Unscramble the civilization of the ancient Silk Road

Frankly speaking, many essays in travel notes are confusing "broken thoughts" and even patchwork versions of "explanations" of various scenic spots. It is difficult to see the author's independent discovery and ideological personality, let alone his profound humanistic feelings and profound historical details. Xiao Zhongshan, in his new work Journey to the West: Silk Road (I) (published by Guangxi Normal University Press in June 5438 +2020 10), walked along the ancient Silk Road between history and reality, and between barbarism and civilization.

The Silk Road on land has been prosperous and desolate since ancient times. It not only witnessed the miracle of political, economic, cultural and artistic exchanges and development, but also permeated with endless wisdom thinking and challenges of the country, nation, business travelers and people. This great trade passage in human history is noisy and quiet, heroic and elegant, desolate and far away. It is not only paved with silk, tea and pearls, but also woven by fate, dream and pursuit. Taking the Silk Road as a clue, the author has experienced 17 cities (domestic parts) along the route: Luoyang, Xi, Lanzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, etc., and personally experienced it, confirming historical classics and cultural relics buildings with each other, supplemented by more than 100 self-portrait high-definition pictures, so that readers can follow him to feel the historical changes and customs of various places and taste the splendid culture and customs of urban and rural areas.

The author often goes back to the source, from point to point, and is not satisfied with "whitewashing" local historical materials, nor does he like to delve into dead ends. Behind the scientific exploration, there is surging blood and abundant passion. For example, the author, a Gansu native, on the one hand admits that there are some problems in the development and competition of his hometown, but on the other hand, he is full of love, praising his hometown as "the birthplace of China's farming civilization, with granaries in Hexi Corridor, oil, coal, steel and metal, which gave birth to ancient sages such as human ancestors and medical ancestors" and "sitting on seven world cultural heritages, and the Silk Road runs through the whole territory. ...

The author has a unique vision and originality. He is good at capturing the "clues" of the gradual evolution of history, politics, religion and culture from the scenic spots, traditional folk customs and regional delicacies that people ignore along the Silk Road. Through the "magnifying glass" of rich knowledge reserves and rich artistic talents, he finds the extraordinary significance hidden behind it for contemporary social development, economic operation and artistic creation. What is particularly commendable is that the author occasionally quotes classics, and Tang poetry and Song poetry are handy, but on the whole, the language is popular and interesting, with a long aftertaste. He wrote about Lanzhou in this way: "Lanzhou, as an important town in the west that walked out of Yangguan, kneaded the Silk Road, the Yellow River and religion into a ball and put it in the cradle, incubating a unique local civilization." Just right. It makes people laugh.

As the author said, China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative has once again focused the world's attention on the Silk Road, revived the ancient Silk Road, brushed away the dust of history, and left its partners in the western sunshine.