Ancient Silk Road | "This place used to be fenced for sheep raising"

📍 Orlando · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 65 likes

"Barren desert wilderness, hard even for ghosts to pass; The roc bird wishes to fly but cannot at last. Yet see the giant dragon roaring by, Silken clouds of ten thousand bolts reflect the sky red."

Friend from afar, have you ever heard the saying, "Dun means great, Huang means prosperous"? Dunhuang, as a Buddhist holy land with rich colors and an important node on the Silk Road, is world-famous and draws countless hearts with longing.

You may already know its Mogao Caves' splendid murals, and understand how its sand mountains embrace the moon in mutual radiance. But have you also touched upon that a thousand years ago, this place was the throat of the battlefield, a strategic pass on the border, and even more a prosperous and wealthy Silk Road metropolis?

Dunhuang was anciently called Shazhou, because the Qilian Mountains block the wind from the south, piling up sand here. For Dunhuang, this forms a desert's loving encirclement of the city. Starting from Dunhuang's city center, you can enter the desert in just 5 kilometers.

This time, we set out along the Dunhuang section of the ancient Silk Road. The first scene to squeeze into our eyes is the boundless red Gobi desert.

Speaking of the red Gobi, it is still unfamiliar to many, but it truly exists. Due to the weathering and oxidation of iron over eons, the sand and stones are draped in a gorgeous coat, allowing them to show their most dazzling side to rare visitors.

Riding in an off-road vehicle, we crush pebbles, climb sand dunes, cross grass patches. There is no city noise, no signal. There is only an experienced and knowledgeable guide. Put down your phone—look, see the tamarisk blooming brightly, see the Apocynum flowers scattered across the Gobi. Ahead is the monument of the ancient Silk Road. Even this stone tablet placed by later generations could not escape the polishing of wind and sand; its inscriptions are fading day by day.

Encounter True Wonders with Me

Dunhuang's Yardang Devil City is part of the ancient Lop Nur. Its beauty mainly displays five characteristics: wonder, peril, seclusion, antiquity, and charm. Yardangs are scattered across the Gobi; at a glance they seem orderly, but on closer inspection each is different. All this is due to the wind, sand, and scorching sun of the Gobi.

I think the wind and sand on the Gobi are too lonely, so when occasionally a team drives by, they slap hard against the car windows, like a group of wild children, both mischievous and curious. Well, let's leave them on this free land. We are going to find a landscape that seems out of place here—the salt lake wetland.

Not the monotonous blue, nor the uniform symmetry—the minerals of the salt lake always make it stand out in beauty.

By the lake, licorice grows. The root of licorice is the raw material for making licorice tablets. Pull one out, peel the root fibers, take a piece and chew slowly—a wave of sweetness wanders between your teeth.

When the Silk Road was opened, caravans set out from Chang'an (now Xi'an), replenishing supplies in Dunhuang. Then they departed from two passes: southwest to Yangguan, northwest to Yumen Pass. Yumen Pass is the 'sheep pen' mentioned in the title. Many elderly locals know that this area was once fenced for raising sheep. Even now, if you dig about ten centimeters down at Yumen Pass, you can still find sheep droppings.

Scenic spots are either masterpieces of nature or endowed with human history and culture. Yangguan and Yumen Pass belong to the latter. Only when people know and understand them can they revere and protect them.

In ancient times, to pass through a border garrison, one needed to carry a travel permit (tongguan wendie) stamped with the country's seal—essentially an ancient Chinese passport. It sounds ordinary, but to let people personally experience the journey of ancient caravans, many passes still retain this ceremony.

Recently, a 'Pass Master' at the Jiayuguan Scenic Area became a trending topic. He writes the travel document according to the ancient name of each visitor's city, reciting old place names fluently, showing his impressive knowledge of history and geography. Moreover, he explains the reason for passing through using a blend of ancient and modern contexts, such as 'Miss XX came here to find her ideal husband,' often making tourists laugh heartily. Truly an interesting soul with an unrestrained appearance.

"Far up the Yellow River amid white clouds lies, A lone city amid mountains thousands of feet high. Why need the Qiang flute blame the willows? For spring breeze never blows through the Jade Gate Pass."

You can yearn for birdsong and flower fragrance, but you cannot deny my existence.

Because the power of life lies in disobedience.

May my loyal heart and crimson blood be with this pass, this country.

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