The photos in this article are all taken by the author of "Black and White Touch", all rights reserved, and unauthorized use is strictly prohibited!
The picture below is the Bazhou Museum (also known as "Bazhou Cultural Museum"), which is located at the intersection of Shihua Avenue and Yingbin Road in Korla City. The permanent exhibitions in the museum include: Bazhou History and Culture Exhibition, Loulan Historical Relics Exhibition and Donggui History Cultural exhibition.
Bazhou is the abbreviation of Bayingoleng Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. It is located in the southeast of Xinjiang. It has a vast land and resources and a vast territory. It is the largest prefecture-level administrative region in China. It has China's largest inland basin - the Tarim Basin, and China's largest desert - Taklamakan. The desert and the Tarim River, the longest inland river in China, have colorful history and civilization. As early as 10,000 years ago, in the late Paleolithic Age, humans lived and multiplied on the land of Bazhou. Microlithic remains from around 8,000-3,000 years ago were also found in Lop Nur, Altun Mountains and other places, revealing that the ancestors of Bazhou The people have a long history of hunting, fishing and gathering.
During the pre-Qin period from 4000 to 2500 years ago, the piedmont and valley oases of the Kaidu River, Tarim River and Cheerchen River in Bazhou entered the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age successively. Large-scale nomadic, animal husbandry and agriculture The production mode has been initially formed, and cultural relics such as painted pottery, metalware, crops, fabrics, and jade have been unearthed.
The picture below shows a wooden corpse from the Bronze Age, unearthed in Xiaohe Cemetery, Ruoqiang County, Bazhou. Wooden corpses are idols that imply reproduction. The ancestors hoped to obtain population reproduction, prosperity of the family or tribe, and abundance of all things by virtue of the idols.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Xiongnu, a nomadic people in the north, controlled the Western Regions. After Emperor Wu of the Han ascended the throne, he sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, opening a new era in the history of Xinjiang. In 101 BC, the Han Dynasty set up envoys and captains in Luntai, Yuli, Korla and other places in today's Bazhou to manage farming affairs. In 60 BC, the Han Dynasty unified the Western Regions, and set up the Western Regions Protectorate in the current Luntai as a military and political institution to manage the Western Regions.
(Gold earrings in the Western Han Dynasty)
Since the Han Dynasty, Xinjiang has been part of China's territory. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Chief History Office of the Western Regions was set up in Loulan, and continued to exercise the authority to manage the Western Regions. The Northern Wei Dynasty set up Shanshan Town and Yanqi Town successively to strengthen the management of the Western Regions. The Tang Dynasty successively established the Anxi Dadu Protectorate and Beiting Dadu Protectorate to govern the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
(The "five baht" copper coin of the Han Dynasty)
(Necklace of the Han Dynasty)
During the Five Dynasties, Liao, Song, and Jin dynasties, profound social changes took place in the Western Regions, and the oasis city-states and nomadic peoples were reintegrated. In the middle and late 9th century, three local regimes were formed: the Gaochang Uighur Kingdom, the Karahan Dynasty, and the Khotan Kingdom. The Gaochang Uyghurs developed a splendid multiculturalism dominated by Buddhist culture in the northern and southern oases of the Tianshan Mountains in the east. With the introduction of Islam, a new type of culture, characterized by the traditional culture of Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes and represented by Islam, appeared in the territory of the Karahan Dynasty. At the beginning of the 11th century, the Karahan Dynasty conquered Khotan and stood side by side with the Gaochang Uighur Kingdom in the Western Regions. Later, the Khitan people with a high degree of Han culture established the Xiliao Dynasty, which restored the previous situation of free competition and peaceful coexistence of various cultures, and promoted the prosperity of the local social economy and culture.
During the Qing Dynasty, General Yili was set up in Ili to control the north and south routes and rule the foreign tribes. In 1771, Turhut and Heshuote returned to the east, and were under the jurisdiction of the minister of affairs of Karashar.
(Kadang Pagoda in the Qing Dynasty)
The mysterious ancient country of Loulan is located in Bazhou, in the east of the Tarim Basin. Its geographical scope includes the vast areas of the Kongque River, the Tarim River, and the lower reaches of the Cheerchen River. historical period.
The name Loulan was first seen in "Historical Records". It was an important oasis city-state in the ancient Western Regions. It is located in the Lop Nur area in the east of the Tarim Basin. Its country name and capital are both called "Loulan". The Loulan area, represented by the "Gumugou-Xiaohe Culture" 4,000 years ago, is the earliest bronze civilization in the eastern Tarim Basin. Archeology found that as early as 4,000-3,500 years ago, there was already a fusion and exchange of people from the East and the West in the Loulan area. The unearthed millet agricultural relics, painted pottery, seashells, and bronze ornaments may indicate that in the pre-Qin period, Loulan was connected with Gansu, Gansu, Qinghai has a close connection.
(Lop Nur ancestors working scene)
(Leather boots unearthed from Xiaohe Cemetery)
(Felt hats unearthed from Gumugou)
During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was determined to cut off the connection between the Xiongnu and the Western Regions, and completely opened up the communication line from Dunhuang to Loulan, which was called "Loulan Road" in history. In 77 BC, the Han Dynasty sent troops to attack Loulan, sent Fu Jiezi to assassinate the king of Loulan, changed his name to Shanshan, stationed in Yixun, stabilized Loulan, and then completely controlled Loulan Road.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial court organized large-scale farming activities in Loulan, and also opened up the Yiwu Road from Dunhuang to Yiwu, leading to the northern part of the Western Regions and further to the Eurasian grasslands, but the Loulan Road is still an important passage. During the Jin Dynasty and the Qianliang Period, the Western Regions Long History Institute was established in Loulan City, and a large number of troops were stationed to firmly control the entire Loulan area. During this period, most of the merchants traveling between the East and the West had to pass through Loulan, and the cultural exchanges between the East and the West reached a new peak. Later, as the Turpan Basin became a major military, political, and scriptural center, Loulan gradually declined.
376 years ago when the Qin Dynasty destroyed Qianliang, the Long History Institute of the Western Regions withdrew from Loulan City. Around the end of the 4th century, Loulan City was finally abandoned, and Loulan Road was no longer a traffic artery in the Western Regions.
(Loulan ancient city scene)
In history, Loulan was also famous for its beautiful women. There is a record in the history books that King Shanshan presented beautiful women to the court. In 1980, a female ancient corpse (mummy) was unearthed from the Tiebanhe cemetery in the lower reaches of the Kongque River in Loulan area. She had a steep face, long chestnut hair shawl, and a straight nose. After restoring her image through computer technology, she was beautiful and radiant. "Loulan Beauty". (There are pictures in the provincial blog article in Urumqi, if you are interested, you can look it up)
The museum exhibits mummified corpses from 2500-2800 years ago. The costumes, tattoos, and faces are all well preserved, allowing you to spy on the living conditions of the ancient Loulan people.
Finally, let's learn about some epic and tragic history of the Turghut's return to the east.
On January 17, 1771, on the vast Eurasian steppe, a major event that shocked the world broke out-the return to the east. In the turmoil of common factors such as nostalgia for their homeland, religious differences, and oppression by Tsarist Russia, the Turghut Mongolian tribes (including some Heshuote tribes) who moved westward as nomads in the lower reaches of the Ezile River (now the Volga River) for nearly a century and a half. Under the leadership of the leader Wobaxi and others, they broke the ax and sank the boat, and returned to the east with their troops. When they set off, there were more than 33,000 households, nearly 170,000 people, supporting the old and the young, driving livestock, and embarked on the return journey of thousands of miles. They broke through four castles in Russia all the way to the east, and repelled tens of thousands of troops. With extraordinary bravery and wisdom, he overcame unimaginable hardships and hardships. After half a year, he made huge sacrifices and finally returned to his homeland. When they arrived in Yili, all the livestock had been lost, and the population was only 70,000.
The Mongols originated from the Ergun River Basin and gradually moved westward from the 7th century. In the early 13th century, Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian tribes. From the 15th to the 16th centuries, the Mongolian tribes gradually formed Mobei Mongolia, Monan Mongolia and Desert Mongolia. western mongolia. Moxi Mongolia, also known as Oirat Mongolia, is nomadic in the north of Tianshan Mountains and south of Altai Mountains, including Junggar, Heshuot, Durbert and Turhut.
(Mongolian fire sickle decoration package)
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the northern part of Xinjiang was a nomadic area of Oirat Mongolia. They lost the war with the eastern Mongolia. Later, the relationship between the Torghut tribe and the Junggar tribe in the south deteriorated as they competed for pastures. In the north, there was the expansion of Tsarist Russia. The approach of the torghut special department chose to move westward. In 1628, the leader of the Torghut tribe and Erlek led the headquarters and the Heshuote tribe (and some people from the smaller Duerbert tribe and Huite tribe) and moved westward from the north of today's Tacheng. In 1630 Reach the sparsely populated lower Volga River, which is not yet controlled by Russian forces. After moving westward, the Mongols kept their own language, customs and religious beliefs, and established an independent khanate—the Turghut Khanate.
Soon after, the influence of Tsarist Russia also expanded here, bent on turning the Turghuts into subjects and forcing them to convert to the Orthodox Church, making them deeply oppressed and miserable. The Turghuts sent envoys to the Qing government many times to express their loyalty and love for the motherland, and the Qing government also sent envoys to visit many times. This exchange strengthened their belief in returning. In 1640, facing the serious threat of Tsarist Russia, the Turghuts held a meeting with other Oirat ministries and signed the "Oirat Code", deciding to jointly fight against Tsarist Russia.
(Za Yabandida, a scholar of Heshuo Special Department, participated in the formulation of the "Oirat Code")
On January 17, 1771, in order to get rid of the brutal rule of Tsarist Russia, 170,000 Mongols left the Volga River Valley and headed for the place where the sun rose. After going through hardships and traveling thousands of miles, they finally returned to their motherland in July of the same year.
On the eastern road, the Turghuts paid a huge price. Tsarist Russia, Kazakhs and Cossacks kept chasing and intercepting them, and the plague caused countless people to fall on the road. At a critical moment, its leaders shouted: "If we go back, we will encounter the dead bodies of relatives and companions at every step. If we go back, we will be slaves forever and lose our freedom forever. Russia is a country of slaves, China is an ideal country, Let us move forward bravely, to the east, to the east!" The Turghuts shouted the inspiring slogans together like this, to the east, and never look back!
After the museum, we will go around the places of interest in Korla.
Tiemen Pass in the northern suburb of Korla City is one of the twenty-six passes in ancient China. It strangles the exit of the steep canyon in the upper reaches of the Kongque River. It used to be a natural and dangerous hub for the transportation between the north and the south of Xinjiang, and the throat of the middle road of the ancient "Silk Road". .
Tiemenguan was established in the Jin Dynasty. From here, the ancient Silk Road entered a 30-kilometer-long canyon along the Kongque River.
There are also Kongque River and Swan River scenic spots in Korla City. Along the line, there are sculptures such as Cen Shen, Ban Chao, Xiangli, and He Tu Luo Shu, as well as bridges of different styles, islands of various shapes, large green belts, and colorful landscape lights. It is a beautiful scenic belt integrating leisure, tourism, viewing and ecology.
The picture below is Cen Shen. Cen Shen was a famous frontier poet in the Tang Dynasty. He went to the Northwest Frontier twice as an aide. Because he served in the Northwest Frontier for a long time, he had a deep understanding of the life of the army, the scenery of the frontier, and the customs and customs of the ethnic minorities in the Northwest. More than a dozen frontier poems are vigorous and majestic, magnificent and magnificent, bold and unrestrained, and they are in a class of their own among the poems of the Tang Dynasty. He once wrote a poem titled "Iron Gate Guanlou": "Iron Gate is at the west end of the sky. There are very few visitors. A small official closes the gate and faces the stone wall all day long. The bridge spans thousands of miles and the road is narrow with two cliffs. Try to climb to the west Looking at the building, the head is white." The writing is the iron gate above.
Travel 80 kilometers south from Korla to the Luobu village in Yuli County.
The Rob people are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Xinjiang. They live on the banks of the Tarim River. They do not grow grains or herd livestock. They only feed on fishing in small boats. They have been isolated from the world for thousands of years. Now there are only a few in the desert. The "last Rob people" of the Haizi, who fish and hunt by the Haizi, maintain primitive customs and habits, and their life is full of mystery. Longevity is a major feature of the Lop people. Because they live in the relatively remote Lop Nur area, far away from environmental pollution, there are many centenarians. Although he is old, he is not deaf, his eyes are not dazzled, his thinking is clear, his temperament is optimistic, open-minded and unrestrained, and he can still dance and sing to his heart's content.
The village of the Rob people covers an area of 72 square kilometers and has more than 20 families. It is one of the largest villages in western China and a paradise where the Rob people live. Now it has been turned into a scenic spot, including the Taklamakan Desert, the Tarim River, the original Populus euphratica forest, Grassland and other landscapes.
Entering the scenic spot, the first stop by Jingjiao bus is Abudan Square. "Abudan" means "beautiful water and grass, suitable for people to live in" in Luobu dialect. More than 100 years ago, the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin ventured into the Rob wilderness and accidentally discovered a prosperous fishing village, which is Abudan, the home of the Rob people. For the Rob people, Abudan is the cradle of their childhood, the arena of their middle age and the destination of their old age, and it is the place where they have lived for generations.
Jingjiao drove through the small road in the desert, and there was a green lake in front of him, which was the Goddess Lake. It is said that a long time ago, the daughter of Burke (the patriarch) in the Rob village fell in love with a young man from the neighboring village, and Burke never agreed to the marriage because the young man was poor. This summer, the village suffered from a severe drought, the Tarim River stopped flowing, and the lives of the Luobu people were in distress. Burke decided to marry his daughter to anyone who could find a source of water. The young man said goodbye to the girl and went up the river resolutely. Parida kept watch at the head of the village every day, hoping that the river would come, but there was no news of his sweetheart since then. Later, Parida remained unmarried all her life, and turned into a sea of hatred. The trickle was like endless tears of lovesickness. Regardless of drought or flood, the posterity called this lake "Goddess Lake" to commemorate this beautiful and dedicated girl. . Overlooking the outline of Goddess Lake from a height, it looks like a beautiful girl.
The water of the lake is crystal clear, reflecting the green grass and desert like a bright mirror.
There are also Luobu people's wedding rooms, altars, longevity square, Luobu tea garden and other landscapes in the scenic area, from which you can feel the mysterious and ancient Luobu ethnic customs.
The picture below shows the altar of the Rob people, which consists of a sun and eight stars. The tall earthen platform in the middle symbolizes the sun and masculinity of men, and the eight small earthen platforms piled up around them symbolize disease, flood, fertility, big fish, ancestors, peace, marriage leave and strong wind. The Luobu people are in awe of the heaven and earth, the sun, the moon and nature, and through sacrificial activities, they pray for the prosperity of humans and poultry and good weather.
The picture below shows the Longevity Cap of the Rob people. The Luobu people's felt hats are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The brim can be extended to withstand the scorching sun, and the brim can be lowered to protect against severe cold. It can be soaked in herbs to massage acupuncture points. It is called "longevity hat". It is said that the longest-lived old man of the Luobu people lived to be 132 years old. After his death, the local people built a longevity column in memory of him. It is a local custom to walk the longevity road, wear a longevity hat, and circle around the longevity column. There is a saying that "one circle is safe, two circles are happy, ten circles and eight circles live the same life as heaven and earth".
The village of the Rob people is adjacent to the Taklamakan Desert, and the Tarim River passes through the village. Here you can enjoy the beauty of the largest desert and the longest inland river.
Taklimakan Uyghur means "you can't get out of it". The desert is about 1,000 kilometers long from east to west, 400 kilometers wide from north to south, and covers an area of 337,300 square kilometers. The large mobile desert has a unique landscape and a magnificent momentum.
The Tarim Uighur means "unbridled horse". It originated in the Tianshan Mountains and the Karakorum Mountains, along the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, passing through Aksu, Shaya, Kuqa, Luntai, Korla, Yuli and other areas, and finally flowed into Taite Mahu, with a total length of 2179 kilometers, is the fifth largest inland river in the world. The Tarim River is also the mother river of southern Xinjiang, and the oases south of the Tianshan Mountains are basically irrigated by the Tarim River.
Another highlight of the scenic spot is the poplar trees of different shapes in the desert, lakeside and riverside.
Populus euphratica generally grows in extremely arid desert areas. It is a unique and precious forest resource in desert areas. They are resistant to cold, drought, salt and alkali, and wind and sand. They have strong vitality, can prevent wind and sand, create a suitable oasis climate, and form a fertile Soil, known as the "desert patron saint".
Populus euphratica is distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and other places in the northwest of my country. It often attracts tourists from all over the world to watch it in late autumn. The tree shape of Longzhong with golden leaves is admirable. In September, the Populus euphratica in Xinjiang has not yet turned yellow, but surrounded by waters such as Shennv Lake and Tarim River, the dense and scattered Populus euphratica forest also presents a breathtaking beauty.
Some hug each other tightly, covering the sky:
Some isolated sand dunes, solitary admiration:
Some dragons and coiled knots, phantoms reflected in the lake:
Others stand by the water, serving as oasis sentinels:
After visiting the village of the Luobu people, go south and stay overnight in the 34th regiment, and continue south to Ruoqiang the next day. Along the way, there are occasional embellishments of Populus euphratica and red willow, and more often, it is the boundless Lop Nur Gobi and the endless Taklamakan Desert.
Ruoqiang is located on the southeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, bordering Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet. The Loulan ancient city site mentioned in the Bazhou Museum above is located in Ruoqiang County. As soon as you enter the county, you will see the conspicuous large Loulan beauty sculpture. Long eyelashes, big eyes, like a fairy in the cloud.
Most of the squares and parks in the county are built around the Loulan culture and the ancient Silk Road culture, full of exotic customs.
(Loulan Angel)
(Relief on the exterior wall of the Loulan Museum)
Because the famous Loulan ruins were discovered in Lop Nur in Ruoqiang, the Loulan Museum in the county must be visited.
In the territory of Ruoqiang County today, there are residents of the Raoqiang city-state and Loulan city-state among the 36 local regimes in the history of the Han Dynasty. Ruoqiang is located in the Altun Mountains and is a small animal husbandry city-state, while Loulan has a city outline. Silk Road town. Loulan played an important role in the Han Dynasty's unification of the Western Regions and the establishment of the "National Protectorate of the Western Regions". In 77 BC, Loulan was renamed Shanshan. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the city-states in Xinjiang merged with each other. Shanshan, centered on Ruoqiang County today, unified the city-states of Xiaowan, Jingjue, Ronglu and Qiemo, and became an important oasis city-state on the Silk Road.
(Restored scene of Loulan Ancient City)
Lop Nur is known as the "ear of the earth". "Lop Nur" is Mongolian, meaning "the place where many rivers converge". It is the lowest point of the Tarim Basin. They are all gathered here. Historically, it was the second largest inland lake in China, "300 miles wide, no increase or decrease in winter and summer". Due to the decrease in the flow of the Tarim River in the middle and late 20th century, it degraded rapidly in the eyes of desertification around it, and finally dried up in 1972.
(Scenes of life in ancient Lop Nur)
A representative relic of the Loulan culture is the Xiaohe Cemetery, which was excavated between 2000 and 2004. 33 tombs, 15 well-preserved mummies, and nearly a thousand cultural relics were unearthed. The coffin is boat-shaped and has no bottom. The shape of the column in front of the tomb varies according to the gender of the deceased. The column at the front of the coffin of a male deceased is paddle-shaped, with the upper part painted black and the handle painted red. The paddle-shaped column symbolizes the vulva. The pillar at the front of the coffin of the female deceased is polygonal, thick at the top and thin at the bottom. The upper part is painted red and wrapped with wool rope, symbolizing the male root. The Xiaohe cemetery has a very strong reproductive worship color, and is considered by the archaeological community to be the most difficult mystery in the history of Central Asia through the ages.
(Mummy unearthed from Xiaohe Cemetery)
In addition to the ancient city of Loulan, Ruoqiang County also has a very famous site called "Milan Ancient City". The ancient city of Milan was built in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. It was the Buddhist site of Milan during the prosperous Shanshan period. Many wooden slips of Tubo in Tang Dynasty were unearthed here. .
The ancient city of Loulan has been protected now, and ordinary tourists cannot visit it, but the ancient city of Milan can be visited. We will travel 80 kilometers eastward to meet this mysterious relic.
The ancient city of Milan began in 77 BC. Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty sent 40 Sima and officials to garrison Yixun and reclaim wasteland for planting. Since then, the Milan area has flourished in agriculture, economy, and Buddhism. Yixun City is an important oasis city in the south of the Taklimakan Desert. During the Tang Dynasty, Yixun City was occupied by Tubo, and the ancient city of Milan gradually declined. Today, the ruins of the ancient city of Milan are composed of cross-cultural ruins of different ages, such as the ruins of Yixun City, the water conservancy project facilities of the Han Dynasty, and the ruins of the ancient fortress of the Tang Dynasty.
The pagodas and Buddhist temples are the cultural relics of the early days of Milan, reflecting the prosperity of Buddhism in the early days of the ancient city of Milan. There are 8 pagodas in the ancient city distributed around the fortress. A number of precious cultural relics have been unearthed in the Buddhist temple, including the "Winged Angel" mural stolen by the British explorer Stein. This painting is deeply influenced by Greek art style. It is evidence of the intersection of Eastern and Western civilizations.
Remains include temples and forts. The Tang ancient garrison castle faces the Milan River in the south. It is an irregular square, with hopeful towers at the four corners, a city gate in the west, and a stepped slope in the north. A large number of wooden slips, documents, and pottery fragments of the Tang Dynasty were excavated here.
Temples include Todaiji Temple and Saidaiji Temple. Dongdai Temple is divided into upper and lower floors, surrounded by higher courtyard walls. There is a Buddhist niche in the temple, and there are still statues of Bodhisattvas and heavenly kings in the niche. Dongda Temple is the place where the ancient Chinese monks Faxian, Huisheng, Xuanzang, etc. preached the Dharma and worshiped Buddha on their way to Tianzhu.
The residual height of the pagoda in Xidai Temple is 3-6 meters, and the top of the pagoda is round and arched.
Turning around the ancient country of Milan, we will continue eastward to Mangya in Qinghai. The wind and sand are very strong on this day. On the Xisha line, the sky is full of yellow "fog" covering the sun and blinding the eyes. The howling wind is piercing and scratching the heart. . After entering Qinghai, there were many mountains and mountains, the wind and sand stopped, and the road became clear. However, there was a long line of large vehicles one after another, moving extremely slowly, and was blocked at the Mangya checkpoint for nearly an hour.
In this way, the trip to southern Xinjiang is over, and we are greeted by more magnificent and colorful miracles of nature - the devil's eye, the emerald lake, the road to Mars...
