The Long Silk Road |
HEAVEN LAKE OF TIAN
MOUNTAIN IN XINJIANG |
| |
DUNHUANG MURAL
PAINTINGS |
| |
DRUM TOWER IN
XI'AN SHAANXI |
| |
DAYAN PAGODA
IN XI'AN |
| |
THE STONE TOWN IN
TAXKORGAN,XINJIANG |
| |
MOGAO GROTTOES IN
DUNHUANG,GANSU |
| |
HUAQING POOL
IN XI'AN |
| |
UYGUR GIRL PLAYING
DONGBULA |
| |
ANCIENT CITY OF
GAOCHANG,XINJIANG |
| |
TERRA COTTA WARRIORS
AND HORSES OF
QINSHIHUANG MAUSOLEUM |
| |
AITIKA MOSQUE IN
XINJIANG |
| |
TA'ER LAMASERY
IN QINGHAI |
| |
QINGHAI LAKE,QINGHAI |
| |
BUDDHIST ASSEMBLY
OF THE LABRANG
MONASTERY IN GANSU |
| |
|
As early as 2,000 years ago, the Chinese and foreign businessmen continuously transported silk goods from Xian(known as Changan then),the ancient capital, to the Middle Asia and as far as the places along the Mediterranean Sea and gradually opened a main artery of goods and culture exchanges between the east and west. China is the original place of this silk road and is located on the golden section of this road. The section within the Chinese boundary is over 4,000 kilometers long and there are over 40 minorities living along it. Making a tour along this part of the Silk Road one can get some idea of the splendor of this road in the past by visiting various historical remains and relics and experience the colorful custom ,as well as appreciate the vigorous and natural scenery in the northwest.
Speaking about Xian, the well known place should be the tombs with the clay figures of the warriors and horses in the Qin Dynasty, which is one of the eight wonders in the world and one of the ten scenic spots and historical sites in China. Since the discovery of the No.1pit of the funerary objects in 1974 , the name of Emperor Qin Shihuang , ordered millions of labourer to build the Great Wall against invaders , has again been mentioned in all parts of the world .The pit with funerary objects is situated 1,500 meters to the east side if the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang and till now three pits with figures of warriors and horses have been unearthed. In the pits there are large numbers of funerary object, and the clay and color painted figures of warriors and horses of the same sizes of the real man and horse, also there are various weapons used in the real combat. Nearly ten thousand clay soldiers stand in four battle arrays :the infantry array, holding horse array , cart array and mounted arrays ,with bows, arrows ,crossbows and dagger-axes, spears and halberds in hand. Sine are dashing forward with crossbows, some are riding in horses and carts . all faxing to the east . Of the three pits the No.1 pit is the largest one with 230 meters ling from the east to the west ,62 meters wide from the south to the north and about 5 meters deep with over 6,000 figures; the No.2 pit contains the mixed four arrays in row; the No.3 pit is a small one holding a command post. By the side of the pits one can see the lively figures made by skillful craftsmen , like a large army rushed up to here .The first Emperor Yingzheng dominating the land then , even dreamed of commanding his great army to defence his state and power after his death , and his ambition was really unrivalled.
Among many historical remains and relics in Xian City , Dayan Pagoda is a must place to be reached by visitors from home and abroad for its special architectural style and the position in the dissemination of Buddhism. Funded by Gaozong , the emperor of the Tang Dynasty , the pagodas was built in the west courtyard in Cien Temple under the requirement of Xuanzhuang, who then presided over the temple ,for the purpose of protecting the Buddhist scriptures brought back by Xuanzhuang from his pilgrimage to India . For thousand of years, the tower has been damaged and rebuilt several times, and now the tower is near 64 meters high,and on both sides of it there are inlaid the "Preface for sanzang`s Saint Teaching of the Great Tang Dynasty"by the Emperor Taizong and two tablets with "Record of the Preface for sanzong`s Saint Teaching of the Great Tang Dynasty" by the Emperor Gaozong. The writer is the then famous calligraphist Chu Suiliang for his graceful and elegant writing. These are the famous tablets left from the Tang Dynasty. The achievements of over ten years trudge of Xuanzhuang to Tianzhu India along the Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty are the translation and development of the buddhist classics and scriptures, which are the powerful evidences of the prosperity of the Silk Road in the past. Huaqing Pool, the table forest, Banpo historical relics, Efang Palace relics, Qian Tomb, Mao Tomb, Zhao Tomb, Huoqing`s Tomb… everywhere around several hundred square kilometers of the old city Xian, there are full of historical relics and remains. Mountain, stone, tile and wood are all the witnesses of age-old events and old culture. Walking around there, visitors cannot deny that the cultural history of Chinese nation is rich and profound, and reached the splendid achievements in the past.
Out of Xian City to the west, the Silk Road winds its way near to the Taer Temple in Huangzhong County, the west suburb of Qinghai Province. In the Zang language the templ is called"Gunben", meaning a hundred thousand Buddhist statues, built in the 39th years (1560) of the Jiajing regime in the Ming Dynasty, and is one of the six large temples of the Gelu School (Yellow Sect, a branch of Lamaism). The whole temple is built in accordance with the rising and falling if the mountains and scattered up and down in order , which is the complete combination of the Han and Zang architecture group. Every year in the 1st, 4th, 6th and 9th mouths of Lunar Year are four grand Buddhist gatherings to be held and the one on the 15th of first lunar month is the largest one. The wonderful Buddhist legends, tales, butter flowers made by skillful craftsmen, the wall paintings and the three wonders of embossed embroidery attract ten thousands of Zang, Meng, Tu, Han and other peopleto pay respects and worship there. Therefore the temple has become the center of the Buddhist activities in the whole country even in the Southeast Asia.
Not far from Taer Temple, there is Labrang Temple in Xiahe county of the Zang Autonomous Prefecture of the south part of Gansu Province another large temple among the six of Gelu School and it is famous for its storage of ten thousands of culture relics and over 60 thousand Buddhist scriptures in Zang language.
On the long Silk Road in the past, people and carts for transportation were no longer alive, yet the introduction of culture and belief of the east and west accompanied by the goods, the exchange, mixture and contradiction of custom and habits have gradually condensed into various religious, culture and ways of thinking, and are embodied by numerous grottoes, temples and cities. Taer Temple is such an example and so is Dunhuang is located on the inland to the west part of Afsia . From here the road splits into two ways, the south one leading Yang Pass, 80 kilometres from the northwest of the county. At that time the place was surrounded by sand hills with rolling sand and rare residents. No wonder Wang Wei, the poet in the Tang Dynasty had his poem"Please have another glass of wine for there will be no folks out of Yang Pass in the west", while Wang Zhihuan, another poet also wrote: "Spring wind never comes to Yumen Pass", the wonderful words have long been cited by descendants. The importance of the history and value of Dunhuang is not because of its key position alone . In 1900, in a stone cave on the cliff of the east side of Whooping Sand Mountain, there discovered by chance the full storage of Buddhist scriptures, documents, embroidery products, portraits and cultural relics as many as more than 50 thousand pieces, including the relics and books of ten dynasties from the 4th century to 14th century. The news made astir all over the world and attracted great attention of the scholars at home and abroad. Since then, the research on the murals of about 45000 square meters and 2415 colorful statues in nearly 500 caves of Mogao Cave on the cliff, as well as Dunhuang study have been formed. Mogao Cave absolutely deserves to be listed by the United Nations as a protected unit of the world cultural relics.
On the silk Road within the Chinese boundary, everywhere there is the charming and amazing and amazing brilliance. Visiting to Turpan which enjoys the reputation of being a grape city in Xinjiang, one seems to enter a fruit exhibition city and is surrounded by grape vines like green grapes and the refreshing scent all around. After sharing the joy and happiness with the people there in Turpan in August harvest season, and looking around the collapsed walls and debris of the mysterious and desolate ancient city Gaochang, one can hardly believe that the ruin was the location of the important capital and the busy market repeatedly marked with the foot steps of the businessmen , Hu people and retailers who travel back and forth between Changan and Romen on the silk Road .Who knows how many rises and falls occurred during the past 2000 years in this long silk road? It is just like the stone city erecting on the high hill by the Taxkoragn County on the Pamir Plateau, the symbol of the frequent exchanges and transportation on the Silk Road in the Han and Tang Dynasties . Up to the top of this hill which bears many scars like an old man experiencing a long life, one may have the feeling of being in an endless history. Owing to the existence of the communication artery linking the east and west, Xinjiang , also known as the part in the west in ancient time , has splendid development of culture; also owing to the existence of this communication artery, the city Kaxgar , especially its dabazha and aitika temples have become the living fossil of the history of the present Xinjiang.
Along the silk Road , there are not only historical relics and folk custom, but also the lofty, quiet and mysterious Tianchi in Tianshan , the autumn leaves like fire in the Kanasi forest, the flaming Mountain, fruits Gully and Mushtage Peak. It is true that Xinjiang is a wonderful place. |
|
