HSK 6 · Article · 673 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-are-the-dunhuang-mogao-caves

敦煌莫高窟是什么?

What are the Dunhuang caves?

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1900年nián夏天xiàtiān,在zài中国zhōngguó西北xīběi的de沙漠shāmò边上biānshang,看守kānshǒu这zhè片piàn石窟shíkū的de王道士dàoshì正在zhèngzài清理qīnglǐ一yí个gè洞dòng里的de沙子shāzi。据说jùshuō,他tā忽然hūrán发现fāxiàn墙qiáng上shàng有yǒu一yí道dào裂缝lièfèng,后面hòumiàn好像hǎoxiàng是shì空kōng的de。他tā把bǎ墙qiáng打开dǎkāi一yí看kàn,里面lǐmiàn竟然jìngrán藏cáng着zhe一个yígè小xiǎo房间fángjiān,古老gúlǎo的de经卷jīngjuàn、文书wénshū和hé绘画huìhuà从cóng地上dìshang一直yìzhí堆duī到dào屋顶wūdǐng,一共yígòng大约dàyuē有yǒu五万wǔwàn件jiàn。这些zhèxiē东西dōngxī在zài黑暗hēi’àn中zhōng静静jìngjìng地de躺tǎng了le九百jiúbǎi年nián左右zuǒyòu,没有méiyǒu人rén知道zhīdào它们tāmen为什么wèishénme被bèi封fēng在zài这里zhèlǐ。

这个zhège地方dìfang,就是jiùshì甘肃gānsù敦煌dūnhuáng的de莫高窟mògāokū。那个nàge小xiǎo房间fángjiān,后来hòulái被bèi人们rénmen叫做jiàozuò“藏经洞cángjīngdòng”。

敦煌dūnhuáng是shì一yí片piàn沙漠shāmò中zhōng的de绿洲lǜzhōu,在zài古代gǔdài,它tā正好zhènghǎo位于wèiyú丝绸之路sīchóu-zhīlù上shàng。从cóng中原zhōngyuán往wǎng西xī去qù的de商人shāngrén、和尚héshang和hé旅行者lǚxíngzhě,几乎jīhū都dōu要yào经过jīngguò这里zhèlǐ,东方dōngfāng和hé西方xīfāng的de商品shāngpǐn、宗教zōngjiào和hé艺术yìshù,都dōu在zài这里zhèlǐ交流jiāoliú。传说chuánshuō公元gōngyuán366年nián,有yǒu一yí位wèi僧人sēngrén路过lùguò这里zhèlǐ,看见kànjiàn对面duìmiàn的de山shān上shàng金光jīnguāng闪闪shánshǎn,仿佛fǎngfú有yǒu上千shàngqiān个gè佛fó在zài放fàng光guāng。他tā觉得juéde这zhè是shì神圣shénshèng的de地方dìfang,就jiù在zài山崖shānyá上shàng开凿kāizáo了le第一dìyī个gè洞dòng。

从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu,一代yídài又yòu一代yídài的de人rén接着jiēzhe挖wā,前后qiánhòu持续chíxù了le一千多yìqiānduō年nián。今天jīntiān,莫高窟mògāokū还hái保存bǎocún着zhe七百多qībǎiduō个gè洞窟dòngkū,其中qízhōng保存bǎocún着zhe壁画bìhuà和hé彩色cǎisè塑像sùxiàng的de有yǒu四百九十多sìbáijiǔshíduō个gè,壁画bìhuà加jiā起来qǐlai有yǒu四万五千多sìwànwǔqiānduō平方米píngfāngmǐ,彩色cǎisè塑像sùxiàng有yǒu两千多liǎngqiānduō尊zūn。走进zǒujìn洞dòng里,墙qiáng上shàng画huà满mǎn了le佛fó的de故事gùshi,也yě画huà着zhe古代gǔdài的de人rén种地zhòngdì、打猎dǎliè、做买卖zuòmǎimai、结婚jiéhūn的de场景chángjǐng。最zuì有名yǒumíng的de,是shì那些nàxiē在zài空中kōngzhōng飞舞fēiwǔ的de“飞天fēitiān”,她们tāmen身上shēnshang的de长cháng带子dàizi在zài风fēng中zhōng飘piāo着zhe,看起来kànqilai好像hǎoxiàng真的zhēnde会huì飞fēi。

可是kěshì,藏经洞cángjīngdòng的de故事gùshi并不bìngbù圆满yuánmǎn。当时dāngshí的de清朝qīngcháo政府zhèngfǔ没有méiyǒu重视zhòngshì这zhè批pī宝贝bǎobèi。1907年nián,英国yīngguó探险家tànxiǎnjiā斯坦因sītǎnyīn来到láidào敦煌dūnhuáng,只zhǐ花huā了le很hěn少shǎo的de钱qián,就jiù从cóng王道士手里shǒuli带走dàizǒu了le上万shàngwàn件jiàn经卷jīngjuàn和hé文书wénshū。第二年dì’èrnián,又yòu有yǒu一yí位wèi法国fǎguó学者xuézhě带走dàizǒu了le一yí大批dàpī。今天jīntiān,这些zhèxiē宝贝bǎobèi分散fēnsàn在zài英国yīngguó、法国fǎguó等děng世界各地shìjiè-gèdì的de博物馆bówùguǎn里。其中qízhōng最zuì有名yǒumíng的de一yí件jiàn,是shì一yí部bù印yìn于yú公元gōngyuán868年nián的de《金刚经jīngāngjīng》,它tā是shì世界shìjiè上shàng保存bǎocún下来xiàlai的de、有yǒu明确míngquè日期rìqī的de最zuì早zǎo的de印刷yìnshuā书shū。

1987年nián,莫高窟mògāokū被bèi列入lièrù世界遗产名录shìjièyíchǎnmínglù。现在xiànzài,为了wèile保护bǎohù这些zhèxiē脆弱cuìruò的de壁画bìhuà,每天měitiān能néng走进zǒujìn洞dòng里参观cānguān的de游客yóukè人数rénshù都dōu有yǒu限制xiànzhì。所以suóyǐ,如果rúguǒ你nǐ有yǒu机会jīhuì去qù敦煌dūnhuáng,最好zuìhǎo提前tíqián预约yùyuē。站zhàn在zài那些nàxiē一千多yìqiānduō年nián前qián的de壁画bìhuà前面qiánmiàn,你nǐ也许yéxǔ会huì觉得juéde,时间shíjiān在zài这里zhèlǐ好像hǎoxiàng停住tíngzhù了le。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
沙漠shāmòdesert
洞dònghole; cave
沙子shāzisand; grit
据说jùshuōit is said; reportedly
墙qiángwall
藏cángto hide; to conceal
古老gúlǎoancient; old
堆duīto pile up; to heap up; pile; heap; stack
古代gǔdàiancient times; antiquity
位于wèiyúto be located at; to lie in
商人shāngrénmerchant; businessman
传说chuánshuōlegend; folklore

English (for the teacher)

In the summer of 1900, at the edge of the desert in China’s northwest, Wang the Daoist priest, who looked after the caves, was clearing sand out of one of them. The story goes that he suddenly noticed a crack in the wall, and there seemed to be a space behind it. When he opened up the wall he found, to his astonishment, a small room hidden inside, piled from the floor to the ceiling with ancient scrolls, documents and paintings, some fifty thousand items in all. They had lain quietly in the dark for around nine hundred years, and nobody knows why they were sealed in there.

The place was the Mogao caves at Dunhuang in Gansu. The little room later came to be called the Library Cave.

Dunhuang is an oasis in the desert, and in ancient times it sat right on the Silk Road. Merchants, monks and travellers heading west from the heartland of China almost all had to pass through, and here the goods, religions and arts of East and West met and mixed. Legend says that in 366 AD a monk passing by saw the mountain opposite glittering with golden light, as if a thousand Buddhas were shining. He felt it was a holy place, and he cut the first cave into the cliff.

After that, generation after generation kept on digging, for more than a thousand years in all. Today the Mogao caves still keep more than seven hundred caves, over four hundred and ninety of them with murals and painted statues; together the murals cover more than forty-five thousand square metres, and there are over two thousand painted statues. Step inside and the walls are covered with stories of the Buddha, and with scenes of people long ago farming, hunting, trading and getting married. The most famous are the flying apsaras soaring through the air, the long ribbons on their bodies streaming in the wind, as if they really could fly.

But the Library Cave’s story doesn’t end happily. The Qing government of the day paid no attention to the treasure. In 1907 the British explorer Aurel Stein came to Dunhuang and, for very little money, carried off more than ten thousand scrolls and documents from Wang. The next year a French scholar took away another great batch. Today these treasures are scattered among museums around the world, in Britain, France and elsewhere. The most famous of them is a Diamond Sutra printed in 868 AD, the earliest surviving printed book with a clear date.

In 1987 the Mogao caves were added to the World Heritage List. Now, to protect the fragile murals, the number of visitors allowed into the caves each day is limited. So if you get the chance to go to Dunhuang, it’s best to book ahead. Standing before murals painted more than a thousand years ago, you may feel that time has stopped here.