Myanyu Maijishan Prose

Visiting Maiji Mountain is an unplanned attraction. We originally planned to stay in Xi'an for two nights, walk around the base of the ancient city wall, and listen to the bells at Famen Temple. However, due to the suggestion of our teammate Jiang Nan, we gave up many scenic spots in Xi'an. When the last drop of delicious soup from the bowl of mutton steamed buns in Xi'an was still hanging on the corners of our mouths, we had already set off straight to Tianshui, Gansu. Because Maiji Mountain is there.

Talking about Maiji Mountain was the most embarrassing trip in our entire trip. The reasons are as follows:

The first is accommodation. When we arrived at Tianshui from Xi'an, it was already 11:30 in the evening, and we decided to stay in Maijishan District, Tianshui City. When I went into the city to look for a hotel, I found that all the hotels, big and small, were fully booked, and even the most inconspicuous guest houses had no rooms. There are many people like us wandering around on the streets who can't find a place to stay. Our two cars had to search separately, trying our luck. After inquiring about many hotels, they still couldn't find a house. Brother Zeng and his eldest brother had given up and planned to choose a quiet place to camp in the suburbs. It was already past 1 o'clock in the morning, everyone was very tired, and a lot of time was wasted setting up and collecting tents. Besides, it was a strange place, and it was so dark that I couldn't see what was going on around me, and I didn't know if it was safe or not. Qiqi and I objected to camping and insisted on going to the city to find a hotel. After our extensive search, we finally found two luxury apartments in a high-end hotel. At this time, we didn’t care about the price of the hotel at all, as long as we had a place to stay. The whole house-hunting process took us nearly three hours. At three o'clock in the morning, Lili and I finally finished washing and fell asleep peacefully.

The second is traffic jam. The next day, we set off early to the Maiji Mountain Scenic Area. When we approached the scenic area, there was already a long queue because there were too many cars entering and exiting the parking lot of the scenic area. This is the longest traffic jam we have ever had on this trip (compared to other routes, this may not be too bad). The Xi'an Ring Expressway is also congested, but you can still move slowly. Here, you can just rest where you are. . Fortunately, with the help of the traffic police, we entered the scenic spot in about an hour. We should pay tribute to these traffic policemen who still stick to their jobs during the holidays!

Then it rained. In the 13-day trip, it was the only day I saw raindrops in Maiji Mountain. Brother Zeng said that when going to the northwest, you should basically not consider rain, so I didn’t even bring rain gear. When we entered the scenic spot, it was raining non-stop. We bought umbrellas at a stall, took a sightseeing bus to the middle of the mountain, and then walked forward in the rain. In fact, we were all still soaked to the skin. Because when we entered the Maijishan Grottoes plank road, there were too many people and we had to queue for several hours in the rain. Umbrellas were of no use in the crowded queue. The rainwater on them dripped into their clothes, and all the tourists got wet. There are those who are indifferent, there are those who laugh, there are those who complain, there are those who are angry, there are those who cry as children, and there are those who scream for refunds. Of course, there is also warmth. When there are too many people and it’s not possible for everyone to hold an umbrella, sometimes I hide under other people’s umbrellas, and sometimes others hide under mine, and we all look at each other and smile. This smile bloomed on the faces of strangers and planted warmth in the hearts of strangers.

The Maijishan Grottoes are one of the four major grottoes in China. They are built on the Maiji Mountain shaped like a stack of wheat. Maiji Mountain has green forests and thick bushes. The hilltop in the shape of a wheat stack is plump and ruddy in color, standing high among the green bushes. The whole mountain does not look like it grew up in the rugged north, but has a bit of the elegance of the south. In addition, it is a rainy day, the mist is hazy, and it appears and disappears, giving people a feeling of a fairyland on earth.

In China, wherever there are famous mountains, there must be famous temples, and Maiji Mountain is no exception. Built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, this grotto, which has gone through thousands of years of wind and rain and is carved with mud, cotton, hair, and egg white, is a temple, hanging high on the mountainside halfway up the mountain. Such large-scale cliff pavilions, caves, cliff niches, mountain towers, and corridors are all built in the air on cliffs dozens of meters high. Some people say that it is a huge footprint left by the Buddha on the land of Qinchuan when he traveled from the distant Western Regions to the Central Plains. It is the relics of the Buddha, the relics of time, the relics of the soul and the craftsmanship.

Why bother and spend so much money to build the temple in mid-air? Is it to avoid the invasion of savage beasts? Or to protect against forest fires? I can't figure it out. But one thing is certain: we have not escaped the disaster of the earthquake. The tour guide told us that those closed grottoes and plank roads were damaged by the earthquake and were not open to tourists for fear of being unsafe. I looked in the direction of the tour guide's finger, and saw that the honeycomb-like grottoes were on the verge of collapse but not falling, and the plank roads like ladders were in danger of falling but not falling.

I was impressed by this unique building and marveled at the superhuman courage and courage, extraordinary skills and craftsmanship of those craftsmen in ancient times. Thinking back to those days, there were no caves for rock climbing, no ladders for climbing to the sky, and no towers for lifting objects. On the vertical mountain, I wonder how they transported these building materials halfway up the mountain. Before I could ask more questions, the tour guide sent us to the entrance of the plank road and hurried down the mountain to attract another group of tourists. In fact, it is not difficult to know, I only need to search it on Baidu, but I prefer to keep it in my heart as a legend. As for those skilled craftsmen, Maijishan did not record them, and history did not remember them, but their souls have been attached to this unrivaled work. They are masters who have served art and finally returned to their true form!

While waiting for my companions, I carefully browsed the pictures and text descriptions in the window, and got a basic understanding of the Buddha statues in some major caves. From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, from the tall and sacred Buddha to the humble and humble donor, they were carefully carved by countless skilled craftsmen. Their expressions are rich and vivid, and they may smile silently or express affection with their eyebrows. Moreover, each dynasty has its own characteristics: the delicate bones of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the round and smooth muscles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the life portraits of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. They are all in line with the aesthetic standards of the time and represent the aesthetic concepts of an era. It can be called a masterpiece. The palace of art.

After waiting in line for more than two hours in the rain, with soaked clothes (no jacket), hungry and cold, we finally got to go on the plank road. There were so many tourists that day. Even though they were going up here and off there, they were still crowded and crowded, so they could only move slowly. Even at the entrance, I was carried in by others, and I was squeezed in the middle without my feet touching the ground. Brother Huimin and Jiali were so crowded that they disappeared. Brother Zeng shouted "Don't crowd, don't crowd" on the walkie-talkie while leading Kuaishou and I through the staff passage and met Qiqi who was waiting in front. Haha, our walkie-talkie worked well this time. Brother Zeng pretended to be a staff member and shouted from time to time with the walkie-talkie. As soon as Brother Zeng shouted, the tourists consciously moved aside, and we moved forward smoothly. Halfway down the road, we separated again, and there was no one behind or behind me. The suspended plank road was getting higher and higher. My legs were weak and I was frightened. I couldn't even find any comfort, but I had no choice but to climb up, otherwise I would block the way of others. Climbing to the highest point, the feeling of wanting to die but being afraid of death is really scary. A long plank road is crowded with tourists, and there are tourists as big as ants at their feet. The distant peaks are vaguely visible in the clouds and mist, and Maiji Mountain stands high above Wanfeng. I dared to look down, and saw that the mortal world was ethereal and the world was vast, as if I was in the clouds. Suddenly, an idea came to mind: Will this plank road collapse when it suddenly carries so many tourists? If it collapses, it would be strange if it doesn't break into pieces. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and the more frightened I became, the weaker my legs became. I couldn’t care less about admiring those exquisite clay sculptures and paintings. I touched the wall with my hands, hunched over like a kitten stealing a fish, and moved slowly with the flow of people. I stared straight ahead, chanting Amitabha, and praying that the plank road would end soon.

After N centuries, finally, finally, I returned to the ground safely, and then I breathed a long sigh of relief. When I touched it, I found that the little heart was still there, but the soul was lost somewhere. In order to prove that I was indeed back on the ground, I stamped my feet hard. Alas, this feeling of being down to earth is so good!

Maiji Mountain just stayed in my hurried trip, thrilling and exciting. Those topics that I didn’t have time to talk to Buddha about were kept deep in my heart. Buddha said: Let go and you will be at peace.

Go down the mountain, find a companion, change clothes, eat, and rush to the next attraction.