Category Archives: dunhuang

On my second day in Dunhuang I rented a taxi for the day with two new friends, Da Jing and Xiao Suan. We travelled out to the Ya Dan Geologic Park and several historic outposts on the Silk Road, including Yumen Pass (玉門關), Yang Pass (陽關), and the Han Dynasty Great Wall Ruins.

Trade along the Silk Road became a problem in the second century BCE when the Xiongnu people displaced the Yuezhi and Se (Saka) peoples in areas of present-day Gansu and Xinjiang. This became a priority of Emperor Wudi of Han (140 – 87 BCE) who dispatched Zhang Qian in 138 BCE to make an alliance with the Yuezhi. Zhang Qian’s travels through the western regions to Bactria (now in Afghanistan) were noted in the Records of the Historian by Sima Qian. Zhang Qian’s travel paved the way for Han delegations to travel to India, Syria, and the Mediteranian. Xinjiang was annexed as a part of the Han empire in 60 BCE. The Great Wall was extended to this area during the Han Dynasty. We visited the remains of the Han Dynasty Great Wall, shown in the photos below, at a point approximately 95 kilometers west of Dunhuang.

The Great Wall, along with most building structures in that area during in ancient and medieval times were made from rammed earth with matted grass acting as re-inforcing. The watchtowers were made from brick.

Yang Pass is named because it is the southern most pass (yang meaning the Sun, which is in the south) of the two passes in the area. There is a visitor’s center and museum at Yang pass today. Photos from Yang Pass are shown in the slide show below.

The Yumen Pass was named after the jade (pinyin: yu) that was transported here from the Hetian area in Xinjiang. It is not a mountain pass at all put situated on flat land. It is called a pass because it was the only way to pass into or out of the area.

Yumen Pass, Gansu

All travellers in ancient and medieval times had to travel through these passes. Kumarajiva (鳩摩羅什), who lived from 344 – 413, and was from the area of present day Kashmir was one of the most prolific translators of Buddhist sutras. He travelled through Dunhuang circa 384 with a load sutras loaded on his horse. Unfortunately, his horse fell ill and died there. He raised funds to build a pagoda in honor of his horse. Today, White Horse Pagoda (白馬塔) is still standing in Dunhuang. A photo is shown below.

White Horse Pagoda, Dunhuang

Another interesting place to visit in the Dunhuang area is San Wei Hills. There are three sites in the San Wei Hills Scenic area: Wang Mu Palace, Avalokiteśvara Hall, and Nan Shan Temple. The site days to circa 366. We met a wonderful nun at Avalokiteśvara Hall who cooked a delicious lunch for us. A photo of Nan Shan Temple is shown below.

Nan Shan Temple, San Wei Hills, Gansu

Because of control of the western part of the Silk Road by the Persians the Romans attempted to travel to China by sea. Initially, they bought silk at ports in India but later they were later successful in making direct contact in circa 166 CE. As maritime technology improved more trade was done by sea than by land across the Silk Road. After the fall of the Mongol Empire in 1368 the Silk Road was abandoned.

References

1. Du Doucheng and Wang Suqing, 2005 Dunhuang and Silk Road, Sea Sky Publishing House, Shenzhen, China, ISBN 7-80697-402-4/G.
2. Shen Fuwei, 2009. Cultural Flow Between China and Outside World throughout History. Foreign Languages Press, ISBN 978-7-119-05753-8.

Mogao Caves is the largest and most complete set of Buddhist cave murals still existing. Because of the desert environment and early it has been preserved relatively well. Because of early identification if its historic value it escaped damage in the Cultural Revolution although many works were removed by foreigners and taken to locations in Britain, France, Russia, and India near the turn of the twentieth century. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and maintained in a highly protected way to preserve it as well as possible.

Mogao Caves are located a short distance out of Dunhuang, close to the airport. I got a taxi there from the Hostel. Only a limited number of caves are open to the public and a guide will lead you through them. A visit takes about 2 – 4 hours. I visited in May, which is an ideal time to visit with temperatures in the mid 20′s (about 75 deg. F) and relatively few people. In the summer months the temperatures can be in the 40′s (over 100 deg. F) and packed with people. There is no photography allowed in the caves. All the photos here were taken from the exterior or from copies at the Dunhuang Institute Exhibition Center.

There are 492 caves in the Mogao cave group. The earliest of these date back to to the Northern Wei (386 – 534) and the latest in the Yuan (1271 – 1368). Cave building and mural painting reached its peak in the Tang (618 – 907). The site has been an important pilgrimage site throughout its history and continues to be today.

After buying your ticket you will enter the cave area with a guide and be shown 7 or 8 caves. That will most likely include the representative caves from each of the different periods Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Song and certain special caves, including the Library Cave, the large Maitreya, and the reclining Buddha. The library cave the documents found in it is too large a topic to discuss here. I will write about it in a future posting.

Wooden Structure at Mogao

The murals are mostly based on stories from sutras but a few are paintings of donors. The Dunhuang Institute Exhibition Center outside has full size replicas of some of the caves and a very good explanation of the historic background. The exhibition also describes how the art works were created and how they have changed over time.

Part of a replicate of the mural in cave 276, Sui Dynasty (581—618)

The most striking things of some of the paintings are the thick black lines outlining facial and body features. This is because of oxidation of the lead-based paint used. Originally, these were white and intended to give a three dimensional feel to the paintings.

Bodhisatva in Cave 3

One of the best replicas is of Cave 25 at Yulin Caves. Yulin Caves is another group of caves in the Dunhuang area that I did not have time to visit on this trip to Dunhuang. The photo below shows the detail of Manjusri from the replica of Cave 25 at Yulin.

Manjusri Bodhisattva, Cave 25, Yulin Caves, Mid-Tang (781-847) Replica

There are a number of stupas in the desert outside the caves, which make a very atmospheric backdrop to the scene at Mogao. These are from the Republic period (1911—1949). The photo below shows several of these.

Stupas from the Republic period (1911-1949)

Reference
Du Doucheng and Wang Suqing, 2005 Dunhuang and Silk Road, Sea Sky Publishing House, Shenzhen, China, ISBN 7-80697-402-4/G.

Alex

I went to Dunhuang for a quick three day visit last weekend (May 26 to 28), taking advantage of the Memorial Day holiday in the US (no teleconference meetings:). I flew from Beijing and stayed at the Youth Hostel in downtown. It is a very nice hostel, affordable (Y50 or about $8 / night), with very friendly staff, and many of independent Chinese travellers.

Immediately, when approaching the city from the air it is apparent what an important oasis Dunhuang is. The city is literally surrounded by hundreds of miles of sand dunes. On my first day I visited Mogao Caves and Ming Sha Dunes. Mogao Caves needs an entire blog for itself. More on that in another posting. Ming Sha Dunes (鳴沙山), literally Singing Sand Dunes is a great place to get a feel for the scale of the place and what it is like trekking up and down the dunes. Close by is Crescent Moon Springs (月牙泉) and Crescent Moon Pavilion (月泉閣), which is a nice place to take a break.

The Silk Road dates back to the Bronze Age in China. Merchants followed military conquests from the West into Central Asia and from China westwards into the region. In ancient times the trade reached peaks around the time of Darius the Great (521-481 BCE) of Persia and Alexander the Great (336-323) of Macedonia. Ancient China covered a larger area for a more sustained period of time than any of the Western empires and began making silk in the Stone Age. Silk produced in China was sold to the West and glassware, jade, gold, silver, and other precious minerals where brought from the Europe and Southwest Asia to China. Later on, Chinese porcelain became an important export item as well.

Wang Mu Palace

China’s contact with the people in the Dunhuang area dates back to at least the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). Early legends described Xi Wangmu （西王母）, literally, the Queen of the West, and contact by King Mu of Zhou (1001-947 BCE). Xi Wangmu is a goddess in a number of colorful stories. The legend of Xi Wangmu has been connected with the Saka people¹, an ancient ethnic group in the area known to both the Persians and the Chinese. The Saka people, known as the Se people to the Chinese, may have been important for trading in the early Silk Road. The photo above shows a temple, called Wang Mu Palace (王母宮), built in honour or Xi Wangmu at San Wei Mountain, near Mogao Caves. The setting, surrounded by forbidding bare rock mountains, is appropriate.

Looking down San Wei Mountain from Wang Mu Palace

Dunhuang has been one of the most important stopping points on the Silk Road since historic times. The name refers to lighting of warning beacons when local tribes would attack the outpost. It lies at near the eastern convergence of the northern and southern branches of the Silk Road. The outpost was also important for China to ensure the safety of the Silk Road, although the city was occupied at various times by Xianbei, Western Xia, Mongolian, and other groups. It was a major center for Buddhism for these of ethnic groups and very important for the transmission of Buddhism to China. More details on that in another post.

Notes

1. Shen Fuwei, 2009. Cultural Flow Between China and Outside World throughout History. Foreign Languages Press, ISBN 978-7-119-05753-8

Alex