An important post station on the Silk Road, the north gate of Qinghai, the ancient city of Zhong 'ebao in Qilian Mountain

August is the peak season for traveling to Qinghai. There are many cars on the road, and every road is repaired. The cars lined up in an endless queue and stopped to move slowly.

Fortunately, everyone is out to play, close to nature and relax, but it also seems leisurely. When the bus stopped, they got off, lit a cigarette, drank saliva and enjoyed the scenery on the plateau. Blue sky, white clouds, grasslands, unknown wild flowers. There are prayer flags around Manidui on the hillside, fluttering with the wind, adding a sacred color to the plateau, and reverence and piety for nature arises spontaneously.

The car finally reached Ibolin's dumb mouth, then drove forward and entered the territory of Qilian County, Qinghai Province. Ebao Ancient City, located in Ebao Town, Qilian County, Qinghai Province, was built during the period of 1206- 1279, and it is the main traffic route from Qinghai to Hexi Corridor. It is an important post station, tea-horse trade and military fortress on the south road of the ancient Silk Road, and is known as the northern gate of Qinghai.

Turning over the dumb mouth, the oncoming scene is another scene. There is a dark cloud overhead and it is raining. The magical nature, Qilian Mountain divides the north and south into two completely different climate types, creating different natural scenery.

The northern foot of Qilian Mountain is a thousand miles west corridor composed of desert, Gobi and oasis. To the south is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is composed of grasslands, lakes and rivers. It is the birthplace of the great rivers in China.

The ancient city of Ebao is trapezoidal, rammed with earth, 200 meters wide from east to west and 300 meters long from north to south. The wall is 6 meters high and 6 meters wide. The three doors, east, north and south, are wide 1 1 m, and all have urns. The urn door is 5 meters wide and 8 meters long, showing an arc horseshoe shape.

There is a horse face in the middle of the north wall and in the four corners of the city. There are some beacon towers and beacon towers outside the city, which is still vaguely debatable. According to the Records of Xining Mansions and Historic Sites, "(Ebao Ancient City) was built in the Yuan Dynasty, in the northwest of Wei Zhi, west of Yong 'an 140, and it still exists today. "

Stepping into the city gate, stepping on the steps and standing on the observation deck, the Qilian Mountain, which has stood for thousands of years, is continuous. The artificially planted grass in the city, like the blue waves rolling in the sea, is in close contact with the dilapidated city wall gently and delicately, telling the story of Jin Ge's iron horse and sword shadow.

In the afterglow of the sunset, I seem to see the endless commercial camel team in the depths of history coming from east to west. On the edge of the broken city wall, clusters of hay sway the distant history, like the smoke from the past, like wormwood growing at random, spreading from the whole grassland.

The Historical Records of Xining contains: "(Ebao Ancient City) is located in the northwest of Wei Zhi, west of Yong 'an 140, which was founded in the Yuan Dynasty and has been preserved to this day." "Erbao" is Mongolian, and Tibetan is called "Kalma", which means red ancient city. The famous Silk Road Gu Dao (now the border ferry) passes through Emei.

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dug through the Hexi Corridor and opened up a new transportation bureau for China and the West, Ebao, as a native of the Central Plains, entered the territory of Tubo and Qiang people and became a battleground for military strategists. The famous Silk Road Gu Dao (now the ferry crossing) passed through this fortress. All military business travelers who enter the area around the lake and enter the hinterland of Qinghai-Tibet through Dagu or Tolechuan (now Yang Long Township) must first knock on the gate of Ebao.

The unique geographical conditions make Ebao a pilot area for advanced ideas and culture from the mainland to enter Qilian grassland and pastoral areas. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, many ethnic groups, such as Yue, Xiongnu, Tuguhun, Tubo and Tangut, have lived and multiplied in this rich land. Nomadic culture and farming culture have merged with each other, and many ethnic groups and cultures have developed here, giving Qilian an ancient Yellow River civilization and a new Hehuang culture. History has accumulated profound humanistic details in the collision between civilization and war, so the shining Chinese civilization and ancient Central Plains culture have entered the Qiangtang grassland and built the cultural memory of the plateau people with the momentum of a single spark.

As an important economic and trade center of South Qilian Mountain, Erbao also has an important military and strategic position. It is not an exaggeration to call Ebao the first stop in northern Qinghai or the "North Gate" of Qinghai. This ancient Silk Road travels around the mountains and connects Europe and Asia, linking Chinese civilization with the western regions, Arabian Peninsula and even the hinterland of Europe, thus strongly affecting the color and texture of world culture. Looking at the pace of human progress, history continues in this way.

"Biography of the Western Regions in the Later Han Dynasty" records: "Run to the post office, never stop on the way, business loses customers, and money is blocked every day." The ancient poem also said, "Where there are few people, princes will be divided. Good birds can't fly, and horses flock. The lost deer spring is hard to find, and there is no field or grass to ripen. When Jinghua arrives, you will be eager for Lingyun. " It is conceivable that at that time, pedestrians and caravans came and went every day, and camel bells jingled on the Silk Road. The scene is spectacular. Standing on the city wall, overlooking the southeast, Ebao Beach is more beautiful in the sun, and cattle and sheep are thriving.

In the fifth year of the Great Cause of Sui Dynasty (609), Yang Di made a westward expedition to Tuguhun and launched the Yuan-Chuan War in Ebao and Arou (formerly Alec). At one time, the docks and platforms were dying, and smoke was everywhere. Yang-ti plotted in the big account, which led to the collapse of Fuyun's 200 thousand army. After Yang-ti's victory, he led 400,000 troops to spend the night in Biandugou. "Most of the foot soldiers froze to death, and the harem princess and the king were in a mess and stayed in the mountains with the sergeant."

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the economy was highly developed, and foreign trade and cultural exchanges were more frequent. Erbao has become one of the largest trade distribution centers on the Silk Road and an important "port" for trade and cultural exchanges in Qinghai. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Hexi Corridor was occupied by Xixia and continued to prosper through the "Silk Road" in Ebao. Emei was built in the Yuan Dynasty to strengthen defense and protect the safety of caravans and pedestrians. Since then, it has gradually become a well-known tea-horse market at home and abroad, and its business is booming. For a long period of history, it has been playing the role of "port" for foreign trade, and is called "dry dock" on the Eurasian continental bridge.

There is an ancient tomb at the Ebaobian Ferry, about 35 kilometers away from Minle County, Gansu Province. According to legend, Emperor Yang Di was caught in a snowstorm when he passed the border ferry, where he buried his sick sister. This ancient tomb is commonly known as the "Princess Tomb" by local people. The "Princess Tomb" tomb is small, with a diameter of about 6-7 meters and a height of about 2.5 meters. There are several excavated pits around. In this desolate Shan Ye, the "Princess Tomb" tomb was obviously stolen several times, and the relics of the tomb were gone. Grave robbers are tearing at the fragments of civilization under the cover of darkness, which is distressing. According to the investigation by the cultural relics department, the time for the "Princess Tomb" to be stolen was 65,438+. Success or failure is at stake! "

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was a separatist situation in Hexi Corridor (now Wuwei and other places) along the Silk Road. Frequent wars and traffic jams, caravans and envoys from east to west have to pass through Qinghai, making this south road more prosperous. All merchants and envoys going in and out of Hexi from southeast to west have to go through a big battle to pull up the valley (border ferry), and it is convenient to pass through here.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the economy was highly developed, and foreign trade and cultural exchanges were more frequent. According to historical records, at that time, groups of businessmen, envoys, monks and tourists traveled long distances to Ebao, the middle stop of the Silk Road, where they rested, prepared enough water and food, and then set off from east to west.

A large number of technologies such as silk, lacquerware, iron ware, porcelain, agricultural water conservancy, smelting and sericulture in China spread from the Silk Road to Central Asia and even Europe. Grapes, walnuts, garlic, carrots, glass and Haixi cloth (woolen cloth) from the western regions were also introduced into the Central Plains.

At that time, the Tuguhun caravan in Qilian area was also quite active, often traveling between east, west, north and south, reaching Persia and other countries. It is also recorded in the history books that Tuguhun bred a Persian thoroughbred horse and the famous Qinghai Qi. In addition, there are extensive exchanges in music, dance and art, which greatly enrich the material and cultural life of people in China and Central Asian countries. Ebao has become one of the largest trade distribution centers on the "Southern Silk Road" and an important "port" for trade and cultural exchanges in Qinghai.

At that time, the Tuguhun caravan in Qilian area was also quite active, often traveling between east, west, north and south, reaching Persia and other countries. It is also recorded in the history books that Tuguhun bred a Persian thoroughbred horse and the famous Qinghai Qi. In addition, there are extensive exchanges in music, dance and art, which greatly enrich the material and cultural life of people in China and Central Asian countries. Ebao has become one of the largest trade distribution centers on the "Southern Silk Road" and an important "port" for trade and cultural exchanges in Qinghai.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, after the Hexi Corridor was occupied by Xixia, the road was blocked again. The Ross regime in Qinghai implemented the policy of benefiting businessmen and continued to prosper through the "Silk Road" in Ebao. Bowang City was built in the Yuan Dynasty to strengthen defense and protect the safety of caravans and pedestrians. Since then, it has gradually become a famous tea horse market at home and abroad, mainly trading wool and tea horses. In the past, merchants also sold silk and iron, or exchanged them with local people. For a time, the business flourished, with a large number of silk twill, hemp fabrics, porcelain, agate and jade in the western regions, as well as local famous velvet antler, musk and musk.

At that time, the bustling market in Ebao was crowded with people pushing each other, bells jingling, Ma Si camels singing, street vendors selling snacks, jugglers and beautiful dances performed by western artists. The business of restaurants and inns is booming. Businessmen in the Central Plains are praising how soft and beautiful their silk is, while Jacques in the Western Regions is not far behind, praising how rare and precious their jade articles are. Local businessmen are herding herds of cattle, sheep, camels and horses, which are selected by others. After some bargaining, the transaction is reached here ... According to historical research, for a long period of time, the extremely prosperous Aobao played the role of "port" for foreign trade in the inaccessible Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Since the Ming dynasty, sea routes have been gradually opened up, and the maritime industry has gradually emerged. It is faster to go by boat than by land, which makes most businessmen and envoys go by water. Although the Silk Road on the land has not been abandoned, its function is not as good as before. This ancient road has also become outdated, fashionable and obsolete, and Qinghai's foreign trade and cultural exchanges have become increasingly depressed, and Ebao City has also turned from prosperity to decline. Although in the late Qing dynasty, the folk trade of the amount of insurance once rose, its historical role as a "port" of foreign trade gradually weakened. In addition, with the development of maritime transportation, many coastal cities have become trading ports, making this ancient road sparsely populated, and local businessmen and residents have moved out.

On the grassland of full of green, looking up at the quiet sky, Erbao, an ancient city once famous for the Silk Road, is an ancient time carved on the cliff. The ancient Cayo cultural site "Ancient Triangle City" is listed as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in Qinghai Province, and the "Ebao Ancient City" in Yuan Dynasty, the "Ancient Square City" in Song Dynasty and the Cayo cultural site in Baishiya are listed as national-level cultural protection units.

1 In September, 949, Wang Zhen, commander of the 1st1Corps of China People's Liberation Army, led the officers and men of the 2nd Army to join forces in Nanmuka Lane, Qianhu, Ebao Aru, and wrote the poem "Snow Cover Qilian, Triumph into Xinjiang".

Ebao, an ancient silk road, once left the footprints of the Tang Dynasty monks Fa Xian, Zhang Qian, Huo Qubing, Princess Honghua, Nian Gengyao, Lin Zexu, Fan Changjiang and others who sent missions to the Western Regions. Their distant figures tell the massiness of this land. It's only 79 years since 1936 to 20 14, but everything that Fan Changjiang heard, saw and felt when he passed by here is long gone.

Crossing the hinterland of Qilian and extending its tentacles, I thought that the yellow grass drowned history.

Today, Ebao, a wide asphalt road, runs from south to north, connecting the 227 National Road in Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, crossing Daban Mountain and Qilian Mountain, entering the boundary of Gansu Province from Ebao via the border ferry, passing through Menyuan County of Gansu Province, Ebao Town of Qilian County and Minle County, with flowers blooming all the way. On the green grassland, cattle and sheep are covered like pearls. The original natural landscape and humanistic customs make this national road become.