Chinese researchers have obtained the first absolute dates for rock paintings at the Mangguan rock art site in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, pushing the known history of rock art created by prehistoric settled communities in the region back to about 4,220 years ago. The paintings also suggest cultural interactions more than 4,000 years ago between Southwest China and civilizations along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, as well as possible exchanges with neighboring parts of Southeast Asia, including present-day Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, a member of the research team told the Global Times.