Suddenly, a golden sand dune connected with a black mountain peak extends far away, and the green color looms under the sand dune. We know that Dunhuang has arrived.
Dunhuang (a lonely city of photography) under the shadow of sand mountains
Dunhuang, called sandbar in ancient times, is very appropriate. It's really like a boat stranded in the vast sand sea, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be written, waiting to start an extraordinary voyage.
BC 12 1, this long wait has finally been answered. In the spring of this year, the defeated Xiongnu in Hexi Corridor was busy withdrawing westward, and Huo Qubing, in high spirits, chased all the way to Dunhuang to rein in the reins.
This is the symbol of the Han Dynasty's comprehensive counterattack against the Huns, and it is also the starting point of the legendary voyage of this sandy oasis. Ten years later, it was given a meaningful name-Darong, which is Dunhuang.
The geographical location of Dunhuang (an isolated city on the map)
After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty expelled the Huns, he began to quickly rebuild the ruling order of Hexi Corridor, build the Great Wall, set up a pass, deploy troops and dispatch troops, and settle down for immigrants ... After the war, the people's hearts were stable, and Zhang Qian and his mission set out from Chang 'an again.
This is Zhang Qian's second trip to the Western Regions. This time, he brought the majesty of the Han Dynasty and conveyed his willingness to trade peacefully with generous gifts.
A trade corridor connecting the western regions and the Central Plains through the Hexi Corridor has begun to take shape, and Dunhuang, which is both a fork and a meeting point, has since become active.
Three Roads to the Western Regions (Map Lonely City)
Business travelers and missions from the Western Regions entered the Hexi Corridor via Dunhuang with horses, jade and spices. When they returned, they carried silk, tea and ceramics from Dunhuang into the desert.
The prosperous trade made Dunhuang famous, and by the Eastern Han Dynasty, it had become a "Huarong Daozao" metropolis.
Business Travel in Dunhuang Murals (Cave 296 of Mogao Grottoes)
Among all the commodities exported to the western regions, silk is the most popular. When this colorful, smooth and soft cloth crossed the Pamirs and spread to West Asia and even the Mediterranean coast, it caused screams all the way.
One day in 47 BC, Caesar, the lifelong dictator of Rome, appeared in a newly-built theater wearing a gorgeous robe. Suddenly, the audience's attention was attracted by Caesar's dazzling clothes. Well-informed elders told everyone that this is silk, from the Far East.
Silk became the new favorite of Roman nobles overnight, and was even regarded as a symbol of wealth and status. According to the word of mouth of the Romans, silk is a kind of material that grows from trees, and this magical tree only exists in an eastern country called Cyrus (meaning the country of silk).
The fanaticism of the nobles caused the price of silk to soar. In Rome at that time, people had to spend 12 taels of gold to buy 1 kg of silk (1 kg of 9 taels). The rich profits prompted a wave of caravans to embark on a journey to the east. They come from different corners of the world, and final gathering is in Dunhuang.
Camel team walking in the desert (from photo network)
China's silk-making technology was not introduced to western countries until the middle of the 6th century. Before that, the western world's desire and demand for silk could only be met in China.
Apart from silk, China's tea and porcelain have also become sought after "hard currency" in the world. Profit-seeking businessmen have come to China. They crossed snow-capped mountains, deserts, grasslands and the sea, and all difficulties and obstacles could not stop them. As a result, generations of business travelers have stepped on roads connecting China with the world, which are collectively called the Silk Road.
In ancient times, whether from the east or the west, it was a prudent decision to go to Dunhuang. People going west will leave the protection and nourishment of Qilian Mountain, and people going east will bid farewell to a series of oases under Tianshan Mountain and Kunlun Mountain.
Therefore, when people reach Dunhuang through hard work, they will inevitably stay here for many days, replenish drinking water and supplies, and make full preparations for the next trip.
Isolated Dunhuang (an isolated city on the map)
When there are more and more merchants and goods stranded in Dunhuang, some people simply stop moving forward and start business directly in Dunhuang market. As the transportation hub of the Silk Road, Dunhuang has further assumed the role of a major trade center.
Along with trade, in addition to various commodities, there are different religions, languages, music, dances, paintings, sculptures and production techniques. Dunhuang has become a paradise where eastern and western civilizations collide, blend and live in harmony.
Skillful painters painted scenes of life on the walls of Dunhuang Grottoes in the form of Buddhist stories. Today, through colorful murals, we can still feel the prosperity of that distant era.
Hu Xuanwu (Cave 220 of Mogao Grottoes)
1In March, 986, Ji Xianlin, a master of Chinese studies, published an article entitled Dunhuang and Turpan Studies in Red Flag magazine, in which he wrote that "there are only four cultural systems with a long history, vast territory, self-contained systems and far-reaching influence in the world: China, India, Greece and Islam, and there is no fifth one. There is only one place where these four cultural systems meet, that is, China.
This conclusion of Mr. Ji Xianlin later became a famous saying repeatedly quoted by people when describing Dunhuang, and the historical position of Dunhuang as the intersection center of the four major civilizations has also been generally accepted. However, only by visiting in person can we truly understand how tenacious and fragile this cultural center is.
Dunhuang Oasis (Lonely City of Photography)
Although Dunhuang is famous since ancient times, it is still a small oasis surrounded by desert Gobi in essence, and it has not expanded outward.
The annual precipitation here is less than 50 mm, but the evaporation is more than 2500 mm, which is one of the driest areas in China.
It is in such a place, Dunhuang, that it has gone through a thousand years by relying on the Danghe River, which has a small runoff, without the annual salary.
Ecological Environment of Dunhuang (Map Lonely City)
Danghe River, which originated in Qilian Mountain, was originally the largest tributary of Shule River, and the place where the two rivers met was Yuan Ye Lake, which was more than 70 square kilometers wide.
However, since the middle and late Qing dynasty, people have reclaimed wetlands on a large scale and diverted water for irrigation, and the amount of Danghe River has dropped sharply. By the1970s, people had built dams to store water on the west side of Mingsha Mountain, and the lower reaches of Danghe River were basically cut off. The situation of Shule River is exactly the same as that of Danghe River, which directly led to the complete drying up of Yuan Ye Lake. ...
Shule River outside Yumenguan Gate (photography "Lonely City")
In ancient times, when the river and Shule River filled Lake Harano, they overflowed to the west and finally poured into Lop Nur.
Lop Nur, as wide as the sea, became a mysterious ancient country of Loulan when the lake overflowed. However, it will dry up sooner or later, and Loulan will simply get lost in the silence.
We drove through the Gobi Desert in Dunhuang, and the words "South Lake" and "West Lake" often popped up on the roadside signs. It is conceivable that this thirsty land must be full of lakes and swamps, and the water waves are rippling.
I opened my eyes wide and thought that there would be a lake soon. However, after waiting for a long time, there was a row of huge slogans: Don't let Dunhuang become the second Loulan!
On Mingshan Road in Dunhuang, when you look up, you can see a huge sand dune as smooth and tough as porcelain lying at the end of the road, eyeing the oasis at your feet.
The strong west wind wrapped the yellow sand in Kumutage all the way to the east, until it was blocked by Sanwei Mountain and Heishi Peak, and the yellow sand settled down one by one, and over time, it gathered into a mountain. This is the landmark of Dunhuang-Mingsha Mountain.
Mingshan Road in Dunhuang (Lonely City of Photography)
When you come to Dunhuang, you will be amazed that the city and the desert will be so close and people living under the sand mountain will be so calm.
Fiona Fang's nearly 800 square kilometers of Mingsha Mountain is only considered as a large playground. The desert is not terrible here. You can put aside all your troubles, jump into the gentle sand sea and indulge in revelry.
Mingsha Mountain (Lonely City of Photography)
Since ancient times, it has been widely rumored that Mingsha Mountain will whistle. Some people say it is like a magnificent clock, drum and orchestra, while others say it is like Ma Si in battle on the battlefield. It's a pity that we tried all kinds of tricks in Mingsha Mountain and heard nothing.
Walking in the desert, if the flat land is fine, if you go uphill, walk three times and retreat two times. Those dunes that don't look towering can also make people feel that they will probably climb to the end of time.
Climb up on the blade (lonely city of photography)
The truly magical place of Mingsha Mountain is also here. It stands to reason that tens of thousands of tourists step on the hillside of Shashan every day, and quicksand keeps rolling down. Over the years, the sand mountain will move forward and gradually become shorter.
However, Mingsha Mountain can stand still. "After blowing all night, it should be restored as before", and the ridge line can be exposed like a sword every day.
Mingsha Mountain Ridge Line (Lonely City of Photography)
In fact, Mingsha Mountain is not always fixed, but the moving speed is too slow to be noticed.
Geologists concluded after stratigraphic exploration that the expansion of Mingsha Mountain forced Danghe River to divert northward. Strangely, when Shashan swallowed the old road of Danghe, he deliberately left a short section, which is now the Crescent Spring.
Crescent spring (lonely city of photography)
Although the crescent spring has been isolated from Danghe River, they are still closely connected through the underground water system, so the water level of Danghe River has also shrunk by more than half. In order to prevent the crescent spring from drying up completely, people now spend huge sums of money to replenish water in various ways every year.
Many people like to sit on the ridge on the east side of Mingsha Mountain, quietly waiting for the sun to set and watching the sun and the moon shine. Year after year, the sun keeps the appointment on time every day, but if one day the crescent moon on the ground suddenly disappears, how sad will this picture be? ...
Crescent spring in the sunset (lonely city of photography)
If the golden desert is near, then the black Gobi is really scary.
Leaving Dunhuang, we drove about 100 km to the northwest. Unconsciously, the land was covered with a layer of black sand and gravel, and it continued to go deeper and deeper. There is a mysterious "ancient city" that stretches for more than ten kilometers. There are many castles in the city, and the streets are orderly, but it is not alive at all. Whenever the wind blows, sand and stones fly, wolves howl and tigers roar, which makes people feel palpitation.
Ghost Town on the Black Gobi (Lonely City of Photography)
Windswept Castle (photography "Lonely City")
This geological landscape called "ghost town" is actually a Ya Dan landform, and the neatly arranged castles are actually sediments from ancient lake basins or river beds.
Crustal movement exposes these rocks with low consolidation degree to the surface, and strong and persistent directional wind erodes along the cracks of the rocks, eventually forming this ridge-shaped residual hill which is roughly parallel to the wind direction.
Formation mechanism of Ya Dan landform (painting isolated city)
Isolated sculptures will be formed in places with strong wind erosion. They have different shapes, birds and animals are everywhere, and even many famous buildings in the world can find corresponding ones one by one.
"The Sphinx" (photography "Lonely City")
Leaning Tower of Pisa (Lonely City of Photography)
When we are about to enter the core "urban area" of a ghost town, two huge "city gates" suddenly appear in front of the road. The commentator said that this gate was called Hero Gate, because before the completion of the scenic spot, the road through the ghost town was dangerous and unpredictable, and entering this gate meant that life and death were uncertain. Those who can enter the door and come out successfully are heroes.
Hero Gate (Lonely City of Photography)
Black Gobi and ghost town, what a cold combination! They flatly refused all life and tried to intimidate passers-by.
But this area is the only place where the Silk Road goes west from Yumenguan and enters Turpan. How much courage should ancient business travelers take to resist this boundless bleak?
When I came back from the ghost town and passed Yumen Pass again, I really realized what "spring breeze is not enough to cross Yumen Pass".
Although this Guancheng, which was established in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, has long since disappeared, archaeologists have found some related relics in Xiaofangcheng area next to the West Lake wetland with the help of clues from Han bamboo slips.
Yumenguan xiaofang pancheng (ancient city of photography)
50 kilometers south of Yumenguan, it is a slender South Lake oasis. On the antique beach on the west side of the oasis, a broken beacon tower stands tall. Scholars infer that the beacon tower is near Yangguan, and there is no one in the west.
Yangguan Fengxiang (ancient city of photography)
In the Gobi desert, if you keep the water source, you will keep the life channel. Therefore, both Yangguan and Yumenguan are guarding the most important water supply point west of Dunhuang.
Businessmen, post stations and messengers have to go through two passes when they enter and leave Dunhuang, whether they take the northern foot of Kunlun Mountain or the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain. They not only guard the security of the west gate of Hexi Corridor, but also issue "passes" to people in the past. During the Han and Tang dynasties, these two Xiongguan, which confronted each other in the wilderness, were once lively for hundreds of years.
However, all the prosperity came to an abrupt end in the middle of the eighth century.
An Shi Rebellion broke out in the Tang Dynasty, and the emperor called the frontier garrison back to the Central Plains to counter the rebellion. The defense of the whole northwest region was empty, and the Tibetan forces took the opportunity to enter, so the Hexi Corridor slipped from the hands of the Tang Dynasty.
Yangguan and Yumenguan began a long wait. They don't know why, from a certain day on, those letters that were sent out were never answered, camel teams and crowds no longer appeared in the distant horizon, and women who could sing and dance, tinkling jade and mellow wine all disappeared. ...
At this time, the soldiers who were far away from the customs were isolated from the Central Plains because of the fall of the Hexi Corridor. When they were alone in the western regions, waiting for rescue, only Yangguan and Yumenguan watched them quietly on the edge of the yellow Kumutage desert, which was the last echo and the deepest despair.
Kumutag Desert (from photo network)
In 766 AD, Tubo successively captured Liangzhou, Ganzhou and Suzhou (i.e. Wuwei, Zhangye and Jiuquan), and Dunhuang (Shazhou) became an isolated city. After struggling for 20 years, because there was no rescue outside and no food equipment inside, the soldiers and civilians guarding the city finally agreed to surrender.
In 786, all counties in Hexi and Longyou were captured by Tubo, and the commander-in-chief of Tubo enforced "fanhua" in the occupied area, demanding that Han people speak Fan Hua and learn from Su Fan, "follow [rèn] and braid their hair and tattoo".
However, high-handed policies can't tame people's hearts. After the fall of Dunhuang, although the Zhou people were "slaves", they always wore Chinese clothes when they worshipped their ancestors, faced the east and howled, and then took off their Chinese clothes and hid them secretly.
"The court is still reading? When will the soldiers come? " People in Tibetan areas are waiting for more than half a century every day.
The vast ocean of ideas has finally set off a huge wave in Dunhuang. In 848 AD, an insurgent army led by Zhang Yichao held high the banner of "Returning to the Tang Dynasty" and took advantage of the Tubo civil strife to recapture Dunhuang, and then took Dunhuang as its base camp and gradually recovered the Hexi Corridor.
They called themselves "returning to the rebel army", restored order and calmed people's hearts with the concept of "being polite to the people and staying with the mainland", and sent ten envoys to inform the court of the good news of Dunhuang's recovery.
Zhang Yichao's Scout Tour Map (Mogao Grottoes 156)
In 85 1 year, Zhang Yichao entrusted his elder brother to Chang 'an, and presented the map of eleven counties of Helong to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, so as to re-establish the subordinate relationship with the Tang Dynasty.
However, the Tang Dynasty, which fell from its peak, could never regain its former glory. Although the Hexi Corridor was nominally returned to the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains emperor was unable to provide practical support for the management of Hexi, and the rebel army could only rely on its own strength to survive in the predicament surrounded by strong enemies.
From 848 to 1036, Tubo was driven away and conquered by Xixia. From beginning to end, the Dunhuang Guiyi Army never gave up its efforts to establish contact with the Central Plains.
Cao Yijin, the late leader of the Guiyi Army, dressed in the official uniform of the Central Plains (Yulin Cave 16 Cave)
Dunhuang, as a node city on the ancient Silk Road, the road of generals flourished, and the decline of road resistance seemed to be its inevitable fate.
During the Song Dynasty, because there was another Xixia between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, the Hexi Corridor was blocked, and the Maritime Silk Road gradually replaced the onshore Silk Road. When the vast Mongol-Yuan Empire arrived, the Prairie Silk Road rose in the north. Finally, in the Ming Dynasty, which was comparable to the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Central Plains regime basically lost interest in operating the Western Regions. Emperor Jiajing even took the initiative to move the border eastward and closed the door in Jiayuguan, 300 kilometers away. Dunhuang has been abandoned step by step. ...
Jiayuguan, the western border in the middle and late Ming Dynasty (photography "Lonely City")
The unguarded Yangguan and Yumen Pass collapsed one after another. When they landed on the earth, no one saw the process, no one knew whether it happened during the day or at night, no one heard the sound of sand being blown away by the wind, and no one knew which direction the wind blew that day.
All the huazhang were sealed on the cliff at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain, but when they were known to the world again, it was an unforgettable past that opened the curtain.
When it comes to Dunhuang, many people will immediately think of the Mogao Grottoes, and when it comes to the Mogao Grottoes, it is inevitable to talk about that sad history.
The rise and fall of the Mogao Grottoes were synchronized with Dunhuang in 366, when Monks Lezun excavated the first loess, and in 1897, when the abbot of Taoist Wang lived 1600.
The turning point occurred on June 22nd, 1900 (May 26th, 26th year of Guangxu reign). That night, Taoist Wang, who was cleaning quicksand, inadvertently opened a secret hole full of scrolls from a gap in the cave wall.
Scripture writing in the cave of Tibetan scriptures
Wang Daoshi, who has little knowledge, may not know the value of these ancient cultural relics that have been sealed for nearly 900 years, but he still feels that this is a major event that he can't handle. So, he first asked the local squire to point out the maze, then went all the way to Dunhuang county government to report to the county magistrate, and finally drove the donkey more than 800 miles to Suzhou to meet the Daotai adults. However, all the clamor was finally attributed to a paper order of the Gansu provincial government: look up the scriptures and protect them on the spot.
Taoist Wang, who ran into a wall everywhere, summoned up his courage and wrote a letter to Empress Dowager Cixi in Beijing, holding the last glimmer of hope and waiting hard.
The controversial Taoist priest in the king
Where did he know that at the moment when he knocked down the secret door of the Tibetan Sutra Cave, Eight-Nation Alliance was gathering in Tianjin and preparing to attack Beijing; Two months later, Cixi will disguise herself as a peasant woman and flee to Shanxi. A year later, Li Hongzhang will sign the Treaty of Xin Chou; The Queen Mother who regained power will also shout: "Measure China's material resources and win the favor of the country." ...
For seven years, no one has paid attention to the secrets submitted by Taoist Wang. Facing the cultural treasures in the Tibetan Sutra Cave, Wang Yiding, who was isolated and helpless, felt an indescribable heaviness and confusion.
But after all, he has done everything that an ordinary person can do, and he can feel at ease in the face of the silent tower of the abbots under the Three Dangers Mountain.
Monk pagoda at the foot of Sanwei Mountain (photography "Lonely City")
The news that there are ancient scriptures in Dunhuang spread out, and a small number of papers lost by Taoist Wang for fund-raising began to spread among the people.
From 65438 to 0907, the Englishman Stan followed the clues to the Mogao Grottoes, and the Frenchman Buriot entered the Tibetan Sutra Cave the following year. In tandem, a large number of Confucian classics and cultural relics in Mogao Grottoes were coaxed away at extremely low prices. In addition, the United States, Japan and Russia also heard the wind. ...
Paul pelliot searched for scriptures in the cave of Tibetan scriptures.
More than 40,000 suicide notes, a large number of exquisite statues and even murals on the walls were cut by these so-called explorers, packed in boxes and swaggered away by wagons.
For the Mogao Grottoes, this was undoubtedly a terrible plunder, but for the whole of China at that time, it was just the most calm and unobtrusive plunder.
The Tang Dynasty Statue Stolen by American Langdon Werner
Because the cultural relics were lost in the hands of Wang Daochang, he naturally had to bear the blame for it. However, in an era when the whole country has to bow and scrape to westerners, how can we be angry with him?
We can only hate that era of poverty and weakness, and we can only turn this hatred into an internal force of self-improvement so that our country and nation will no longer suffer the same humiliation.
Dunhuang, since the Han Dynasty, has become the frontier of multi-ethnic and multicultural life, starting from the Dunhuang Grottoes in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and inheriting this spirit of openness and tolerance.
From princes and dignitaries to ordinary people, regardless of nationality and class, they can all become diggers and providers of grottoes, so the contents displayed in grottoes are all-inclusive.
Nirvana of Sakyamuni (Mogao Grottoes 158)
In addition to aesthetic and religious values, grotto statues and murals also include political, military, diplomatic, song and dance, acrobatics, farming, hunting, commerce, tourism and other historical events and life scenes in different periods. The vast number of Dunhuang suicide notes covers a wider range and contains more information.
These precious historical heritages are the most rare and reliable first-hand materials for studying the history, religion, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, literature history, art history, science and technology history and national history of medieval China and even the whole Eurasia.
Music and Dance Rebound Pipa (Mogao Grottoes 1 12)
In fact, Dunhuang is not only the Mogao Grottoes, but also the West Thousand Buddha Cave, the East Thousand Buddha Cave, the Yulin Grottoes and the Wudian Grottoes. Most of them are located in remote areas and are not easy to reach. So from the end of the Ming Dynasty, they were basically left unattended and left to fend for themselves.
It was not until the Buddhist relics in the Mogao Grottoes caused a sensation in the west that scholars in Beijing turned their attention to this long-forgotten land.
1944, the National Government established the Dunhuang Art Research Institute at the appeal of all walks of life, and the Dunhuang Grottoes were placed under the protection of state institutions for the first time. At this point, tens of thousands of Dunhuang suicide notes have lived abroad for more than 30 years, and scholars all over the world have already begun to study and explore Dunhuang culture.
It is sad that cultural heritage is stolen, but perhaps it is this that makes the rise and development of Dunhuang studies so vigorous.
Many talented young people went to Dunhuang, not far from Wan Li. Facing the dilapidated grottoes, they did not stop in grief, but worked hard on the loess cliff with great enthusiasm and urgent sense of mission.
They know that instead of hating, it is better to try not to lag behind others, and instead of fighting, it is better to let that treasure reflect more brilliant glory.
Biography of Lady Taishou (copied by Duan Wenjie) (CaveNo. 130 of Mogao Grottoes)
As for those lost cultural relics, we are gratified that they are at least carefully preserved, and foreign scholars and institutions are also trying to interpret the information they contain from different angles, and have opened up the world of studying Dunhuang in the form of * * * *.
Dunhuang once became the meeting point of four ancient civilizations with the attitude of all rivers flowing into the sea, so today's Dunhuang studies need people from all over the world to participate in the discussion.
As Mr. Ji Xianlin said, "Dunhuang is in China, and Dunhuang studies are in the world."
Crossing Hexi Corridor Series