Yangguan

"The rain and dust in Weicheng are light, and the green willows in guest houses are new. I'd like to urge you to have a glass of wine and come out of Yangguan in the west without an old friend. " Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, presented Anxi, the second envoys of the Yuan Dynasty, with a sorrowful feeling of separation in Yangguan, the important place of transportation.

As a necessary pass along the South Silk Road, Yangguan, located near the antique beach in the southwest of Dunhuang, is an important gateway to the western regions in the Han Dynasty. Today's site is just a small earthen platform. In the Yangguan Museum, the display of weapons and farm implements shows us the scene of soldiers stationed in the frontier at that time. When they were far away from their hometown, they often died and died.

Yangguan

Yangguan is the throat of China's ancient land transportation to the outside world, and it is a necessary pass on the South Silk Road. It is located near the antique beach in the southwest of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. In the Western Han Dynasty, it was located in the south of Yumen pass, so it was named. Both Yumen pass and Yumen pass were the gateway of transportation to the western regions at that time.

After the Song Dynasty, because of the gradual decline of communication with the West and land, the pass collapsed. Antique beach is named after a large number of Han Dynasty cultural relics exposed on the ground, such as bronze arrows, ancient coins, stone mills, pottery cups, etc. According to the research on Xiguan site, gugutan is Yangguan after Han Dynasty, but hongshankou is Yangguan according to Xintongzhi of Gansu Province and Dunhuang county annals of Qing Dynasty.

Pass function

Yangguan is located on the "antique Beach" of Nanhu Township, 70 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang City in Hexi corridor.

Yangguan was an important pass for the Han Dynasty to defend against the invasion of the nomadic people in the northwest. It was also an important gateway for the Central Plains on the Silk Road to the western regions and Central Asia. The pass depended on water and was dangerous to Sichuan. It echoed with Yumen pass from north to South.

Yangguan ancient fortress was built in the desert. Archaeologists have found that Yangguan occupies the dangerous terrain of "one man is in charge of the pass, ten thousand people are not allowed to open".

Yangguan and Yumen pass, one in the South and the other in the north. Famous at home and abroad, love ancient and modern. After leaving Liangguan, he entered the vast Gobi desert. Both are important passes of the silk road. It is the main military site and post station of Dunhuang section of the Silk Road, and an important gateway to the western regions and Eurasia. After leaving Dunhuang, one of the two passes must be taken.

The origin of the name

Yangguan, located in the south of Yumen pass, is named Yangguan. Yangguan, built in the reign of Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty in Yuanding, was one of the "four counties and two passes" in Hexi. As a gateway to the western regions, Yangguan is also an important pass on the South Road of the Silk Road and a strategic place for ancient military strategists. According to historical records, in the Western Han Dynasty, Yangguan county was set up here. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, shouchang county was set up in the Tang Dynasty. After the song and Yuan Dynasties, with the decline of the Silk Road, Yangguan was gradually abandoned. Yumen pass and Yangguan pass are called "Liangguan relics" in the old Dunhuang county annals, which is one of the eight Dunhuang sceneries.

Historical evolution

Yangguan was first built in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty when the four counties were listed and the two passes were occupied. Yangguan had abundant water resources in ancient times. Wowachi and xitugou were the largest independent water sources. At least three or four thousand years ago, it had become an oasis basin with developed Huoshaogou culture.

As early as 121 BC, in order to resist the Xiongnu's harassment of the border areas, the Western Han Dynasty managed the western regions and set up four counties in the Hexi Corridor, namely Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang. At the same time, Yangguan and Yumenguan were established.

Yangguan was built around the fourth year of Yuanfeng (107 BC) in the Han Dynasty. It once had a Duwei in charge of military affairs. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, it was a necessary pass on the South Silk Road.

Since the Western Han Dynasty, many dynasties have taken this place as an important military area, and sent troops to guard it. How many soldiers and soldiers have fought here; how many merchants, monks, envoys and tourists have tested here; and how many literati and poets have written immortal poems in the face of Yangguan. Xuanzang, an eminent monk, returned to Chang'an by taking the Southern Silk Road and going to Yangguan in the East.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the soldiers of Yangguan lived by this water. At ordinary times, the upper reaches of xitugou dry up, and the lower reaches of xitugou have spring water flowing northward. After the flood peak, the Bank of the gully collapses one after another, the riverbed widens, and a large amount of sediment flows down the river. The sediment was transported by northwest wind and formed sand ridges. Yangguan ancient city was gradually destroyed by water and buried by sand.

After being abandoned in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it gradually became barren, leaving only the beacon of dundun mountain, known as "Yangguan ears and eyes", standing on the desert Gobi.

On the former site

According to experts' research, the former site of Yangguan is in the quicksand area facing the "antique Beach" to the west of Nanhu township. From the southwest of Dunhuang, you can reach Yangguan's former site: "antique Beach" by 75 kilometers. According to the textual research of Xiguan site, antique beach is Yangguan after Han Dynasty. However, according to the new general annals of Gansu and Dunhuang county annals of the Qing Dynasty, hongshankou is Yangguan. After the Song Dynasty, because of the gradual decline of communication with the West and land, the pass collapsed.

According to (Yuanhe county annals) carried Yangguan, in the county (shouchang county) six miles west. It lives in the south of Yumen pass, so it is called Yangguan pass. Yangguan was originally built in the Han Dynasty. It is the South Road of Weihe River, Shanshan and Shache in the West. In the later Wei Dynasty, Yangguan county was set up here, and the Zhou Dynasty abolished it. "

The manuscripts of Dunhuang stone chamber collected in Paris (local chronicles of Shazhou) (P. 5034) contain: Yangguan, 20 steps from east to west, 27 steps from north to south. Right in (shouchang) County West ten li, now see damage, base site see save. Shicheng, Yutian and other South roads in the West. In the south of Yumen pass, it is called "Yangguan" (Note: the ancients took the south of mountains and the north of rivers as Yang). It can be seen that Yangguan was destroyed in the Tang Dynasty, and only the base site was left. Ancient shouchang city is near Beigong village, Nanhu Township, Dunhuang City, and Yangguan is 6 or 10 Li west of shouchang old city.

archaeological excavation

In 1943, when the archaeologist Xiang Da inspected here, he wrote: "today, there is a place name antique beach in the northwest corner of Nanhu Lake, which is choked by quicksand. There are tablet building relics and pottery pieces all over the place. At that time, there are ancient artifacts such as jade, pottery pieces and ancient coins, which were found from the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song dynasties. The relics of antique beach meander from the north to the lower part of Longshou mountain in the north of Nanhu Lake, which is commonly known as hongshankou The West drift sand is obliterated, and the vast expanse is hard to test.

In 1972, the cultural relics investigation team of Jiuquan area discovered a large number of ruins of building wall foundations behind the 14 sand canals in the west of antique road. After trial excavation and measurement, the buildings were arranged neatly and clearly, covering an area of more than 10000 square meters, and there were continuous and wide Castle wall foundations nearby. The former site of Yangguan should be located here.

Yangguan stone tablet and antique beach are named after a large number of Han Dynasty cultural relics, such as bronze arrows, ancient coins, stone mills and pottery cups, exposed on the ground. It's not unusual to pick up ancient coins, weapons, decorations, and pottery pieces at the antique beach. Therefore, the local people have the saying that "when you enter the antique beach, you will not return them empty handed.".

Historical allusions

The reason why there are so many antiques on the beach is that Emperor Tang married his daughter to the king of Khotan in order to maintain a friendly and harmonious relationship with Khotan in the western regions. When the emperor married the princess, he naturally brought a lot of dowries, gold, silver and jewelry.

After a long journey to Yangguan with dowry, the bridal procession took a rest here to get ready to leave. Unexpectedly, the night wind, yellow sand everywhere, dark and dark. The wind has been blowing for seven days and seven nights. After the wind stopped and the sand settled, towns, villages, countryside, the family sending team and dowry were all buried under the sand dunes. From then on, it was deserted. For a long time, the wind blows, the quicksand moves, and the things under the sand dunes are exposed to the ground and picked up by people. The local people once found a golden foal and an exquisite general sword here. It is not known whether the legend is unofficial or official.

Main attractions

Yangguan, an ancient city buried by quicksand, is an ancient city sung by ancient literati. There are some remains of houses, farmland, channels and other sites here. After the strong wind, these sites can be seen clearly and attract people's attention. Since ancient times, Yangguan has always been desolate and desolate in people's hearts. Today's Yangguan is no longer a desolate euphemistic pronoun for Wang Wei's "leaving Yangguan in the west without an old friend". Today's Yangguan is a good place for willows, luxuriant forests, clear springs and clusters of grapes.

Beacon in Han Dynasty

There are few remains of Fengsui in Guancheng because of its long history. In ancient times, Yangguan was connected with the Great Wall 70 kilometers north to Yumenguan. There were Fengsui piers every few tens of miles, and there were more than ten Fengsui near Yangguan. In particular, on the top of dundun mountain on the north side of antique beach, the beacon called "Yangguan ear Mu" is the largest, with the highest terrain and relatively complete preservation.

Yangguan city in the past has long disappeared. There is only one beacon site of the Han Dynasty standing on dundun mountain. Depending on this dundun mountain, you can have a panoramic view of the whole city. Dunduntai is located at the commanding height of Yangguan. It is the only physical witness of Yangguan's history. In the south of the mountain, there is a big beach that can't be seen. It is called "antique Beach" by the local people. There is a vast amount of quicksand here, and the undulating sand dunes are naturally arranged into more than 20 sand beams from east to west. Between sand beams, it is gravel flat. Pottery, iron bricks, tiles, weapons, decorations, pottery and other ancient relics of the Han and Tang Dynasties are everywhere. Therefore, the local people have the saying that "if you enter the antique beach, you will not return it empty handed".

Inscription Gallery

On the towering dundun mountain of the beacon tower, a corridor of famous people's inscriptions has been built. Walking in the corridor, you can not only enjoy the poetry and calligraphy of contemporary celebrities, but also pay attention to the ancient Yangguan site, and overlook the natural scenery of oases, deserts and snow peaks.

South Lake and grape corridor

There is a South Lake and grape corridor near Yangguan. It has a unique style and can be used as a reference