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Since the beginning of prehistoric times, people on both sides of eurasia have longed for the beautiful scene on the other side, and the exchange of material and civilization between the East and the West has also emerged. In 139 BC, with the orders of Zhang Qian, China's first diplomat during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, to travel westward, a long road across Eurasia was accidentally hollowed out. As a result, the light and elegant silk from China swept the fashion concept of the ancient Roman aristocracy, while the gold and silver ware from the West was enshrined as the most precious treasure by the Central Plains royal family, used to worship the Buddha and heirlooms, and was unexpectedly frozen in the underground palace or cellar by history. This road was called the "Silk Road" by later generations, and the place with the most magnificent Treasures of the Silk Road was Chang'an.
From its inception to the fifteenth century, the Silk Road has always been the axis of human history, conquerors and conquerors, seekers and propagators, and caravans from the East and the West, all using the Silk Road as a bridge. From silkworm farming to silk, from alchemy to explosives, from Sinan to compass, Eastern and Western civilizations have been widely exchanged and spread here. Chang'an is undoubtedly the starting point of this bridge across Eurasia, which has occupied the highlight of this axis world stage for thousands of years.
Even after a thousand years of time, Chang'an is still the brightest beacon coordinate in the long river of Chinese history. Although the grandeur of the Han Weiyang Palace and the magnificence of the Tang Daming Palace have long been submerged in the skyscrapers lined up in Xi'an today, the vision of "long-term peace and stability" has never faded. The towering Big Wild Goose Pagoda carries the faith of ancient monks who seek the Dharma and has become the symbol of Chang'an, which still stands in Xi'an. Built in 652 AD, this four-square brick pagoda was modeled after the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang's eye-catching Pagoda of Bodh Gaya, India, but after several transformations, it cleverly integrated into the imitation wooden pavilion style unique to Chinese architecture. In addition, the Buddhist ideas brought back by Xuanzang along the Silk Road, through mutual penetration with Confucian and Taoist thought, were rooted in the ideas and concepts of later generations Chinese, and became one of the most important Sinicized religious beliefs. At the same time, Zoroastrianism, Jingjiao, and Manichaeism also spread along the Silk Road in this land, and Chang'an became the most inclusive international metropolis.
Climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and overlook Xi'an City. Feel that the wheels of history have not stopped for a moment. The Xi'an in front of you and Chang'an a thousand years ago have long had a change of vicissitudes, but what has not changed is the streets and alleys that extend straight in all directions. Datang West City was once the most lively place in this chessboard. Here, "Hu Ji looks like a flower, when laughing at the spring breeze", the western women in the liquor store dance a variety of huxuan dances to win the applause of everyone. Sogdian Hu merchants from Central Asia carried goods and wealth from all over the world on the back of swaying camels, and the popular commodities such as spices, glass, treasures, gold and silverware Chinese were displayed here, like a medieval exposition of all countries.
In recent years, Xi'an has successively unearthed Sogdian tombs such as the Tomb of Anjia and the Tomb of Shi Jun, and the images of these Sogdians, who were once active on the Silk Road, have gradually come alive. Because they were familiar with the multi-Chinese along the Silk Road, they became the most important merchants in the Silk Road trade. They established many settlements in the oases along the Silk Road, and many settled in Chang'an. They married Central Plains women and maintained their belief in fire worship; they drank in Chinese pavilions and liked to hunt on horseback; they accepted the World of Huangquan after the death of the Central Plains, but handed over the wealth they had hidden in their lives to be carried by camels to NaiHe Bridge; many of them entered the Dynasty as officials and became the spokesmen for the Effective Management of the Silk Road Trade of the Central Plains Dynasty.
Although the glory of the world's first bazaar is gone, Xi'an's Muslim Street has become another kind of remembrance of Chang'an West City. This Huifang street by the Drum Tower has become the most well-known food landmark in Xi'an because most of the food shops on both sides are run by Muslims living here. Grilled meats, steamed buns, dumplings, soup buns, cold skins, meat sandwich buns... The aroma of food drives the full appetite, sparks in the flow of people, and also secretly surges up the openness, tolerance and eclecticism that have not disappeared in Xi'an's bones. The Tang Dynasty Sleepless City, a few kilometers away, is a new Xi'an landmark, which has become a new Internet celebrity punch card with the brilliant night view of the bright and ever-sleeping days. The modern buildings on both sides of the street are decorated with the coat of imitation of Tang Dynasty, and under the modification of the lights, the weather of the Tang Dynasty is revealed. Compared with the city that never sleeps, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda at the end of the road is as quiet as ever. It has witnessed the rise and fall of Chang'an, and also watched over the growth of Xi'an.
From Chang'an to Xi'an, in addition to the glory and glory hidden in the long river of history, there are also several watersheds in Chinese history. Today's Xi'an, the mottled city wall surrounds the Scale Building, and the emerging industries and traditional culture coexist in harmony. Twenty years after the "great development of the western region," Xi'an has made remarkable achievements. In 2013, the China-Europe express train "Chang'an" departed from this, reaching 45 countries and regions along the Silk Road, and the scene of the caravans of camel bells on the Former Silk Road is being reinterpreted by the speeding trains. In 2021, the "Fourteenth Luck" came to a successful end, and Xi'an was displayed in front of the world with a more open and confident attitude. As an important node in the construction of the "Belt and Road", Xi'an has begun to move towards an international gateway hub city, which will also open a new chapter in the history of the Silk Road.
At 21:00 on the evening of December 7, the third issue of the second season of "It Seems to Be the Past" followed the footsteps of Hou Ningbin, director of the Shaanxi History Museum, and traveled through a long time together to talk about the greatness and eternity of the Silk Road Chang'an. (Author: Li Xiaoqi)