Dunhuang culture tourism resources

Dunhuang is located at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces (regions). The city's economy is mainly based on agriculture, followed by the tourism service industry, and there is no relatively strong industry. This is negligible among counties and cities across the country. However, Dunhuang is famous all over the world because of its former glory and profound cultural connotation. The Mogao Grottoes were listed among the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council in 1961. They were included in the World Cultural Heritage Protection Project by UNESCO in 1987 and were awarded the "World Cultural Heritage" certificate in 1991.

Dunhuang rests on the majestic Qilian Mountains to the south, the vast Taklimakan Desert to the west, the rugged Besai Mountains to the north, and the Sanwei Mountains with abrupt peaks and rocks to the east. It has a warm temperate climate. The annual rainfall is only 39.9 mm, while the evaporation is as high as 2400 mm. There is ample sunshine and a long frost-free period. In this small natural basin embraced by mountains, the snowy water of the Danghe River nourishes the fertile fields, and the shade of green trees blocks the black wind and yellow sand; the harvest of grain and cotton is guaranteed despite droughts and floods, and the melons and fruits are fragrant all year round; the wonders of the desert are mysterious and unpredictable, and the Gobi sea is magical. The world-famous cultural relics and numerous talented people... Beautiful Dunhuang is a rich, magical and attractive land. Located in Nanhu Township, 70 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang City, it was one of the two passes that opened up Hexi Province for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It was one of the two passes of "four counties and two passes". Since ancient times, it has been a must-pass pass for the Silk Road from Dunhuang in the west to the southern route of the Western Regions. , the gateway to the western border. Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote, "The city of Weicheng is light and dusty in the morning rain, and the guesthouses are green and the willows are new. I urge you to have a glass of wine, and there will be no old friends when you leave Yangguan in the west." This made Yangguan famous throughout the ages.

Yangguan was built around the fourth year of Yuanfeng in the Han Dynasty (107 BC). It once set up a captain to manage military affairs. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, it has always been a must-pass pass on the southern Silk Road. Due to the long history, few beacons remain in Guancheng. According to the records of Yuanhe County, Yangguan is located six miles west of the county (Shouchang County). It lives in the south of Yumen Pass, so it is called Yangguan. It was originally built in the Han Dynasty, along the southern route of the Wei River, to the west of Shanshan and Yarkand. Later Wei tried to establish Yangguan County here, but Zhou Dynasty abolished it. "The Dunhuang Stone Chamber Manuscript (Shazhou Geography) (P. 5034) collected in Paris contains: Yangguan, twenty steps east to west and twenty seven steps north and south. On the right is ten miles west of (Shuchang) County. It is now destroyed and the foundation site is It is connected to the south of Shicheng and Yutian, so it is named "Yangguan" (note: the ancients regarded the south of the mountain as the north of the river). It can be seen that Yangguan was destroyed in the Tang Dynasty, and only the ancient Shouchang City remained. Near Beigong Village, Nanhu Township, Dunhuang City today, Yangguan is 6 miles or 10 miles west of the old city of Shouchang. According to experts' research, the original site of Yangguan is facing the Antique Beach in the west of today's Nanhu Township. "The quicksand zone.

Go southwest of Dunhuang City for 75 kilometers to reach the former site of Yangguan: "Antique Beach". When Mr. Xiang Da visited here in 1943, he wrote: "There is a place named Antique Beach in the northwest corner of Nanhu Lake today, which is blocked by quicksand. The remains of block building and pottery fragments are everywhere, and ancient artifacts such as jade, pottery fragments, and ancient coins are found everywhere. It belongs to the period from the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties. The ruins of the ancient beach meander to the north of Longshou Mountain in the north of the South Lake and end at the foot of the popular name Hongshan Pass. It can be three or four miles from north to south, and is covered by quicksands in the east and west. It is so vast that it is difficult to examine." In 1972, the Jiuquan area cultural relics survey team discovered a large number of wall foundation ruins behind the 14th sand channel on the west side of Antique Road. After trial excavation and measurement, the houses were arranged neatly and clearly, covering an area of ??tens of thousands of square meters. There was a continuous and generous castle wall foundation nearby. . The former site of Yangguan should be located here.

In ancient times, there was a 70-kilometer Great Wall connecting Yangguan to Yumenguan in the north. There were beacon towers every dozens of miles, and there were also more than a dozen beacons near Yangguan. In particular, the beacon called "Yangguan Ermu" on the top of Dundun Mountain on the north side of Guantan is the largest, has the highest terrain, and is relatively well preserved.

Why was the Yangguan Ancient Fortress built in this desert? Archaeologists have found that Yangguan occupies a dangerous terrain where "one man can guard the pass, but ten thousand people cannot open it". The nearby water source was abundant in ancient times. Wowachi and Xitugou were the largest independent water sources. At least three to four thousand years ago, this area had become an oasis basin and had a developed Huoshaogou culture. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, Yangguan sergeants used it to This water lives and breathes. The upper reaches of Xitugou are usually dry, but springs in the lower reaches form a stream flowing northward. Flash floods occur from time to time. After the flood peak, the ditch banks collapsed one after another, the river bed widened, and a large amount of sediment flowed down the river and was deposited downstream. The sediment was blown and carried by the northwest wind, forming strips of sand ridges, and the ancient city of Yangguan was gradually destroyed by water and buried by sand.

Tourists who visit the Silk Road must visit Dunhuang, and visitors who visit Dunhuang must visit Yangguan. There are not many beautiful monuments. The key is to pay homage to history and continue the lamentation of history in the space of imagination. Near Yangguan there is the Nanhu Lake and the Grape Corridor, which are unique in style and you can visit the local folk customs. Dunhuang Sanweishan Tourist Area is located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City. It is closely related to Mogao Grottoes and Buddha, and complements each other, forming a tourist landscape featuring Buddhist culture on the Silk Road. Sanwei Mountain stretches for tens of miles from east to west. Its main peak faces Mingsha Mountain across the Daquan River. Its "three peaks stand tall and look like they are about to fall, so it is said that they are three dangers."

Sanwei Mountain is a famous mountain in the history of Dunhuang and the birthplace of Dunhuang civilization. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Sanwei Mountain is the place where the sacred bird Sanqingniao lives. In ancient myths and legends, Sanwei Mountain feeds the mythical figure Queen Mother of the West. The boy, which casts a mysterious veil on Sanwei Mountain. Combined with the records of Zuozhuan, Shiji and other records, the Sanqing tribe, which originally lived between Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, was defeated in the tribal war at that time. Some of them The Sanmiao people were exiled to Sanwei Mountain. According to historical research, Sanqing was originally a nation with the sound of birds and dragons as their totems. The so-called Sanqing Bird House is where the people of the south with three birds as their totems were exiled. The Miao people migrated to Sanwei Mountain and became the earliest residents of Dunhuang since the beginning of written history. This also opened the first page of Dunhuang's splendid history.

Sanwei Mountain was also known as Beiyu Mountain and Shenyu Mountain in ancient times. Viewed from the Dunhuang Oasis, the three hidden peaks look like they are about to fall, hence the name Sanwei Mountain. Sanwei Mountain is a sacred mountain, which contains the Mogao Grottoes, a treasure of world culture and art. The local people naturally regard this mountain as a sacred mountain and have built numerous Yusi Coffins, Queen Mother Palace, Guanyin Well, Laojun Hall, Nan A number of ancient buildings such as Tianmen still have their remains. Standing in front of the Queen Mother Palace on the top of Sanwei Mountain, overlooking the Mogao Grottoes and the entire Dunhuang Oasis panorama, Dunhuang people call Sanwei Mountain the first mountain in Dunhuang. The Eight Scenic Spots of Dunhuang in the Qing Dynasty listed Sanwei Mountain as the first scenic spot in Dunhuang. Do "Dangerous Peaks Stand East".

Sanwei Mountain is across the Daquan River and adjacent to the Mogao Grottoes. The Mogao Grottoes were built because of the Buddha's light in Sanwei Mountain. According to the inscription on the Buddhist niche of the Mogao Grottoes: "The Mogao Grottoes were built in the second year of the Jianyuan year of the early Qin Dynasty. (A.D. 366), there was a monk who was enjoying his music, practicing pure virtues, and having a peaceful mind. He was walking in the forest with a stick of tin, and when he stopped on this mountain, he suddenly saw a golden light, which looked like a thousand Buddhas, so he dug a hole in the rock and built a cave and a niche." It can be seen from this that the Sanwei Buddha's light was the motivation for the construction of the Mogao Grottoes. It can also be said that Sanwei Mountain is the cradle of the Mogao Grottoes. Therefore, there are two of the "Eight Sights of Dunhuang", "Thousand Buddha Spirit Rock", Sanwei Mountain and Mogao Grottoes. Like brothers who are inseparable from each other. If Mogao Grottoes is a Buddhist art treasure cave, then Sanwei Mountain is a famous Buddhist art mountain.

Dunhuang Sun Tourism Group and Rongxing Jian'an Company built the tourist attraction "Three Danger Holy Lands" and built China's second largest bronze Buddha Hall with a height of 36.6 meters, the Shanmen Guanyin Hall, the Queen Mother A number of scenic spots such as the Palace of the Dragon King, the Dragon King Temple, and the Dachengden Hall were praised as the "Holy Land of the Buddha" by the world-famous artist Ikuo Hirayama. Lezun Hall was built in memory of Monk Lezun, the founder of the Mogao Grottoes. It is located on Sanwei Mountain opposite the Mogao Grottoes. It contains the icons of the Mogao Grottoes and the historical pictures of the caves. Guanyin Hall Guanyin Hall is built on the north hillside next to Guanyin Well. It is a model of Song Dynasty building with a double round top. It faces from north to south and covers an area of ??about 235 square meters. There are portraits and murals of Guanyin Well inside. The Big Bronze Buddha is the main landscape of the Sanwei Mountain Scenic Area. The Big Bronze Buddha sits east to west, facing the Mogao Grottoes. It is 36.6 meters high to commemorate the Mogao Grottoes that were excavated in 266 AD. It is the second largest bronze Buddha in China.

In addition, Sanwei Mountain also has the "Dacheng Hall" that commemorates the Chinese cultural saint Confucius, the "Dragon King Temple" that worships the Dragon King Mountain God, the "Mountain Temple" and other temples. These buildings correspond to Sanwei Mountain. It is a place for tourists to cultivate their mind and nature. The Cisi Pagoda near Laojun Hall was built in the early Northern Song Dynasty according to research. It is the oldest existing wooden pagoda in China because of its special value in the history of Chinese architecture, 1981.

Sanwei Mountain is the most holy place in Dunhuang. It is listed as the first of the eight scenic spots in Dunhuang in local chronicles, and is said to be: "Dangerous Peaks Stand in the East". The development and construction of the Sanwei Holy Land, especially the completion and consecration of the Sanwei Big Bronze Buddha, allows tourists to come to burn incense and worship in front of the Big Bronze Buddha Guanyin Hall after visiting the Mogao Grottoes, a thousand-year Buddhist site, to fulfill their wishes. To satisfy the wishes of monks and laymen. Handmade carpets, colored sculptures, craft camels, luminous cups, crystal glasses, craft calligraphy and painting, Dunhuang batik and antiques are all Dunhuang specialties. Dunhuang's specialties are most famous for their sweet fruits, apocynum tea and luminous cups. Dunhuang is known as the "Guazhou". It has been a land of fruits for a long time and is rich in various sweet fruits and grapes. Because Dunhuang is located in the northwest plateau, it has a typical temperate continental climate. It has long sunshine hours in summer and a large temperature difference between day and night. Its sandy soil is particularly suitable for the growth of fruits. Therefore, the fruits in Dunhuang are particularly delicious and the medicinal materials are particularly high-quality. .

Li Guangxing is the most famous. It is said that it was developed from the Maoxing brought by the Han general Li Guang from the inland at this time. The main melon and fruit specialties of Dunhuang include carambola, Mingshan jujube, Yangguan grape, sand-flesh watermelon, white melon, Yellow River honeydew melon, winter fruit pear, etc.

Preserved Fruit Series Dunhuang Apocynum Tea Dunhuang Cynomorium Cynomorium Coffee People are always willing to bring some dried fruit products and Dunhuang tea drinks as gifts to their relatives and friends.

Dunhuang wine, Dunhuang mineral water, and Dunhuang fruit drinks are also very popular among people.

Dunhuang Luminous Cup is also known as Yangguan Jade Cup. It is made of high-quality ink jade, topaz and jasper produced in the Qilian Mountains as raw materials and is carefully crafted using traditional craftsmanship. It is a very precious drinking vessel. According to Dongfang Shuo's "Records of Ten Continents in the Sea" of the Western Han Dynasty: King Ji Man of the Western Zhou Dynasty (about 1066 BC - 771 BC) was invited by the Queen Mother of the West to attend a grand gathering in Yaochi. During the dinner, the Queen Mother of the West gave Ji Man a sparkling green wine glass. The famous day is "the cup is always filled with night light". Ji Man felt like he had found a treasure and couldn't put it down. From then on, the luminous cup became famous throughout the ages.

"Glow-in-the-dark cup of fine grape wine", Wang Han's poem tells the truth. Red pink goes with beauties, and swords are given to heroes. Of course, grape wine must be tasted in a luminous cup! Dunhuang Saozi Noodles Dunhuang Saozi Noodles are a traditional handmade wheat flour product. The method is to mix flour with water, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, cut it into long strips, cook it, and add soup to eat it. The noodles are slender and well-proportioned, just like leek leaves, and the soup is delicious. A bowl of it will relieve hunger and fatigue. The key to saozi noodles is the soup. The preparation of the soup is very particular. First stir-fry the saozi (pork, mutton, radish, potato, etc.) in a pot over moderate heat, then add water, and then add tofu, onions, garlic, coriander, shrimp slices, and sesame seeds. Wait for the condiments, then add the noodles to the soup, and you have a bowl of rare delicacies. Treating guests with steamed noodles is the best form of hospitality for Dunhuang people.

Dunhuang Yellow Noodles Yellow noodles are also a wheat flour product. They are as thin as dragon whiskers, as long as gold threads, and are flexible and durable. After cooking, make soup or add vegetables to eat. It will be fragrant and unique. The process of making yellow noodles is extremely delicate and the operation is not easy. The ramen master sometimes stretches the noodles into long strips, sometimes twists them into twists, and pulls a ball of dough weighing seven to eight pounds into a handful of noodles as thin as vermicelli. The yellow noodles cooked in a pot are yellow and bright in color. Mix them while it is hot and eat them. It tastes appetizing and relieves greasiness. It clears away heat and relieves annoyance. It will increase your appetite and satisfy your appetite.

The slurry water surface is the third of the eight monsters of Dunhuang. The slurry water surface must first be made into slurry water. Put the celery or arrow stem white raisin and lotus raisin into the noodle soup, add the slurry water ferment, put it into a vat and keep it warm. After fermentation for three days, it can be made into a sour and delicious slurry. It contains a variety of beneficial enzymes, which can clear away heat and relieve heat, increase appetite, and is a good summer food. After the handmade noodles are cooked, immerse them in a bowl with cold boiling water, add slurry water, top with simmered chopped green onions, and sprinkle with minced coriander to form a slurry surface. Eating it during the hottest summer days can not only relieve fatigue and restore physical strength, but also has certain curative effects on high blood pressure and gastrointestinal diseases.

Dunhuang Stuffed Pizi Some of Dunhuang Stuffed Pizi are crystal yellow and bright, and some are as smooth as jade. Mixed with special seasonings, they taste sour and spicy, flexible and refreshing, and easy to eat. They are a very common folk snack. , local fast food. Yongpizi is a wheat flour product. When making it, first mix the high-quality flour with water, then put the dough into clean water, stir and knead it, so that the starch and protein in the fabric are fully separated, leaving the protein, commonly known as gluten. The batter dissolved in water is the raw material for processing the stuffed skin. After the water boils, scoop the batter into the iron disc and spread it evenly. Place it in boiling water and cook for a few minutes. The batter will turn into cakes and become stuffed skin. Then cut the cake-shaped stuffed skin into thin strips, put a few pieces of gluten, add a little mustard, garlic juice, chili, sesame oil, etc. and you can eat it.

Paoer Oil Cake Paoer Oil Cake is a flavored food created by Dunhuang Hotel based on traditional folk methods. It has a bright yellow color, a puffy surface like a gauze, and dense pearl bubbles. , hence the name, Paoer Oil Cake evolved from the "seeing fashion" in the Tang Dynasty. It was initially popular at banquets in palaces and palaces. Since there were only a few chefs, it was difficult to see it in the street market. When making, scald the noodles with oil and water. During the entire process of hot noodle, kneading, stuffing and frying, not only the proportion of oil, water and noodles is required, but also the oil temperature and heat are appropriate. Only in this way can it become puffy and bubbly, forming a crispy surface like flying catkins and a sweet inside like glutinous sugar. It tastes crispy and sweet, making it the first choice flavor food for Chinese and foreign tourists.

Mutton powder soup Mutton powder soup is a traditional snack in Dunhuang. Select the fat and strong Jie sheep raised locally in Dunhuang, slaughter them, wash them and cut them into large pieces, and then put them into the pot with clean water. When it is almost cooked, remove the blood foam, add a little refined salt, take out the meat after it is cooked, shave the bones, return the shaved bones to the pot, and simmer over a warm fire to make soup. When eating, first mix the bone broth with water and add an appropriate amount of ginger. Pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, jade fruit, chili pepper, refined salt, radish slices. Boil garlic and other spices, then put the cooked meat into thin slices and the jelly cut into pieces into a bowl, ladle in the boiling soup, and sprinkle with minced coriander, leeks, green onions, minced peppers, etc. It looks red, yellow, green and white, with a fragrant aroma. It tastes spicy and refreshing, fat but not greasy. It has the effects of nourishing, generating heat and dispelling cold.

Best Travel Time

The best time to travel to Dunhuang is from May to October every year. Dunhuang is deep inland, blocked by high mountains and far away from humid ocean air currents. It has an extremely dry continental climate, with an average annual temperature of 9.3°C, an average temperature of 24.7°C in July and 9.3°C in January. It is dry and rainless all year round, with a huge temperature difference between day and night. There are two natural disasters here every spring: hot dry winds and black sandstorms. If you go there at this time, you should take precautions in advance.

Visiting Dunhuang in the off-season

The biggest advantage of traveling to Dunhuang in the off-season is saving money. At this time, the ticket prices for all Dunhuang attractions (except Yangguan Museum) are halved, and the entertainment items in the attractions can also be bargained, which is absolutely impossible during the peak season. However, shopping in Dunhuang during the off-season is difficult. Not only are street stalls almost extinct, but even some larger stores are closed to customers. In addition, some dedicated lines for scenic spots (such as the green bus to Mogao Grottoes) will be out of service, so chartered buses are the only option. If you are traveling alone, it will be more difficult to find someone to share a ride with. The Dunhuang office of Lanzhou Aihua Travel Company specializes in handling ground pick-up services for Dunhuang tours in off-peak and peak seasons. You can also form a group with one person. If you come to Dunhuang in the off-season, you might as well look for Aihua Travel.

Eight strange things in Dunhuang, delicious and strange

The first strange thing: perfume pears should be sold in black (perfume pears)

The second strange thing: donkey meat is yellow Noodles outside the door (donkey meat yellow noodles)

The third strange thing: noodles with slurry water to relieve heat quickly (water noodles with slurry water)

The fourth strange thing: air-dried steamed buns, broken open and dried (air-dried) Steamed buns)

The fifth strange thing: Sanjiu Cynomorium Cynomorium people participate in the competition (Cynomorium Cynomorium)

The sixth strange thing: Jujube is not bad when fresh (Jiu Zao)

The seventh strange thing: Apocynum tea is loved by everyone (Apocynum tea)

The eighth strange thing: Yu Qian is also a dish (Yu Qian)

Notes

1 Dunhuang specialty perfume pears have a sour and sweet taste. They are usually picked and stored in winter. After natural freezing, they turn black and then thaw before being peeled and eaten. At this time, the pears have become soft and juicy and have the best taste;

< p>2. The summer in Dunhuang is hot, and many fresh foods are difficult to store, such as dried steamed buns, raisins, dried apricots, dried melons, etc. Steamed buns dry quickly when broken into pieces, and people who don’t know often think they are leftovers from other people’s food;

3. For the slurry surface, first make slurry water. Add celery, cabbage, and lotus root into the noodle soup, add slurry fermentation, put it into a vat and leave it in a warm place for three days to ferment. Into a clear, sour and delicious slurry. It contains a variety of beneficial enzymes, which can clear away heat and relieve heat, increase appetite, and is a good summer food.

4. Dunhuang Donkey Meat Yellow Noodles, a famous Chinese snack. The making process of ramen shows the most real skill. After three strokes, five strokes and two strokes, the master can pull a ball of noodles as thin as silk thread. In a yellow noodle restaurant, a handful of ramen noodles are often pulled from the panel to the door until the last moment, attracting diners to stop and watch;

5. The best time to harvest wild Cynomorium cynomorium in Dunhuang is when there is snow. In the late March-Ninth season, in the vast Gobi desert, you can just look for places with less or no snow, and you will definitely find wild Cynomorium cynomorium when you dig there;

6. Dunhuang people generally pick fresh dates. , directly disinfected and cleaned with high-quality liquor, then sealed and stored in jars. In autumn and winter, you can eat it as you go. It has a unique flavor. Although it is pickled in wine, you will not feel drunk after eating too much;

7. Dunhuang is located on the eastern edge of Lop Nur and is one of the origins of Apocynum. There are a large number of wild Apocynum in the area. Because of its special ability to clear away heat and purge fire, prevent colds, enhance immunity, regulate blood pressure, soften blood vessels, reduce blood lipids, and relieve coughs, It has medicinal health functions such as phlegm, swelling and diuresis, cardiotonic and anti-depressant, soothing and sleeping, calming the mind and stopping dizziness. It is also a weakly alkaline tea that improves the acidity of the human body and lowers lipids and weight loss. It is consumed as daily tea by many people in Dunhuang. Dunhuang Luobu The Apocynum tea from the Ma Comprehensive Development Center has the best taste and best quality;

8. Every household in Dunhuang has the habit of eating elm coins. Every spring when the elm trees bloom, Dunhuang people will choose fresh elm coins and wash them clean. , steam the mixed noodles, then add large oil and stir-fry leek flowers. At this time, large oil in the market often becomes out of stock.