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Dunhuang, the crossroads of civilizations: a shining pearl on the Silk Road

"Dun, Daiya. It is famous for its wide open western region. Li Jifu of the Tang Dynasty compiled the "Atlas of Yuanhe Counties and Counties". Dunhuang is the intersection of the world's four major civilizations, rich in prehistoric culture, border culture, northern ethnic minority culture, silk road cultural resources, is a veritable treasure house of Chinese national cultural resources, can be called the geographical coordinates of Chinese civilization. Recently, the people's network multilingual reporting team went to Dunhuang to explore the mysterious charm of this pearl of the Silk Road.

The blue wisps of the road depict the legend of Mogao's spirit passed down from generation to generation

The water of the Daquan River has flowed for thousands of years, witnessing the rise and fall of the Mogao Grottoes, and also witnessing the passing on of the flame of the Mogao spirit.

Adhere to the desert, have the courage to take responsibility, be willing to dedicate, and forge ahead, for more than 70 years, Dunhuang Research Institute has grown from small to large, from weak to strong, in this thick soil that carries a thousand years of history. Generations of Mogao Cave people have written the spirit of Mogao with the original heart of Chichen. And the Mogao Cave people are not only Chang Shuhong, Duan Wenjie, Fan Jinshi, but also countless devotees who are willing to be lonely, and we may not know their names.

Dunhuang, the crossroads of civilizations: a shining pearl on the Silk Road

Liu Tao, a cultural relics protection and restoration worker at the Dunhuang Research Institute, is at the work site. People's Daily Photo by Lu Qiang

"I've been working in mogao caves since 1986 and I've been working for 35 years this year." Liu Tao, a cultural relics protection and restoration worker at the Dunhuang Research Institute, said, "The hard work is certain, the temperature inside the cave is relatively low, and sometimes it is dirty." But after the destruction of the ruins was finally restored, the sense of accomplishment was particularly strong. Seeing the final result, the suffering in front of you is worth it. ”

It is The Mogao Cave people like Liu Tao who pass on the Mogao spirit from generation to generation. Its origin, perhaps as early as a thousand years ago, the spirit of Mogao penetrated into the bones and blood of the Mogao Cave people.

"These real painting experts in Mogao Grottoes have not left anything of their own." In the restoration work, Liu Tao has never stopped admiring the skills of ancient craftsmen, and from time to time sighs after falling into deep thought, "The technicians of ancient times have left outstanding works, but they have not left names. For us, it's not important to leave a name, it's important to fix it and pass it on from generation to generation. "From ancient times to the present, it is the countless Mogao Cave people who have created magnificent relics in the scorching sun, sand, wind, frost, rain and snow with their sincere hearts, and it is also the cold wind of Dunhuang that sharpens the pious hearts of the Mogao Cave people."

Solar thermal power generation helps the "double carbon" goal "Belt and Road" cooperative innovation machine

Sunlight is perhaps the most important thing in the desert and the Gobi. Today, on the vast Gobi of Dunhuang, the sun gives us another answer about the future and beyond imagination.

About 20 kilometers west of Dunhuang, the Dunhuang 100 MW Molten Salt Tower Solar Thermal Power Station, known as the "Super Mirror Power Station", shines on the Gobi Desert. The 12,000-sided heliostat in the power station surrounds the 260-meter-high heat absorption tower in concentric circles, the total reflection area of the mirror field reaches more than 1.4 million square meters, the design annual power generation reaches 390 million kWh, and the annual carbon dioxide emission reduction is 350,000 tons, which is the largest scale, the highest heat absorption tower, and the 24-hour continuous power generation of 100 MW molten salt tower solar thermal power station in China.

Dunhuang, the crossroads of civilizations: a shining pearl on the Silk Road

Dunhuang Optoelectronic Industrial Park. People's Daily Photo by Peng Yukai

In the land of Dunhuang, the origin of modern science and technology is also traced in history. "The technical principle of this project is concave mirrors, which our ancestors have been using a lot for more than 3,000 years." Huang Wenbo, chairman of Shouhang Hi-Tech Energy Technology Co., Ltd., said that the ancient "Yang Flint" is the origin of today's solar thermal power station. "This technique doesn't just just stay in the story, there are already a large number of excavated artifacts. According to written records, it was used to start a fire. Our current large-scale technology works the same way, but uses a lot of modern design tools, manufacturing tools and control techniques. This is actually a kind of wisdom of the old ancestors using the sun, we just use the current technology to amplify, this is a inheritance of the ancestral technology, but also a kind of development and application of the current technology. ”

"Solar thermal power generation is a clean renewable energy power generation method, because of its good heat storage performance and similar power quality of thermal power, it is crucial to the construction of new energy power system." Huang Wenbo believes that as a clean power, solar thermal power generation will play an important role in promoting the realization of the "double carbon" goal.

Dunhuang's suitable climate and topography have created a favorable environment for the development of solar thermal power stations. Many places along the "Belt and Road" also have this condition. "Dunhuang is an important node of the 'Belt and Road' and a popular international tourist destination, and we hope to use these 'opportunities' to bring this technology to the world for promotion." In the future, we will cooperate in more solar-rich places to enable more countries and regions along the 'Belt and Road' to use clean and stable energy." Huang Wenbo said.

The throat of the Silk Road Civilizations converge to spread the Story of China

After the opening of the Silk Road, the ancient Chinese civilization represented by silk broke through the geographical barrier of the desert ice peaks and fire island wind reservoirs, and began to spread to the countries of the western region and Central Asia and West Asia. Dunhuang, the throat of the Silk Road, is the intersection of the four major civilizations and a historical witness to the exchanges between China and the West.

Since Zhang Qian's access to the Western Regions, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Dunhuang County in 111 BC, Dunhuang has been a multi-ethnic and multicultural area. The civilizations of Eurasia and multiple transportation networks meet here, which is an important regional culture center with a diversity of China, and it is also the most frequent and far-reaching area of ancient China and the world civilization, and is known as the "metropolis of Huarong". It is also here that the Silk Road spirit of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit and win-win results has been nurtured.

As important stations and passes on the Silk Road, a large number of silk, paper, iron and other cultural relics have been preserved, witnessing the prosperity of Sino-Western economic and trade exchanges on the Silk Road and creating a magnificent picture of multi-ethnic life. "These legacies truly embody our country's strong governance ability since ancient times, and the responsibility and responsibility of the Chinese nation as a major country in the international community." Shi Mingxiu, director of the Dunhuang Museum, said, "Dunhuang culture has indeed spread the Chinese voice in ancient times, told the Story of China, and become the meeting place of the four major civilizations. ”

Dunhuang, the crossroads of civilizations: a shining pearl on the Silk Road

Shi Mingxiu, director of Dunhuang Museum. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Museum

"The Reason Why the Dunhuang Museum vividly tells The Chinese story and spreads the Chinese voice well is because Dunhuang culture has the background of international exchanges." Shi Mingxiu believes that the ideal realm of civilizational exchanges and mutual learning is "the beauty of each other, the beauty of beauty, the beauty of the united states, and the unity of the world", and the characteristics of Dunhuang culture of openness and inclusiveness, loftiness and beauty, goodness and integrity, humility and harmony are the vivid embodiment of this realm. "Chinese and Western civilizations exchanged and learned from each other through the Silk Road, and Chinese culture and ideas also profoundly affected the process of human civilization." Shi Mingxiu said.

Sowing the Seeds of Dunhuang Culture, People's Hearts And Minds Connecting "Beauty and Harmony"

"In the past few years of Doing Dunhuang Cultural Creation, I have deeply felt the importance of cultural and creative products for cultural inheritance. Mogao Grottoes and Dunhuang culture is profound and professional, how do most ordinary people touch this culture? Creative products through culture are the most effective, direct and popular way. Liu Xiaxia, director of Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Group and general manager of Dunhuang Gongmei Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd., said.

Dunhuang, the crossroads of civilizations: a shining pearl on the Silk Road

"Feitian" element cultural and creative products. Courtesy of Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Group

In recent years, cultural and creative products have become popular among young people, which not only makes museums and other institutions change their slightly serious old appearance, but also revitalizes traditional culture. "Our original intention of doing Dunhuang cultural and creative products is the modern revival of traditional culture, so that traditional culture can be productized, lived, and supplied, and culture can be worn on people's bodies and used in life." Liu Xiaxia said.

"I think cultural and creative products are an important carrier of culture, and we must bring it to thousands of households, to the hearts of young people, and sow the seeds of Dunhuang culture." Shi Mingxiu believes that the people's yearning for a better life is our goal. As a cultural protection worker, it is a responsibility on your shoulders to explore high-quality cultural products that can serve economic and social development. It is precisely because of their efforts that cultural relics and museums have been successfully integrated into today's economic and social development. "Over the years, in the cause of cultural relics protection, I have found that the original museum can also be integrated into the tide of economic and social development, especially the attention of the younger generation, which also subverts our understanding of traditional culture."

The Silk Road is a road of people-to-people communication. The spread of culture can affect the integration of people, but people-to-people communication is not only based on cultural exchanges, but also based on mutual appreciation and understanding. "I have always believed that the spread of culture not only affects the present, but must also have an all-round impact across time and space. We pay attention to the construction of communication, that is, to deepen dunhuang culture into the domestic and international, to dedicate the positive products full of culture to the people, so that the beauty of culture can be shared by the public. Shi Mingxiu said.

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