Let the 'Eastern Smile' linger forever
2023-06-12
More than 1600 years ago, Yao Xing, the Emperor of the Later Qin Dynasty, dug the first cave on the cliff of Maiji Mountain in Tianshui, a famous scenic spot in Longyou. After being rebuilt by successive dynasties, Maijishan Grottoes became a shining pearl on the ancient Silk Road. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, in the 1950s, the state organized a large number of cave research experts to gather at Maiji Mountain for investigation, making the Silk Road relics, which had been dormant in the mountains and forests for hundreds of years, once again famous worldwide. For 70 years, this human cultural heritage known as the "Oriental Sculpture Exhibition Hall" has attracted generations of cave guardians to take root in deep mountains and forests, reinforce dangerous rocks, manage "floods", and achieve significant development in cultural relic protection and restoration with its iconic "Oriental Smile". Now, after being integrated into the management of Dunhuang Research Academy, the protection, research and promotion of Maijishan Grottoes have been comprehensively upgraded, opening a new chapter. This year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute. On this special day, let's go through time and space to pursue Maiji's old dreams and look back at those shining people and stories. The Pearl of the Silk Road shines brightly in the misty summer rain of Longyou, and a strange peak resembling a "wheat pile" looms faintly in the clouds. The dense honeycomb like niches and cliff Buddha on the cliffs are set off by the lush greenery all around, making people feel relaxed and happy. This is the real experience of reporters when they first saw Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui City, Gansu Province recently. Maijishan Grottoes was built in the late Qin Dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period. It has been built by more than 10 dynasties, including the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty. There are 221 cave niches, 3938 statues, 10632 bodies, and more than 1000 square meters of murals. It is known as the "Oriental Sculpture Exhibition Hall", and it is also known as "China's Four Grottoes" with the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, and Datong Yungang Grottoes. According to Zhu Mu from the Song Dynasty's "Fangyu Shenglan", "Maiji Mountain was built by Yao Xing in the Later Qin Dynasty, with thousands of cliffs and statues, and the cliffs turned into pavilions, making it a scenic spot in Qinzhou." In history, Tianshui was located in Longyou, formerly known as Qinzhou, and was an important town on the Silk Road west of Chang'an. When Buddhism spread along the Silk Road to the Central Plains, Tianshui also became one of the earliest areas in the mainland to carry out Buddhist activities. "At the beginning of the opening of the Maijishan Grottoes, it was the grotto temple of the post Qin Emperor's family that appeared. Later, the Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty and other royal families, who also set their capital in Chang'an, opened caves and statues here, gradually making Maijishan one of the centers of Buddhist grottoes in the north." Xia Langyun, director of the Archaeological Research Office of the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, said that craftsmen used a lot of wood to build scaffolding about 100 meters high along the cliff walls, and then cut grottoes and statues from top to bottom, After completion, a portion of the wooden frame will be retained as a passage. Therefore, there is a folk proverb that goes, 'Cut down all the firewood in the southern mountains and pile up wheat cliffs'. Climbing the Lingyun Plank Road and approaching the cave, one can gaze at the vivid clay sculptures with unique shapes and a combination of form and spirit. The artistic style of "Hu Feng and Han Yun" complements each other, making it breathtaking. From the early Gandhara style to the amiable and clear bones of the late Northern Dynasty, from the elegance and grandeur of the Sui and Tang dynasties to the rigor and reserve of the Song dynasties, various epochs have created and reshaped the art treasures of grottoes, which are concentrated and displayed on the cliffs of Maiji Mountain, shining brightly. For thousands of years, they have welcomed the Silk Road business trip and comforted the hearts of the people. "Maijishan Grottoes are like inlaid on the ancient Silk Road
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Jia jia
Source：xinhuaNet
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