| The petroglyphs on the Flower Mountain in Ningmin, Guangxi, are the largest, most classic, and most typical among the world famous "petroglyph groups along Zuojiang River". Having a reputation as "the largest painting board of petroglyphs in the world", the Flower Mountain petroglyphs are unique for numerous huge, tall and squatting images and their simple, rough, robust style. Since 1950s, volumes of research papers devoted to the petroglyph groups along Zuojiang River have been published, which are usually from the perspectives of archaeology, history, geology and anthropology and sociology. With the petroglyphs' involvement in various disciplines, the dissertation discusses the Flower Mountain petroglyphs in detail, lending analyses and appreciation from perspectives of arts, aesthetics, modeling arts, ethnology, linguistic culture and psychology. Following the comprehensively theoretical analyses, the author finds her way from theory to practice by applying her Ph. D. research orientation, and finally lands the theoretical study about the Flower Mountain petroglyphs on the stage of artistic application of ethnic decoration painting and modern ink painting, in an effort to complete the exploration from theoretical study to theoretical application. The dissertation owes heavily to helps from Prof. Kuizheng Li and other experts and professors. However, due to the limited time and the author's inexperience, the dissertation is presented with its weaknesses to the researchers in related fields for further discussion.Studies on the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs are highly valued in academic research, for the petroglyphs are distinguished not only for the unusual magnificence found in the nation and the world, and also been regarded as one of the significant cultural and artistic heritages on earth. The petroglyphs have kept a successive historical record of the daily lives of primary natives. Those creative self expressions of the natives cover fields ranging from daily production activities, aesthetic standards, philosophical thoughts, religious beliefs, economic development, to national migration, war between nations and changes in population. Thus, the unique characteristics of "the Flower Mountain Culture" have successfully derived from the petroglyphs, which are not only a miniature of ancient civilized society and its culture, logical thinking, and material and spirit features, but also a perfect example of cultural accumulation with multilayer and ancient modeling arts.The dissertation consists of three parts——introduction, text andconclusion. The introduction briefs on the contents and research methods. The text contains seven chapters. Chapter 1 introduces and discusses generally the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs from comprehensive perspectives of archaeological discoveries, documents and records, the contents of paintings, and history, culture, geography, geology, and anthropology, so as to give readers a rough impression and understanding of the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs. Chapter 2 goes to the specific analyses and categorizations of the models' figures and manners in light of the conceptual pattern and physical pattern, and then reveals and explains further the coherence between the modeling angles and the then native culture. Among the whole dissertation, it is this chapter what directly describes and observes the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs with great details. Chapter 3 focuses on the pigment, the painting method and style, drawing out the author's view and interpretation of the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs. Closer examination and discussion of the color and modeling of the petroglyphs with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional views is included and emphasized in Chapter 4 and 5 as well. As a result of the author's exploration and innovation, chapter 4 distinguishes itself by highlighting discussion on the color pattern and the following aesthetic psychological reflection, which have rarely been explored by others. Chapter 5 is a bold attempt to elaborate exhaustively and comprehensively in terms of the seldom mentioned muscular tissue pattern---also a maiden attempt to apply the muscular tissue pattern to petroglyphs analyses in the academic researches---and in this way, the author tries to reveal the multiplicity of people's understandings, appreciations of arts, and psychological similarities and differences of people's experiences---a process called "seeking truth through phenomena". Chapters 4 and 5 collectively draw readers' attention to a rarely discussed fact---that in the petroglyphs study, the relationship between environment and petroglyphs, and environment's influence on the color and muscular tissue pattern, should not be overlooked. In Chapter 6, the author brings forward the cultural and aesthetic connotations of the Flower Mountain petroglyphs, and presents the author's suggestion and assumption concerning petrpglyphs' protection. In Chapter 7, the author summarizes the reflection on and revelation from the Flower Mountain petroglyphs, and explores practically and tentatively by embodying the summarization in the related ethnic decoration painting and modern ink painting and sprinkling. As the last part, the conclusion draws a summary on the whole dissertation.To summarize, the dissertation, by substantive literature study, spot investigation, and logical thinking and construction, with implementation of methodologies of arts, aesthetics, psychology, history, philosophy, cultural anthropology, religion, ethnology, sociology, archeology and documentation, explores and examines extensively and comprehensively the images and modeling of the Ningmin Flower Mountain petroglyphs in Guangxi. The author wishes that the study could possibly provide helpful reference and be instructive for future research on petroglyphs, and that the dissertation could further arouse protection, concern, attention of the public to the research on the Flower Mountain culture.
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