If Taoist Wang had not discovered the Sutra Cave, perhaps Dunhuang culture would only belong to China now. However, there is no word "if" in the world. Today, it is difficult to judge who is right and who is wrong.
However, Zhuang Rui could not let go of the fact that Taoist Wang still hid most of the fine Buddhist scrolls and sold them to foreign archaeologists and explorers even after the government at that time paid attention to them.
As the owners of these precious cultural relics, the number of scrolls and cultural relics currently stored in China is less than one-seventh of the total number of discoveries. How can this make many archaeologists in the country feel embarrassed?
The past history cannot be changed. After sighing for a while, Zhuang Rui and others left this scripture cave, which combines glory and humiliation, and continued to visit the Mogao Grottoes with the tourist crowd.
Although the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang represent the essence of Western Region culture, and there are still many places for future generations to study and excavate, they have already formed a unique Dunhuang culture, with dedicated researchers working tirelessly, and
The purpose of Zhuang Rui's trip has nothing to do with it.
Therefore, after visiting Dunhuang for a day, Zhuang Rui and the archaeological team began to survey the geographical environment around Dunhuang and the places where there may be tombs. Their main focus of the inspection was temporarily placed in places where people still live.
.
As a desert oasis on the Silk Road thousands of years ago, the people who came and settled in Dunhuang at that time could be said to be wealthy businessmen. This also determined the formation of a prosperous town within a radius of hundreds of miles around Dunhuang.
Of course some people are born, old, sick and die. Many documents unearthed before Dunhuang also mention some famous ancient tombs. However, due to the increasing desertification over the past thousand years, these tombs have disappeared without a trace, just like the ancient Loulan country.
disappeared.
The special geographical environment of the desert is only one factor that makes it difficult for Zhuang Rui to carry out his work. What worries everyone more is that the prosperity of Dunhuang and its surrounding areas a thousand years ago also attracted many tomb robbers. What was discovered in the past few days
The two suspected tombs have obvious traces of tomb robbers.
In the past few days, Zhuang Rui and others did not enter the desert area. Instead, they inspected Wuwei Jiuquan and other places very close to Dunhuang. However, the survey results disappointed Zhuang Rui. They found a lot of tombs, but compared with Henan and Shaanxi
Likewise, almost all the burial objects inside were swept away.
Zhuang Rui was a little helpless. It seemed that the earth could no longer stop the tomb robbers. Even in such a remote place, it attracted a large number of underground workers.
After discussing with Dr. Ren, Zhuang Rui decided to enter the desert tomorrow and visit a ruins that Dr. Ren had visited before. Perhaps the ruthless desert could deter tomb robbers.
…
"Wow, so beautiful, so beautiful..."
On the morning of the fourth day after arriving in Dunhuang, the sun had just risen. Zhuang Rui and others drove out of Dunhuang City and entered the desert. Xiao Jia and others, who had never been here before, were immediately attracted by the beautiful scenery in front of them.
Already.
The wind is like a paintbrush in the desert. It blows snake-like sand patterns on the sand over the years. It is as vast and rough as the sea, but also deep and delicate. When you first see the monotonous desolation, if you look at it from another angle, you will immediately appreciate its changes.
The place to measure.
The morning sunlight is unusually soft and bright, rendering the desert in various colors at different angles. Only in such a place can beautiful natural landscapes like mirages appear.
Since this place is not too far from Dunhuang, you can often see a few low cactus-like plants in the sand, which are so eye-catching in the desert and add a touch of green vitality to the barren desert.
"Okay, don't run away like crazy. You'll feel like vomiting when you see the sand in two days..."
There was a smile on Dr. Ren's face. When he first came here, his performance was not much better than these young people. But after working in the desert for a few days, you will feel that it is difficult to live in the city.
What a happy thing.
Lack of water is the first problem we face in the desert. Bathing here is definitely a luxury. After working every day, you can’t even wash your clothes. You can only throw the clothes wet with sweat on the sand to dry.
, after a few days, no one is not ashamed, and when he returns to the city, he will be considered a beggar without dressing up.
Therefore, in many archaeological teams, there are usually very few women. This time, Dr. Ren originally wanted Xiaolei to stay in Dunhuang, but the little girl was very stubborn and eventually followed him into the desert.
"Brother Ren, how long will it take to get to the place you mentioned?"
Only two cars entered the desert this time, and there was still a path. Zhuang Rui was afraid that if he went forward for a while, he would not even be able to see the road.
"It will take more than an hour. We need to drive to Qiujiawo first, then ride camels towards the North Gobi Desert, and then walk for another hour..."
Five or six years ago, Dr. Ren followed Professor Meng to inspect a ruins in the desert. It was originally a small town on the Silk Road, but it was abandoned by people and gradually covered by wind and sand.
Not many things were unearthed from that site, but Dr. Ren learned from some relevant documents unearthed from the site that on the Silk Road more than a thousand years ago, it was once as prosperous as Dunhuang.
In the era of the former Taoist Wang, there were no human beings living anywhere. It was only after the conditions became worse that they moved away.
Now the site has been transformed into a tourist attraction for domestic and foreign tourists who like adventure. The purpose of Dr. Ren taking Zhuang Rui there is of course not to be a travel companion, but to conduct a survey in the surrounding area to see if he can find anything.
Ancient tombs that have not yet been discovered by the world.
There is a small natural oasis in Qiujiawo, which does not dry out all year round and can provide drinking water for hundreds of people. It has also developed into a small town with dozens of families living there. It is also the closest inhabited area to the ruins.
The place where I live, past Qiujiawo, is the vast Gobi desert.
Although the ruins are not very far from Dunhuang, they have completely entered the desert area and are inaccessible to vehicles. They can only go there by camel, so Qiujiawo has become a transit point for exploring the ruins. Zhuang Rui and others arrived at Qiujiawo
By the time, many tourists had already gathered here.
When you come to the outskirts of the town, you can see that almost every household has a camel. Many tourists are already sitting on the camels, dancing and marching towards the desert. The "ding-dong" camel bells and people's laughter echo in the town.
With.
"Uncle Liu, are you at home?"
Dr. Ren had worked here for several months. After parking his car outside the town, he took Zhuang Rui and others directly to the door of a house. During the archaeological work a few years ago, Dr. Ren had always
He lives here.
On the way here, Dr. Ren introduced the owner of the house to Zhuang Rui and others. Old Uncle Liu was originally from Xi'an. During the Qing Dynasty, his ancestors moved his family to this sparsely populated place because they could not bear the government's exorbitant taxes.
The land that can be cultivated is scarce, but it still allows people to survive.
Old Liu Tou has three sons, two of whom have moved to the city. Only he and his youngest son still stick to their ancestral business. However, with the tourism development of the desert ruins in the past few years, more and more people come to visit. Old Liu
The days I spent with my head were quite nourishing.
"Here, there, who is it?"
A voice of agreement came from the courtyard, and the courtyard door opened from the inside. A thin old man with a wrinkled face appeared in front of everyone, "Qiangzi, it's your boy, come on...come in..."
The old man was very surprised to see Ren Chunqiang, and he quickly called everyone into the yard. His yard was very big, and there was a pressurized water well in the middle of the yard. There were shelves everywhere in the yard, and they were covered with many grape vines.
It is covered with small yellow-green cone-shaped flowers.
Although it is not yet the ripening season for grapes, after walking into the courtyard, it was green everywhere, which made everyone who looked at the yellow sand for more than an hour feel a sense of coolness in their hearts.
After Old Liu Tou let everyone into the courtyard, he walked to the door and took a look, then turned back to Dr. Ren and asked: "Xiao Qiangzi, why... Brother Meng didn't come this time?"
Old Liu Tou is several years older than Professor Meng. When Professor Meng lived here a few years ago, the two old men formed a deep friendship. When they saw Professor Meng not coming this time, they couldn't help but look a little disappointed.
.
Dr. Ren took out some gifts from his bag, placed them on the table, and said: "Uncle Liu, the teacher didn't come this time. This is the gift he asked me to bring you. He asked me to say hello to you.
, so that you can go and stay with him in Beijing for a while..."
"Okay, okay, I will definitely go when I have time. A learned man like Brother Meng still cares about me. I will definitely bother Brother Meng when the time comes..."
After hearing what Dr. Ren said, the wrinkles on the old man's face relaxed. He hurriedly took out a thermos bottle from the house and brewed tea for everyone.
"Uncle Liu, please stop working so hard. We are here this time to ask you to come out...",
Dr. Ren stepped forward and snatched the thermos from Old Liu Tou's hand, and said to Zhuang Rui: "Old Uncle Liu is a walking map of this place. With him following us, we won't be afraid of getting lost in this desert. We were doing the inspection back then.
At that time, it was old Uncle Liu who was the guide..."
The terrain of the desert is unpredictable. One moment there is often a sand mountain in front of you, but the next moment it may become a flat plain. Therefore, if you want to conduct archaeological activities in the desert, a good guide who is familiar with the terrain is essential.
