wu Jiacai, the Director of the Northern China Rock Art Research Institute for extending the invitation to the symposium and for his generous assistance in organising our visit and for the opportunity to exchange ideas. Finally we would like to thank Mr. Tim Streck, 'Friend of Honder College', for initiating this collaboration and facilitating all communication.
Bradshaw Foundation
7 July 2026
