Travel Notes on the Three Northwest Provinces—Guazhou·Mogao Grottoes·Mingsha Mountain

10 month14 day

Eat melon in Guazhou

Today, we are going to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Mingsha Mountain.

In the early morning, the sun has not yet risen and Jiayuguan City is still deserted. We drove out of the city towards Dunhuang.

Someone in the car asked, "Are we going to the Jiayuguan Tower?" The driver and tour guide Xiao Peng said that visiting Mogao Grottoes must be done in the afternoon. 2 You have to enter the park before 12:00 a.m., otherwise you can’t enter after that time, so you have to hurry and don’t go to the city tower.

It is more than 350 kilometers from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang, and it takes at least 4 and 5 on the way. Hours. What's more, it's a little early to go to the tower at this time. People may not open the door yet, so I won't go if I don't go.

In the past, I have been to the "Old Dragon Head" in Qinhuangdao on the coast of the Bohai Sea, where the eastern part of the Ming Great Wall enters the sea. Jiayu Pass is the westernmost pass of the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty and is known as "the most majestic pass in the world". It is a pity that we have not been able to visit this place. However, that's all.

While driving through Guazhou, Xiao Peng introduced that Guazhou was his hometown. The melons in Guazhou are very sweet, and there is no charge for eating melons, so you can eat them as you like.

When they arrived at the Guazhou service area, Xiao Peng drove the car to the entrance of a store and asked everyone to get out of the car and eat melon. He also emphasized that the people here are honest and do not rip off customers. When it comes to shopping, just buy if you want to, and forget it if you don’t want to.

There were two female bosses in this shop. When they saw customers coming, they enthusiastically went to get a honeydew melon, cut it open, and invited everyone to eat. As he was cutting it, he said, "You can eat this melon as you like, and you won't be charged for it." Everyone doesn't care whether they charge money or not, but they just want to taste the taste of Guazhou's melons and see if they are as described.

I picked up a piece and tasted it. It was indeed good. It was sweet, crisp and refreshing. It really quenched my thirst. It was a very good melon.

Guazhou has a long history of producing melons. In ancient times, Guazhou melons were known as beautiful melons. Guazhou has a long history. Around the Western Han Dynasty, Western melons were introduced to China and were planted in Hami, Xinjiang and Guazhou, Gansu. · The Records of Geography states: "In ancient times, Guazhou produced delicious melons. An old fox entered the melon and ate it, leaving its head and tail intact." In the Tang Dynasty, the area was named Guazhou because of the delicious melons it produced. 622 Guazhou was established in the 11th century and was officially used as the name of the administrative system. It was abolished in the Ming Dynasty and replaced by Handongwei. 1759 In 1644, Anxi Prefecture was established, and in 1645, it was changed to Anxi County. 2006 In 1995, with the approval of the State Council, Anxi County was renamed Guazhou County.

The name of Guazhou is said among the people. The local folk story tells that Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions on the order of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He passed through this place and fell seriously ill. After a doctor diagnosed him, he said The reason is that the heart fire is rising, just eat honeydew melons. On the twelfth lunar month, I finally found three honeydew melons and ate them, and the disease was cured. For this reason, the place was named "Guazhou". It is also said that Zhang Qian returned to Chang'an and asked the imperial court for approval to build a city here named Guazhou.

Of course, folk stories are not historical records and do not have to be believed to be true, but the stories spread among the people show that melons have a long history of growing melons here, and the melons are also famous for them.

Guazhou honeydew melon is a specialty of Guazhou County. Someone once wrote a poem praising it: "Green jade is soaked in ice springs, and gold is broken by a powerful sword; the coolness relieves the late heat, and the sweetness washes away the thirsty heart." When you arrive in Guazhou, it’s hard to say you’ve been to Guazhou without tasting its melons.

In fact, Guazhou not only produces melons, but it was once an important merchant town on the ancient Silk Road and a pearl on the ancient transportation route between China and the West. There are many historical sites left in the old area of ​​Guazhou. The Yulin Grottoes located in the Nanshan Canyon more than 70 south of Guazhou County, also known as Yulin Temple and Wanfo Gorge, were designated by the State Council 1961 The first batch of national key cultural relics protection units announced in March of . Its preserved murals from the Xixia and Yuan Dynasties are unique and unique. Since the Yulin Grottoes are connected to the Mogao Grottoes, their construction history, grotto architecture, painted sculptures and murals have basically the same subject matter and artistic expression techniques. They both belong to the art system of "Dunhuang Grottoes" and are known as the sister grottoes of the Mogao Grottoes. ;East Thousand Buddha Cave is famous for its rich Xixia murals; and Suoyang City Ruins is the ruins of an ancient Guazhou county and the throat of the ancient Silk Road. A large ancient city; Pochengzi Ruins was Changle County in the Han and Tang Dynasties; ...and so on. If you are interested, it is worthwhile to arrange an extra day to explore the ancient world in Guazhou.

After eating the melon, the landlady started to recommend the store’s specialties, including wild black wolfberry, red wolfberry, Cynomorium cynomorium, Xinjiang dry cheese, dairy products, snow chrysanthemum, ..., etc. The sentence "If you buy enough 300 yuan, it will be delivered to your home by express delivery." I was moved. When you go out for a few days, you have to buy some souvenirs as souvenirs for your relatives and friends. I chose some specialties and asked the proprietress to pack them up and send them back.

A few tourists went out and entered other stores. The driver and tour guide stood beside the car and muttered to the effect that they ate melon in this store and then went shopping in other stores, something like that. It seems that when traveling and shopping, you need to know some rules on the road.

After getting on the bus, the driver and tour guide explained that he didn't get much benefit from inviting customers to this store. He just ate a few pieces of melon and got a cup. Needless to say, we all understand.

Looking back at Mogao Grottoes

Guazhou to Dunhuang is more than 120 kilometers and will arrive in a short time.

Outside the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Scenic Area, there is naturally a tourist town. The driver and tour guide said that a group meal at noon costs 30 yuan per person. Don’t go looking for a restaurant by yourself to avoid wasting time.

For our group, the travel agency only provides breakfast, and lunch and dinner are all provided by ourselves. This is also convenient. When in one place, tourists come from different regions, have different taste preferences, and some like to eat local specialty snacks. "Everyone likes radish and cabbage," which reduces a lot of conflicts. Today we were in a hurry, so we gathered together for a group meal.

This group meal should be a program operation. After entering the restaurant and sitting down for a while, the vegetables and rice were served, and the taste was okay.

Xiao Peng took everyone's ID cards to buy tickets for scenic spots. We ate our meals in a hurry and followed them to the gate of the scenic spot.

To visit the Mogao Grottoes, you must purchase tickets with your real name and make an appointment in advance. There are two types of tickets: A tickets and B tickets. B Tickets are available for 7 sessions per day. Arrive 30 minutes in advance according to reservation.

In the same way, scan the health code and ID card to enter the park according to regulations. When I entered the gate of the scenic spot, I saw that there was a shuttle bus station. At first I thought I had gone to the wrong place, as it was still far away from the cave.

About 5 years ago, I visited the Mogao Grottoes. I remember getting off the car in the parking lot and arriving at the gate of Mogao Grottoes, but now I can’t even see a shadow.

Taking the shuttle bus between the scenic spots, you can only see the Gobi Desert along the way. Under the beautiful sun, it looks even more empty and vast. Looking from the car, you can see a row of cliffs in front of you in the distance. Other than that, it seems that you can't see any buildings. .

The gate of the scenic spot is extended to reduce the influx of cars. I think this can reduce the damage to the caves caused by vehicle vibration and exhaust emissions. This is a measure that is conducive to the protection of the Mogao Grottoes.

After driving for more than 20 minutes, we arrived in front of the Mogao Grottoes.

The Mogao Grottoes were built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and were excavated on the cliff at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain.

The travel agency booked B tickets for us, and we could only visit 4 caves. A Tickets can be used to watch the themed digital movie "Millennium Mogao" and the dome movie "Dream Buddha Palace" at the digital center at the gate, and then visit 8 caves. According to our itinerary, we can only buy A tickets.

Under the guidance of the staff of the scenic spot, visitors can enter the cave one by one in order.

Outside each open cave, people lined up waiting to enter in batches, and a guide explained the general conditions of the cave before each group of tourists entered.

Entering the cave, under the dim light, following the squirming flow of people, my eyes scanned the murals on the cave wall and the sitting or lying Buddha statues in the middle, trying to leave more impressions in my mind. Looking up at the dozens or hundreds of colorful paintings on the top of the cave, I couldn't help but be shocked and admired in my heart. How many skilled craftsmen and painters have worked hard to produce these exquisite murals. It can be imagined that in a dark cave, on a high stand, with the weak light of an oil lamp, raising one's neck and raising one's hands to carefully depict colorful characters, it is such a difficult creative labor. Although the mural art of Mogao Grottoes can be searched online and appreciated in detail in the Internet age, it is only a static two-dimensional visual experience after all. When I stood in this cave, I had a different feeling, as if I was in a palace of ancient Chinese mural art. It seemed that hundreds of murals with bright colors and clear lines were pouring around and on the top of the cave, which made me feel... People are dazzled and overwhelmed. I wanted to stay in each cave for a while and carefully appreciate the thousand-year-old ancient art, but you can't stay here for too long. With the support of the crowd behind you, you slowly move forward and exit the cave. Enter another cave.

Experts from the Dunhuang Academy said that the space inside the grottoes is small and there are many tourists every day. Tourists who stay in the caves for a long time produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. Changes in humidity and temperature will aggravate the "decline" of the caves. The pigment particles will dissolve, causing the murals to fall off. When you hear the security staff reminding you from time to time in the cave, "Don't take pictures!" and "Go faster in front.", you will feel relieved. To observe and appreciate it in detail, you still have to go back to the web page. Maybe, you will have new feelings at this time.

After visiting 4 caves, I looked back at the caves of all sizes, like a honeycomb, with a total length of nearly 2000 from north to south. meters of cliff, I was filled with emotion.

In the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (366), monk Lezun traveled here holding a tin staff. In the boundless desert, he suddenly saw thousands of golden lights on the top of Mingsha Mountain. There seemed to be the shape of thousands of Buddhas in it. He believed that this was a treasured land of Buddha's light, so he recruited people to build the first cave on the cliff for him to start practicing. After the construction of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties, the Mogao Grottoes grew to a huge scale and became the Buddhist grottoes with the longest continuous construction time, the largest scale and the richest existing caves in the world. The architectural complex and art sites are recognized by Eastern and Western scholars as the greatest art treasure house in Eurasia.

Later, with the change of dynasties, the Mogao Grottoes were gradually covered by quicksand after the Yuan Dynasty and disappeared from the eyes of the world until a Taoist priest appeared.

When visiting the Mogao Grottoes, one cannot fail to mention a very important figure, Wang Taoist (Wang Yuanlu).

Yes. A poor Taoist priest traveled to Dunhuang, climbed Sanwei Mountain, discovered Mogao Grottoes, and spent the rest of his life there. "Hardly guarding Mogao Grottoes 30 For many years, he devoted his entire life to a holy land that did not belong to him. " （ Gansu People's Publishing House 1997 Beautiful Dunhuang, published in 2001) It was he who made the Mogao Grottoes, which had been buried by desert sand for more than a thousand years, appear again to the world. When he and his assistants were cleaning the sand in the caves, they accidentally discovered and excavated the Mogao Caves Scripture Cave, which had been buried by quicksand for more than a thousand years. The cave opened the most important door to Dunhuang culture, which is a treasure house with more than 50,000 documents. After discovering the Scripture Cave, as a Taoist priest who was born in a peasant family, although he had no awareness of cultural relics protection, he also knew that this matter was important. He reported it to the government many times and even risked his life to write to Empress Dowager Cixi, but he had no choice but to sell the Chinese treasures to foreigners at a low price. In those years, archaeologists from Britain, France, Japan, Russia, the United States and other countries who learned the information came to Dunhuang and Mogao Caves one after another, and used a small amount of silver or items to defraud and steal many scriptures, murals, and sculptures. As for Wang Daoshi, a commoner, who failed to stop the catastrophe of China's precious cultural relics, his merits and demerits will be judged by history. No matter what future generations will say about him, his disciples erected a monument and built a tower after his death, and built a Taoist tower.

He used 200 taels of silver to defraud Wang Yuanlu and bought 200 bundled scriptures and 24 Box of documents and 5 Large box of silk fabrics. Stein, the Western explorer, said in "Archaeological Records of the Western Regions" that Wang Yuanlu "put all his mind into Invested in the restoration project of this dilapidated temple, trying to restore it to the glory of this hall in his mind... He spent all the proceeds from donations on repairing the temple. I personally have never spent a cent of it.”

Remember, next time you come to Mogao Grottoes, you must visit the Taoist Tower.

Of course, when visiting the Mogao Grottoes, we must also remember the guardians of the Mogao Grottoes. They spent their entire lives guarding the desert and were willing to sacrifice. From Mr. Chang Shuhong, who is known as the "Guardian of Dunhuang Grottoes", to Mr. Duan Wenjie, who is known as the "Grand Master of Dunhuang Studies", to Ms. Fan Jinshi, who is today awarded the national honorary title of "Outstanding Contributor to Cultural Relics Protection", as well as those who have contributed to The people who work silently to protect the Mogao Grottoes.

The guardians of the Mogao Grottoes, their dedication in the desert, are they just like a sentence in the autobiography of the old man Fan Jinshi: "In the world, people are struggling to pursue spiritual peace, but there is no need to find it in the Mogao Grottoes. . As long as the nine-story bell rings, the world will be quiet, time will stop, and eternity will be at this moment."

Eyes of the Desert—Crescent Moon Spring

After leaving Mogao Grottoes, turning around the mountain is Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring.

"The spring reflects the moon but is dust-free", "The sand never fills the spring, and the spring never dries up." The Crescent Moon Spring in Mingsha Mountain is famous for its uniqueness.

When entering Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area, you must buy a pair of sandproof shoe covers. Of course this is voluntary. It’s okay if you don’t buy them. If you walk in the sand without shoe covers, your shoes will soon be filled with sand.

Not far from the entrance of the scenic spot is the camel rental place. Here, you can rent a camel and ride it to travel in the sand sea to truly experience the feeling of a camel in the desert. Someone who had been in the same car came back and said that riding a camel in the desert was really comfortable.

Looking at the long camel caravan extending from the top of the sand to the foot of the mountain in the sea of ​​sand, it is quite spectacular to see the end.

We didn’t ride camels and went directly to Crescent Moon Spring.

After turning over a small sand dune, a bay of green water is particularly conspicuous among the surrounding yellow sand mountains. The crescent-shaped sand spring is like an emerald inlaid in the desert. Some people also compare Crescent Moon Spring to the mirror of the sky and the eyes of the desert.

As early as the Han Dynasty, there were records of Mingsha Mountain. The mountain stretches more than 40 kilometers from east to west and is about 20 wide from north to south. kilometers, the main peak is 1715 meters above sea level, with sand ridges connected to each other and winding in a loop.

The Crescent Moon Spring surrounded by sand mountains has been one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Dunhuang" since the Han Dynasty. At that time, the water in Crescent Moon Spring was very deep and wide. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty, large ships could still be driven in Crescent Moon Spring. The water surface of Crescent Moon Spring shown in front of us has obviously shrunk greatly, and it has lost the momentum of previous years.

We took a short walk around Crescent Moon Spring and went up to the "Yuequan Pavilion", a group of antique buildings on the south bank of the spring. According to records, beside the Crescent Moon Spring, there was originally a group of palace buildings, which were simple, elegant and well-proportioned. There were colorful sculptures, murals, plaques, and inscriptions. The springs and mountains were beautiful, and there were ancient temples, incense, and tourists.

The sand mountain in the north of the spring is blocked and tourists cannot enter. The sandy slope looks like it has been flattened. From a distance, it looks smooth and clean. Some people were unwilling to go in and take a photo with Shashan, but they were shouted out by the security personnel. Yes, it is so ugly for such a beautiful painting to be trampled by a few people and leave marks.

Turning to Quannan, the sand mountain is open for tourists to climb. I thought that I could only climb to the top of the sand mountain and have a panoramic view of the Crescent Moon Spring. Then he followed the flow of people and climbed up to the top of the sand mountain along the rope ladder spread on the sand slope. Fortunately, there is a rope ladder to pave the way, so your feet will not sink into the sand, and you will not feel too tired.

The beautiful scenery is all at the top of the mountain. Looking around, the field of vision suddenly broadens. Far to the north is the city in the oasis, and to the south there are higher sand peaks blocking the view. At the foot of the mountain, the green spring water is like a crescent moon, accompanied by several ancient buildings and green trees, lying quietly in a piece of yellow sand. In the ditch beside the spring, there are dense reeds and reed flowers in full bloom. The silver reed flowers are shining in the west sunlight, with a few spots of red dotted in the middle, where women in red clothes are taking photos.

Looking around at the ridges of the large and small sand mountains, they look like graceful curves drawn by an art master, smooth and wonderful.

"The sand dunes hug the springs, and the springs reflect the sand dunes." Although the springs are not covered by the quicksand despite strong winds, and the springs are not turbid or dry up in the Gobi desert, the sands and springs coexist, and the springs and sands coexist. It is truly a wonder in the world. I remembered that an introduction said that Crescent Moon Spring has "four wonders": "The shape of the crescent moon is eternal, the clear water becomes a spring in a bad place, the sand mountain is not drowned in the mountain, and the old fish in the ancient pool do not grow old." I felt again. .

Mingsha Mountain has many tourists climbing to the top of the mountain during the day, and the sand falls with their feet. How much quicksand will be stepped on over time? However, Mingsha Mountain " has been blown by the wind, and it has returned to the same path as before " , look at that. The blade-like sand mountain ridges are naturally created by magical nature. This kind of landscape is really rare. Climbing one of the peaks of Mingsha Mountain, I wanted to hear the sound of Mingsha, but I couldn't hear it. Maybe there were too many people, and the noise of people's voices blocked the sound of the sand.

Look at the sky getting late, and there are still people climbing the mountain. Many people on the mountain are unwilling to leave. Some are standing or sitting on high places, waiting for the sunset to arrive.

We can't wait any longer. Hold your chest high and lean back, slowly step on the yellow sand, and go down the slope. You are afraid of running out of time and making your fellow passengers wait for a long time.

The desert car surfing, sandboarding and other projects here felt that they were no longer suitable for us, so we went down the mountain early in the morning.

Back in the city, it was almost night.