Dunhuang: A Place of Enchantment
But once an image enters a poet's mind, it takes on the poet's subjective color. In Yue'er's eyes, a face slowly surfaced—a face she had once wanted to pour her true feelings into. A person comes to an unfamiliar city to begin a solo journey of her own.
Taking a train from Qinghai, I arrived alone in the famous cultural city of Dunhuang. As soon as I reached Dunhuang, I thought of the Gobi Desert.
What is the Gobi Desert really like? Is it all yellow sand swirling in the sky, with no grass growing? Is it truly as magnificent as the poet's lines, "A solitary smoke straight in the vast desert, the setting sun round over the long river"?
With a few doubts, I first checked into the hotel I had booked in advance.
The next day, I began the first day of my solo journey.
At nine in the morning, I set off for Yangguan, which is over seventy kilometers away from the city center. Walking alone on the boundless Gobi Desert, I played Yanni's "Dream of the Hexi Corridor" on my phone.
This feeling was absolutely amazing.
P.S.: Traveling alone is really wonderful. The day's itinerary ended like this.
After a fulfilling first day, the next day I went to the scenic spot Yueyaquan (Crescent Moon Spring), which is very close to my hotel. As I entered the scenic area, I saw stretches of desert. Roaming on the top of the sand mountain, I overlooked every corner of the city and marveled at that crescent-shaped spring that never withers.
Walking down the foot of the mountain, I sampled local snacks near the hotel and then leisurely walked back to the hotel alone (I had booked tickets online for the local Dunhuang Grand Ceremony performance).
Regarding the performance, the local sunset time is quite late. The performance I booked was said to be a live outdoor show. At the ticket window, I learned from the staff that the Dunhuang Grand Ceremony can only be watched after dark. I waited in the rest area until 9 p.m. for ticket checking, and the show officially started at 9:30 p.m.
The performance was a bit dull at the beginning, but when their seats started to rotate as a whole, it caught all my attention. The graceful and elegant stage dance, and the iron flower forging I saw for the first time—according to the introduction, iron flower forging is an intangible cultural heritage. Then came a very spectacular 3D wall projection show, very realistic, and the plot was quite engaging.
When the rotating chairs entered the cave again, the plot's depiction of Moding's reluctance to part with the princess stirred all my emotions. I couldn't help but shed tears. That scene was truly touching: Moding's unwillingness and the princess's helplessness were acted out vividly. After I calmed down from the tears, the flying celestial maiden descending from above was so beautiful it made me cry. I watched the entire performance through all the plots. This show is really worth seeing. Let me share some stage photos to feast your eyes.
The Buddha image created by lighting in the first act was really lifelike.
The iron flower forging was also a scene with strong local characteristics—beautiful and impressive.
The cave scene was truly magnificent.
I couldn't help but admire my excellent photography skills. A perfect performance. I also recommend that locals watch this performance with its superb visual effects.
It was a worthwhile trip. I spent these few short days alone, very fulfilling and relaxing. My soul was also greatly enlightened. Dunhuang can be said to be a pure land that purifies one's mind. Staying there is comfortable, without any noise. It truly allowed me to calm my heart. Every journey has its unique sentiment, and so does Dunhuang. It gives people a unique and noble sentiment.
