Travels in Shanxi - Datong Yungang Grottoes article notes (a)

 May 19: starting nine at night arrived in Datong, overnight Yanbei Teachers;
before starting the program: the Yungang Grottoes and the first contact a good reception staff, intends to look at the three-day Yungang Grottoes , generally three stages in accordance with the order of places Mr. Paik point of view, but you can do all temporary changes have time to visit Datong District, down Huayan, good Chinese Temple, hunyuan De Monastery is alternative. then take the train to Taiyuan, just stop one day, mainly to the Shanxi Museum around, particularly its Buddhist hall, have time to days of the Longshan, accompanied by a friend Siting want to see Jinci, the variable to the time program will become, after all, the way to the days of the Longshan not go, and I had been a year ago, took a more complete picture. to leave the tour after Taiyuan is purely a sightseeing tour, Siting been longing for a royal compound, so we began with a trip to Jiexiu, and then overnight Pingyao, Pingyao wandering the next day.
but I want to start early on Saturday, to spend as much time to see caves, Siting so I decided to see about it, wait two days to go Datong. bought a train ticket the afternoon two fifty-seven am not lazy, early in the morning to go North on my Japanese class, noon, rushed after school ran back to school, rush to lunch, packed up half past one start. fear of traffic jams will be late, bite the bullet hit a car to go to West Point, arrived in the waiting room more than enough time to find the time, so most of the day before grinding to a ticket on the train. car is not crowded, and my seat by the window, pulled out a copy after firmly secured a good start catching up and the Yungang papers related to knowledge, a very serious look studious hh was actually guilty tears, just the end of the thesis have not had time to find too much information, for fear that the Yungang do not know what the look. photocopied before departure, Mr. Su Yungang Grottoes is the number of TOEFL review materials (do not look hh).
six-hour journey pass quickly passed in reading, fifty past eight p.m. punctual arrival of Datong. once two years ago, but that Travel through some of the nightmare, as companions on the road suddenly fell ill, we have common ground only half a day to stay for a short time, all spent Yungang, but that did not look enough. the care of friends in Shanxi enthusiastic blessing, I separate battles in the first two days of Datong, may live in student dormitories Yanbei Teachers College, and also to the station to meet me, a little flattered. out of the station, able to see a keep short hair, wearing a yellow T-shirt girls, fits well before the text message said, and the train station, the group of taxi drivers in fierce bargaining, those people will be anxious to drag you into their car (!) Fortunately, we were firm on the end no compromise to get one of them car. Yanbei area folk had heard relatively decisions based on the last to not care, this was really experienced, and we car drivers actually Lianchuang walking in the night a few red lights, a very skillfully foot down, seems to have used, can not help a bit embarrassed, it seems that the next few days, I was walking on a road is to be careful.
live in Datong Ru I love the girl, there is a strange quick and friendly, with her without any feeling of constraint. arrived at her dormitory, washing a hurry to catch up after lights out, not to talk too much, find out the bus routes to the Yungang, some twists and turns, the two must fall car, so he took a very early alarm clock, for the next day as early as possible. just the class of several students had wandered a few days in Datong, Yungang then go to an appointment the next day.
5 20 April:
the first day of visit the Yungang Grottoes, the main article in the control of Mr. Su, the problem is not clear be clear, roughly to the first and second phases of the cave looked again, the third west of Cave 20 cave the facade in the reinforcement, there is no way to see.
Datong and Beijing about the latitude, but cooler than many of Beijing, to the end can not open the window at night to sleep, not covered with a thin layer of quilt feel hot, no wonder, after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital back many nobles like Pingcheng summer. arrived the next morning, woke up found that out the window, the sky is not friendly to seem gloomy all the time pouring rain, and blowing is not small wind chill inroads dormitory hallway. I realize that I underestimated the North Shanxi's cool, short-sleeved T shirt with a thin, long coat, it should be barely able to withstand some cold, coupled with the claim is not cold-blooded Southerners, the next few rainy days, so bite the bullet and fight on the will.
from Yanbei Teachers (Tatung University) to the Yungang, first take the 29 bus to Dongguan, and then take 17 to open the road to the west of the city, in the Yungang Grottoes where to go 3-way car, after almost one and a half hours, but it has withstood the Beijing public transportation for long-term disciplined me, this distance is acceptable . on the bus and gave the Department of Yungang Zhao received a telephone call, reiterated his purpose in coming, then sit in the new opening in his car to go with the Yungang. after all, only a prospective graduate student, so I said of myself The instructor took the Dunhuang Academy and the reputation of a trickster himself a little nervous behavior, and Zhao talked for a while, just to say they want to learn the intention of the Buddhist archaeological, showing enthusiasm for your own (also considered to help others win One way to it), he talked about the situation in recent years of research and said I want to see in the Yungang see any thing, at noon in their staff canteen to eat, work, when employees can take the bus, once again flattered!
according to plan it, I first before the Buddha, people praying and full spectrum of strange position to take a photo stop, I see a few eyebrows. barely disturbed, I started in the material side of the control, while the way to his companions to do some simple explanation , or open the laptop ready, remember some of the questions, draw simple images.
about the characteristics of the first cave and background: In shape, the simulation of the cave has generally been flat oval, dome top The Cao Lu form; Buddha statues and Buddhas in the main III (III Buddha Grottoes theme is a great creation); caves are as large as the primary, accounting for the vast space within the cave; Statues style Guang Yi short neck, wide shoulders chest, modeling of strong build, wearing a robe and bare right or through the shoulder.
; (peace first) Tan Yao Bai Di, Cypriot state in the capital Seibu, dike walls, open five caves, each one engraved statues built as high as seventy feet, times sixty feet, carving KIWI, crown and I.. North Weiwen Cheng Emperor had issued orders in the capital (that is, Pingcheng, this Datong) one of the five Buddha should be for five before the Emperor Wen Cheng Di (Road dynasty, the Ming Emperor, too Dynasty, King Mu Di and his own) and construction (In the first cave in the cave, the cave mouth cave outside the doorway of the facade still there are many small Kukan, carving out different Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the image of the donors was estimated to be in the first after two, three drilled, without central planning. For example, in caves on both sides of doorways, many of the small shrine of the Buddha and the content is generally two to sit, cross-foot Maitreya, Chilbulbong, Cave 19, I found in the double doorway leading sagging coat, clear image of the Buddha show bone, which may be the third meeting of Kukan chisel.
Cave of the doorway at the 18th to see people dressed in support of Xianbei clothing, their hands perform Lotus dependent image reminds me of a few years ago unearthed in Chile Jiabao servant tomb murals on the paternity of the image of men and women, very similar to the image of such a dependent person in the later two are also found in the cave, and perhaps this era and Kukan time of burial not far? be verified.
Also, the ground Cave 17 cave than the other four about twenty-three m low, perhaps the order of the then dug caves on? Yungang the guide describes that the cave is dug out the window from the start carving from the top down, although not yet read the related article, but you can guess, 17 Cave happens because when cut Buddha is not computed ratio, only to make up ground by undercutting its visual top-heavy. Many people say that is because 17 of King Mu Di Cave represents the throne even before the death of four other identity as emperor, and therefore reduce the height of his ground, the explanation sounds ridiculous, but can not completely deny it. is a question to be verified.
outside of Cave 19 and 16 on both sides of the ear hole like a cave to the main when it completed the second phase, this time 16 of the large standing Buddha Cave, Bo has been put on clothes with praise sagging double collar coat, and in section 16,17 and the cave outside the Cave of the doorway wall, and second, three cut the number of small Kukan more, perhaps with the duration of the extension of the bar, niche statues Xiaojian and show signs of bone has been very clear as clear, and this style is easy to remind me of two years Buddha in Longmen seen before, such as Lianhua and cave temples, especially in the shoulders to show Buddha ladder used drapery marking, almost unanimously.
like on the first phase of the contents of the main cave, and I not much to say, mainly outside the doorway on both sides and the cave is worth pondering some small Kukan, it appears that these small Kukan just need to be a simple stage, and, for example, only the clothing to include dependents Two of the Hu and Han clothing, which finished with Emperor Xiaowen of the restructuring of certain relationships.
looked west along the first cave, discovered in Cave 20 cave west of the third phase of the scaffolding erected all, obviously facade is reinforced during the work, I thought it must be two dozen caves there is no way to see, and a little depressed.
the next job I was mainly on the second cave. Yungang second There are five groups of caves: Cave 7,8, 9,10 Cave, Cave 5,6, 1,2, and 11,12,13 Cave Cave. Maybe because they are the best looking Yungang cave bar, complex shapes, colors brilliant. these caves more than a front room, back room or carving center of the main stand as the Tower; wall sculpture than the layout of the first phase of more structured, usually hierarchical and down, left and right segment; Chinese type of traditional architectural forms and decorative appearance of large numbers; to the second phase of the late Buddhist articles of clothing from the right-shirts or bare shoulders through robe, replaced by praise of the Han-style clothes with vertical Bo collar coat, should permit to ten years Xiaowen Wo nine years (486-495 years) of the service system reforms. in accordance with the staging of Mr. Su, the second of a set of caves dug the first cave cave for the first 7-8, then a little later Cave 9,10, 5,6 Cave should be regarded as two caves dug in the latest, until moved to Los ago. 11 Cave of the wall a southeast side of the wall. This cave is repaired, is said to be too serious water leakage in the posterior wall, erosion of the murals, so put up a tall scaffolding, blocking the posterior wall.
very curious now how the maintenance craftsmen caves in the murals and sculpture, to understand the process now of Western Ontario might be able to infer how the ancient craftsmen cut caves, right? I have always been curious about the issue craftsmen, after all, they are built caves The most direct participants, but want to find out the problem is difficult, after all, on the craftsmen, historical data will not have too much in the written records, just as I know, there is no cut on the Yungang De problems : for example, Mr. Su of daily needs? Why not found at Yungang near the North as the Dunhuang caves, as the remains of life? I think this is not just a few words can be said to understand.
just Yungang, now all Grottoes craftsmen almost a mystery, this is one I really want to involve research, historical data is not enough for us, then it can only do their best images from the archaeological sites and to interpret, to find the answer, it is interesting and challenging. very much appreciate that the Department of Japanese film, Some of the powder in the processing, as well as the possessor of the first depicted in the cave in the Grottoes of the caisson, very lively, they do not know on what basis to recover such a scene?
craftsmen problem was first talked about this bar, Now I have not found adequate and convincing documentation or in-kind to talk about this issue. of the Buddhist archaeological research, I am most interested in addition to artisans, as well as the localization of Buddhism, the influence of Buddhist architecture, such as in the first Phase II of the cave, a large number of relief agencies appeared vinyl, the Buddha of clothing into a Han-style collar down coat, grottoes became popular image Boshan furnace, and so on. And, I gradually discovered that the Buddhist archaeological research can not be limited to research on the caves, the remains of temples, there are left over wood construction, towers, buildings, etc., are all must pay attention to the object. Because of the ancient buildings have a larger interest in, together with the North University a year of ancient, sometimes it is natural to focus on archaeological and wooden materials, even if only in the caves there is a simple Chashou three liters Gong or a bucket like parts. burials appear to The vinyl construction also interested, but not carried out here.
front room to the east wall in Cave 12, see the vinyl structure of Kukan, for example, three-bay, watch out for the cross between the legs of Maitreya, the two slightly Contemplative between a Buddha within. ridge out of the central relief wings of the Garuda and other decorations, with both sides of the owl tail is characteristic of the times fighting the stigma of a smoke tree, the amount of shelf À, then a bucket on the bucket sumac three liters Gong, complement Shop as a straight pin between the word Gong. Yungang preserved vinyl structure of the building materials is very large, then Building Society; Liang, Liu Dunzhen other ancient people have done to this investigation, issued a The performance of the Northern Building Cave said the monument in the Gokokuji, including an evidence room for the two former Cave East and West two walls are the ranks of donors, which is stated in the monument, a lot of valuable information, suddenly very worried about prospects for the protection of caves.
In addition, Mr. Su Tang Yungang also discussed, referred to in section 5 of the East Cliff Cave has many small caves dug, the small cave known as layer Kukan generally carved statues within, having been weathered badly, but you can guess they should not then a little bigger, a very shallow depth, probably the monks who placed the bones of the cave used to it, but found no trace of anything now, can not be demonstrated. perhaps these caves Cave bury it in caves, in the Longmen and Dunhuang Other caves are caves there is the same function. I'm curious, as the first tomb in the grotto is occurs when? earlier now can find historical data is the When the distribution Kukan found a mess on the wall, which also confirmed the group from the side into a cave not far from Los move, and many small niche should be drilled later this mimic the shape and wall Cao Lu , and the Longmen Grottoes, Wei word hole, somewhat like the old Cave.
3 I came to the cave, this cave is dug in the second period, but not completed within the very large cave, one can imagine, if the cut completed This should be the largest cave of Yungang. The cave known as the The scriptures here have large events. dig a cave outside of the upper niche of Maitreya, the first time, when not found, the saw, but unfortunately can not see the niche of the statues. Cave 3 large size of the ground distribution of small stones, is not convenient to walk, in 2004, when the cave had been archaeological excavations. cave floor and walls were also retained a number of drilled Chiseled and unfinished Kukan, dug a cave believed to be of can provide a lot of basis.
first day of the relatively smooth progress and solve a lot of their problems encountered in reading: Yungang the three phases because of the fairly familiar with, so not specifically to study In this part, read a lot of detail, in addition to the above-mentioned, there are different periods of honeysuckle patterns, drapery statues in different periods and styles scarves, but also clumsy copy in the book on a number of patterns, their Painting is not satisfied with the level. In the second phase of the cave can not find a lot of Interpretation of the Buddhist Jataka, karma story, to be access to the General Catalogue of the cave.
accompanied by a friend early on because after reading the cave back, left me alone, going until half past four, Zaichi words can not catch up in the East off the back of the bus. I closed my notebook, facing the Cave 11-13, sit down, take a break, who is the The two vendors to help visitors take pictures, talking in words with a common ground, did not receive any interference, I lean back, lost in thought staring at the front of the cave, there was that tens of seconds, the feeling that you are going to sleep over.
noted that the first and second cave the cave above the door are clear cut with large windows to the second out of the window or through a cut down from it? second cave façade remain the same a year ago in the caves to build wooden architecture of the rafter holes, also carved a large or small Kukan. in a trance, I asked myself, do these small niches cut in random order is it? Cave 1 to 20 are in the large cave, dependent people are not that noble royal officials, then moved to Los outside these caves dug a lot of small Kukan, are these caves that people are free to choose the cliff face by removing it? do not have to pay attention to the owner of a large cave identity? Perhaps these small niches of the excavation is dug to follow a certain order.
like to face them, sat quietly, surrounded by bustling tourists whether or blazing sun, has a man went to see many places, and in Dunhuang, in the gantry, there are other caves. every tired, chiseled face is always full of Kukan the cliff face to sit down and stared silently, thinking of what you want to know answer. These ancient relics left behind from the first saw the murals in the grottoes and the color was fascinated to see the ancient Buddha statues each side of that elegant smile mouth, my heart will naturally become peaceful and calm, as if everything outside the cave has nothing to do with me. very strange feeling, even I can not tell, that is, before the obsession to make myself stick to it now, only three years later, long way to go, but the thought of to accompany these wonderful things, I feel is a happy thing.
watches have been a half past four pointer can not be delayed, so into the reception office of the Department to retrieve his backpack, inside Most people are sitting at her desk, Zhao teacher standing in front of them, as if telling the story, I gently push open the door, one foot forward to, the emergence of felt a little abrupt. see me come in immediately converted Zhao topic guide to be introduced here, and then told me a very good news: The next day I accompanied on the guide, any one want to go into the cave, you can also go to the top of the hill around the Yungang Grottoes , which also saved some of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Liao Dynasty relics of the Ming Dynasty architecture and fortifications.'m very excited about the next day is bound to have more gains, but now is down for good early, due to time away from the commuter far, One of the instructors volunteered to accompany me to the city by bus. a lot of talk on the bus, talking about their work, basically Tourism School graduates to pursue further studies after the Yungang related knowledge, which and I understand that the information in the Dunhuang Academy is similar, but their opportunities to learn not to the many. When last went to Dunhuang, a few good instructors make friends, one of the very special and very quiet girl compatibility, always say their work is important, most of the visitors to understand guide through the Dunhuang, Yungang and other cultural relics. there is no meaning of flattery, I have been very envious of those who explain the Mogao Grottoes staff, and very conceited to think you are suitable for a museum guide, I hope one day to explain that kind of work do, to fight it, even if only short-term internship.
time in our chat later, to the new On a trip back in the car, the first girl on the way out of the car, I have been sitting off the end of the East, coming at six, but fortunately the car back to Yanbei Teachers also, so hasty to climb, must be no seats, the driver waits until it filled the entire car was slowly opened the car immediately reminds me of the crowded bus in Beijing. The city is not large, from the east to the west of the city bus only forty minutes, not very clean, the streets are often dusty, rainy muddy difficult, vendors are busy shopping center in selling out loud, taxi drivers, turning the streets soliciting, basically does not hit the table but they did not undermine hh Khalil impression in my mind, I like that the Yungang Grottoes in Datong; Datong was the capital of Northern Wei Ping Cheng, where a lot of the Northern Wei Dynasty tombs excavated solid mm Fangshan Yong Mausoleum, the tomb of Sima Jinlong; here to save a lot of Jin mm on wood structure buildings, and the good of China under the Huayan Temple, there should be County Wooden Pagoda, etc.; prices cheap, delicious jelly noodle and so on. I've been to the city and many small and medium sized cities, some clutter Some noise, wide temples and broken Dianding veranda lined with rammed earth walls in the streets of buildings and looming stream, rugged yet peaceful.
back to school, Love Ru already waiting for me in the bedroom , and enthusiastically asked me one day study the situation, the smiling that night took me out You-face. Due to a gloomy day, was also getting dark early, cold wind blowing, or from time to time, even my slippers out bath so a few minutes, feel the cold feet, has been approaching summer, Yanbei still so cold. After dinner we stroll to the school's south gate, eager to show me love to eat Road Ru side of the snack, and then stroll back to campus, bought a small flashlight, to prepare for the next day to see the cave. The whole school is open, the students walk in twos and threes at the school track, walking and talking about love Ru many of their school story, and her living conditions in the school, this should be our most talked about topics with it. The first thing I felt from the very friendly girl, and I have the same blunt, there is a careful touching , she will because I do not want to help me between the words and take a good flashlight (though no access), well in advance to help me find out the location of guest houses and prices in town, and she spoke no need to beat around the bush, in the travel to get to know This friend is a lucky. Siting coming the next day, we discuss the city to find a hostel stay Fortunately, convenient next trip.
It is also early evening sleep, eleven quarters to lights, larger than the activity, lie down and then I went to sleep, no time to review the data carry only had to wait until the next day.