How did Dunhuang flourish?

The magnificent Dunhuang has a long history and splendid culture.

Dunhuang has experienced many vicissitudes, ups and downs, and stumbled through a long and tortuous course of nearly five thousand years. A long history has given birth to a splendid ancient Dunhuang culture, which will make Dunhuang brilliant forever.

As early as the end of primitive society, the Sanmiao people who migrated to Hexi after the defeat of the tribal war in the Central Plains flourished in Dunhuang. They made a living by hunting and gradually mastered the primitive agricultural production technology.

Dunhuang belonged to Guguazhou in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and there were three Miao descendants. At that time, Qiang people and Rong people settled nomadic here.

During the Warring States and the Qin Dynasty, there were Dayue people, Wusun people and Serbs living in Dunhuang. Later, Dayue gradually became stronger and merged with the original Qiangrong. At the end of the Warring States period, Dayue drove away Wusun and Serbs and monopolized Dunhuang until the end of Qin Dynasty and the beginning of Han Dynasty.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the Huns invaded Hexi, defeated Dayue's family twice, and forced Dayue's family to move westward in the Syr Darya River and Amu Darya River basin, and the whole Hexi Corridor was occupied by Huns.

After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he adopted the strategy of both armed defense and active attack. While sending Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, he contacted Da Yueshi and Wu Sun to attack the Xiongnu, and sent Huo Qubing to attack the Xiongnu in the north.

In BC 12 1 year, the western Han government set up Jiuquan county and Wuwei county in Hexi, and adopted measures such as building cities, reclaiming wasteland and emigrating to continuously enrich and strengthen the construction of Hexi.

1 165438 BC, the western Han government withdrew Jiuquan and Wuwei into Dunhuang and Zhangye counties respectively, and then moved to Lingju, that is, the Great Wall and beacon tower were built in Lop Nur today, and Yangguan and Yumenguan were set up. Historically, it was called "four counties, according to two customs".

Since then, China's silk and advanced technology have spread to Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. Jade, agate, rare birds and animals, crops, etc. From Europe, the Mediterranean coast and the western regions, it is also transported to the Central Plains by long distance. Ambassadors, soldiers, businessmen and monks from all over the world come and go in Dunhuang, the main road of the Silk Road. Therefore, Dunhuang has become the "key to lock the throat" of Chinese and western traffic.

At that time, Dunhuang had a vast territory and governed six counties. West to Longle Yangguan, east to Yolanda, that is, west of Yumen City, north to Yiwu, that is, Hami City, and south to Xiqiang, that is, Qaidam, Qinghai.

In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Huns grew stronger and conquered most of the western regions that were once under the jurisdiction of the Western Han Dynasty, and the Silk Road was forced to be interrupted.

In 75 AD, the Eastern Han Dynasty sent four armies to attack the northern Xiongnu, reopening the gateway to the western regions. At the same time, Ban Chao, a famous minister, went to the Western Regions twice, killed the Xiongnu envoys, contacted the countries in the Western Regions, re-established friendly relations with the Eastern Han Dynasty, and reopened the Silk Road which had been interrupted for 65 years.

During the hundreds of years from the establishment of the county in the Western Han Dynasty to the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, although the Silk Road has undergone several twists and turns, Dunhuang gradually presented a scene of prosperity, and gradually developed into a military and political center, a cultural and commercial center in the northwest, and a "Huarong Metropolis".

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Hexi region successively established feudal regimes such as former cool, later cool, southern cool, western cool and northern cool. In the pre-Zhangliang period, Dunhuang was changed to sandbar.

Buddhism, especially the Buddhism introduced into China from Han and Wei Dynasties, reached unprecedented prosperity in Dunhuang. People suffering from war fell at the feet of Buddhism, hoping to get rid of suffering and live a happy and stable life. Therefore, Dunhuang is the gateway and gateway of Buddhism's eastward spread, and it is also the center of Buddhism in Hexi area.

At that time, a large number of Buddhist monks gave lectures in Dunhuang, and Buddhist disciples from all over Hexi came here to learn from the scriptures. Fa Xian, Kumarajiva and other Buddhist masters left their footprints in Dunhuang, no matter whether they went east or west.