The sand grains of Dunhuang's sky carry our memories
The desolation and grandeur of the line 'a solitary smoke straight in the vast desert, the setting sun round over the long river' immediately make us think of the northwestern Gobi. The ancients depicted it beautifully in poetry, but in fact, the sunset over the vast desert and Gobi is even more magnificent...
Dunhuang is located in the northwest of Gansu Province, surrounded by endless deserts and Gobi. The Silk Road runs through here, and passing Yang Pass means entering the Western Regions. Thus, Dunhuang lies on the boundary between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, making it a must-pass for merchants and travelers. Although it was beyond the frontier, it must have been prosperous in the past, with bustling merchants, inns, and teahouses, where people bartered goods, unaffected by the vast Gobi desert... Yang Pass was a strategic throat point for overland foreign trade in ancient times. It was established as a pass in the Western Han Dynasty and named Yang Pass because it was located south of Yumen Pass. Since the Western Han, merchants, monks, envoys, and travelers had their passes verified here, and literati, inspired by the scene, composed many immortal works. As a result, more and more people stayed in Dunhuang, and this small city has seen a constant flow of diverse people for thousands of years.
Upon arriving at the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring scenic area, seeing the boundless desert, I wondered how long it had been like this. Mingsha Mountain embraces Crescent Moon Spring, and they have been together for thousands of years. Climbing to the top, it felt as if the wind from thousands of years ago had blown here again, and every grain of sand seemed to carry its own story, eager to tell it to visitors... Our arrival also told them our stories, and they recorded them. Coming here with a loved one to climb to the top and record your love, then return hand in hand when your hair turns white to listen again...
The magical and ancient Mogao Caves saw wave after wave of artisans who used their hands to express reverence and faith in the Buddha. Lifelike murals told beautiful and magical stories. Batch after batch of eminent monks brought the most precious scriptures before the Buddha, preserved for a thousand years, only to be taken away by foreign powers to distant lands. Hearing the guide's explanation filled me with indignation, hoping that our motherland would become strong and bring them back, so they could continue to listen to the Buddha's teachings before the Buddha...
To deepen my understanding of Dunhuang, I went to see "The Dunhuang Epic," a simple love story that tells Dunhuang's history and its former prosperity, the greatness of the artisans, the piety of the monks, the beauty of Crescent Moon Spring, and people's yearning for the good. The iron firework show takes you back to an era without high technology, letting you feel the joy of people's optimistic life back then... The rotating audience seating allows you to better experience Dunhuang and "The Dunhuang Epic."
Go to see the lifeless Yardang landforms, truly experiencing 'a solitary smoke straight in the vast desert, the setting sun round over the long river.' The sand grains there seem larger than elsewhere, perhaps they were even bigger before, worn down and rounded by thousands of years of wind, just like the formation of these wind-eroded Yardang landforms. After millennia of wind carving and sand cutting, they have taken shape, each unique, bizarre, and lifelike, refreshing the mind and letting thoughts soar endlessly...
Dunhuang has even more beauty waiting for us to discover. If you have time, go to Dunhuang, listen to others' stories, tell your own, and find more stories...
