The journey along the way was full of conversation and laughter.
Danxuan is a person who doesn't like to talk, and he is full of thoughts, so he lowered his eyes along the way and quietly twirled the beads in his sleeves.
However, Yang Wumao and several scientific researchers were very happy and really thought they were on vacation.
This Yang Wumao is a pure nerd. I heard that he was originally most interested in archeology and also understood history. However, his major was mainly in laboratory work and he was unable to put it to use.
In the early years, Professor Liao's management was very strict. He had been locked up in the scientific research institute by Professor Liao, and he had no chance to get out.
This time I came out, like a released bird, chirping along the way, pointing to the scene of the frontier fortress on the roadside, telling my colleagues around me stories about the Western Regions and the Silk Road, and constantly reciting a few lines to suit the occasion.
ancient poems to show off one's talents.
The tour guide named Xiaomi was also a talkative person. He kept talking all the way, arguing with Fat Wei, and kept arguing that he was a descendant of Sogdians. Fat Wei never acknowledged him.
After entering Guazhou, the sky suddenly darkened. It was a bit cloudy today and it is expected that it will rain heavily in the evening.
Xiaomi's original plan was not to travel today, but to drive them directly to the hotel, where they would first learn about the exotic customs around them, eat some of the local specialties, and then go to Thousand Buddha Cave tomorrow.
As for the issue of crowds, Xiaomi said there is no need to worry. No matter when you go to the Thousand Buddha Cave, there are almost no people...
It turns out that although Guazhou is also part of Dunhuang's scenic spots, it is a relatively neglected part.
Guazhou, known as Anxi in ancient times, has been a transportation hub from east to west since ancient times and an important merchant town on the ancient Silk Road.
Although the Thousand Buddha Cave Grottoes here are also very artistically valuable Buddhist cave murals, they are different from the world-famous Mogao Grottoes. This Buddhist cave is much less famous, and its publicity is relatively low-key, and very few people know about it.
Only those who know the history of the Western Regions and have special tastes will come here, and their purpose is to see this ancient frontier town and the original "Picture of Searching for Buddhist Scriptures".
The purpose of Chen Zhi and the others at this time was more direct. The purpose of his visit was to study the "Pictures for Studying the Sutra", so he went straight to the topic, so he did not go to the hotel and went directly to the East Thousand Buddha Cave while it was still early.
Generally speaking, it is rare to see travelers who don't stop eating like this. Although Xiaomi finds it strange, after all, it is the uncle who pays for it, so he still respects their opinions.
So the car went directly to the East Thousand Buddha Caves tourist attraction.
East Thousand Buddha Cave is located in the suburbs of Guazhou. Just walk along Suoyang Ancient Road. Along the way, you can see many historical attractions where romantic talents left poems.
On the way to the ancient city of Suoyang, I saw the famous tamarisk bushes, one after another, fiery red like a red forest. The sheep were grazing nearby. I was not afraid when I saw Chen Zhi and his car, and I still looked happy and contented.
It looks like a beautiful and exotic picture.
Nearly an hour after driving out of the county seat, we saw the famous scenic spot "Broken City".
This broken city has some origins. It was originally called Changle Ancient City. It is about 250 meters long from north to south and 147.7 meters from east to west, with a total area of 36,261 square meters. There are gray pottery pieces, red pottery pieces, tiles, and house buildings scattered throughout the city.
Relics and ash layers are accumulated. The walls of the city site are tall, well-preserved, and built with rammed earth. It is a truly prosperous city in ancient times.
There is a small temple building platform on the north side outside the city, which the local people call "Wangxiang Terrace".
According to relevant expert research, the city has a history of nearly a thousand years, and is nearby the "Yumen Pass" of the Tang Dynasty.
As the saying goes: Why should the Qiang flute blame the willows? The spring breeze does not pass through Yumen Pass.
The desert scenery along the way also looks spectacular, and one can't help but imagine the thousand-year-old ancient battlefield under the yellow sand and the alien culture here, which is really unique.
Yang Wumao and others clamored to go down and take pictures. Xiaomi was also very interested and wanted to stop and turn around, but Chen Zhi refused.
The purpose of this trip was naturally not to visit the mountains and rivers, so we did not stop at such a scenic spot. This made Xiaomi very puzzled. Yang Wumao and the others also kept complaining. In this resentful mood during the rest of the journey,
The car still continued to drive forward.
After driving for nearly 2 hours, we finally saw the ancient city of Suoyang.
Shuyang Ancient City is the end point of the drive. You have to get off the bus after arriving here. There are regulations in the scenic area. You must take a scenic battery car to enter.
Suoyang City, formerly known as Kuyu City, is located on a deserted beach about 75 kilometers southeast of Guazhou. The main city is rectangular, 470 meters long from north to south, and 430 meters wide from east to west.
In addition to the main city, there are four urn cities, and there are also a number of horse faces built around the city to reinforce the city walls.
This city has been abandoned for a long time, but the city walls still exist, about 9 meters high and 5 meters wide. They are all made of rammed loess and are very strong. Some experts claim that even now, this city is difficult to break.
A north-south wall divides the city into east and west parts. The east city is smaller, about 17,000 square meters, and is said to be the residence of the garrison generals and their families.
The West City is larger, about 165,000 square meters, and is said to be a place where soldiers are stationed.
The city is covered with sand dunes, charcoal piles, rubble and broken walls, with tamarisk and sand plants growing there.
There is a well in the West City with a depth of about 1.5 meters. It is said that this well was dug by Xue Rengui during the Tang Dynasty when he was trapped in this city during his Western expedition.
There is also a forest of earthen pagodas about 1 km east of Suoyang City, which is called Pagoda Temple by the locals.
According to historical records, Pagoda Temple was a place for religious activities where local officials and people in Guazhou performed sacrifices during the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties.
The entire tower shape is solemn and majestic, very spectacular. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, wars occurred frequently, and the Western Regions were very chaotic, with countless large and small battles taking place.
Not far from the temple, there is a pit of more than 10 acres. There are many graves in the pit, which is the burial place of ancient dead soldiers.
Those heroic souls from more than 1,000 years ago were buried under the loess along with the glory of that era...