The 7th century wooden relic box unearthed from the Kuche Subash Buddhist Temple site in Xinjiang. (Image source: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum) ▲ The mural in Cave 38 of the Kizil Grottoes in Xinjiang - Jile Picture (partial). The colorful painting on the Buddhist relics box reads "Su Mu Zhe", "Blue clouds in the sky, yellow leaves on the ground, autumn colors in the waves, and cold smoke on the waves. The mountains reflect the slanting sun, the sky meets the water, and the grass is merciless, even outside the slanting sun..." This song by the literary giant Fan Zhongyan of the Northern Song Dynasty, "Su Mu Zhe", has been famous for centuries, but few people know how the name "Su Mu Zhe" came from. ▲ The unfolded pattern of the relic box. (Image source: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum) In 1903, a Japanese expedition led by Otani Guangrui stole a 7th century wooden relic box from the Subash Buddhist Temple site in Kuche, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. I thought this ordinary Buddhist relic box had nothing special, so it was placed for half a century. Until 1957, people accidentally discovered that there were traces of painting inside the color layer of the relic box. Stripping off the surface paint, a beautiful picture of the Kucha music and dance is revealed on the box. On the painted body of the Buddhist relics box, a "music and dance team" composed of 21 people is lively, with dancers, instrument players, stick dancers, and children dancing together. People dance and dress in various ways, with the notable six dancers and two stick dancers wearing masks on their faces. Through research, experts have determined that this is the famous song and dance drama of Qihanhu, also known as the "Su Mu Zhai" in the ancient Kucha region. Hui Lin, a monk of Shule State in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in "The Sound and Meaning of All Scriptures": "Su Mucha, also in Xirong Hu language... This play was originally produced in Xiqiuzi State, and it still exists today." Yu Pingbo, a modern scholar and essayist, has verified that "Su Mucha" is a transliteration of Persian, originally meaning a headband draped on the shoulder. In ancient Kucha, whenever there were significant celebrations, sacrifices, and performances among the people, there was always a "Su Mu Zha" (also known as Brahma Zha) singing and dancing with a mask, "either making animal masks or resembling ghosts and gods, pretending to have various mask shapes", with the aim of warding off disasters and exorcising ghosts, thus enriching the content of the activity, solemnizing the form, and creating a warm atmosphere. Su Muzhe "is a masterpiece of music and dance forms in the Kucha region, highly renowned. The colored paintings of the Buddhist relics box unearthed from the Subashi Buddhist Temple site are the first time that people have truly glimpsed the true picture of the "Su Mu cover". From it, it can be seen that during the performance of "Su Mu Zhe", not only do dancers wear masks, but there are also six musical instrument combinations: the harp, the drum, the panpipe, the horn, the drum (also known as the rattle drum), and the chicken drum. At the forefront is the big drum, carried by two children, with one drummer wielding a cane and hitting the drum, clearly in the position of band conductor. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, a large number of Western Regions music and dance, represented by Qiuci music and dance, entered the Central Plains. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, "Su Mu Zhai" had already developed from a traditional Chinese opera song and dance to a school music name. At that time, it was originally a seven character quatrain style, which later evolved into long and short sentences. From the murals of the Kucha Grottoes, it can be seen that music and cultural exchange, apart from the "Su Mu cover", has been continuously entering the Central Plains since the Han Dynasty when Zhang Qian hollowed out the Western Regions. The melodious and graceful flute, as well as the konghou, which "melts cold light in front of the twelve gates, and moves the purple emperor with twenty-three threads," have become common musical instruments in the Central Plains, which is known as the "Luoyang Family School