The Huashan rock painting provides the most important and direct information for studying the ancient social history and culture of Baiyue people in China.Flaking and fading of pigment are the main deterioration problems in rock paintings.All deterioration can be related to materials and craftsmanship,and to environmental factors,too.The effects of materials, craftsmanship and regional environmental characteristics on pigment flaking and fading on the Huanshan rock painting are discussed.This study shows that rock painting pigment deterioration was caused mainly by physical weathering (temperature changes,high humidity and light radiation),chemical weathering and dissolution,and aging of binding materials.Fading of pigments was caused by a thin dust layer on the top,and loss of pigments is caused by aging of the binding materials.Therefore,the paint becomes less saturated and looks faded and darker.