I first learned the name of Wang Yuanzhuan from Mr. Yu's book Fragments of Civilization. What kind of person is Wang Daochang in Yu Xiansheng's works? "History records that he is a sinner in Dunhuang Grottoes." "Unfortunately, he became the hometown of the Mogao Grottoes, with the most splendid culture of Gu Rong in China. He received very little money from foreign adventurers and asked them to transport countless boxes of Dunhuang cultural relics. " This is a huge national tragedy, and Wang Daochang just sent down the clown who stood up in this tragedy. Beautiful Dunhuang, why is there such misfortune? Why was the sacred Dunhuang desecrated by a filthy Taoist priest? How difficult Dunhuang is, everyone who loves you can't help but shed blood.
When I came to the Mogao Grottoes, what I wanted to see most was the sculpture of Buddha, and murals were flying all over the sky. However, I still have a knot in my heart, that is, I want to see this Taoist Wang more than 100 years ago, and see how he sold our Dunhuang and took over the money scattered by foreign adventurers with his dirty hands.
Mogao grottoes is only 25 kilometers away from Dunhuang city, less than an hour's drive. Along the tunnel, there will inevitably be sand mountains and Gobi. However, when we saw a green shade under a raised mountain, everyone knew that the Mogao Grottoes had arrived. The temperature of this day is about 40 degrees. As soon as I got off the bus, I felt the heat wave immediately. There are a lot of tourists on this day, especially when you see so many foreigners looking surprised and excited, you will feel Dunhuang's position in the world and its weight in people's hearts.
Our generation has long been accustomed to historical changes, even rainy days. At most, we just say "Oh" lightly and say "So that's it". However, in the Mogao Grottoes and the Tibetan Sutra Cave, the real Taoist King still surprised me.
The Tibetan Sutra Cave discovered by Taoist Wang is Cave 17 of Mogao Grottoes, but it is actually a small hole in Cave 16, with a height of only 1.6 meters and a width of only 2.7 meters. If calculated by area, it is only a little more than 7 square meters, which is not as big as an ordinary old lady's room. If calculated by volume, this cave is even smaller, only 1 1.664 cubic meters. If it is used to hold water, it can hold 1 1664 kg, and the value is about 12 yuan RMB. If it is used to hold gold, it can hold 225 1 15 kg, with a value of about 225 million yuan. However, this is the Buddhist scriptures collection cave, which contains 50 thousand volumes, each of which is priceless and cannot be measured by money.
This cave used to be the Zen cave of Hexi and Shanggong Hong in Tang Dynasty, and there are still his stone statues. About 900 years ago, for some unknown reason, the monks of the Mogao Grottoes moved the scriptures and daily documents stored in the Mogao Grottoes for thousands of years into this grotto, and then carefully sealed the cave entrance and painted murals, which were difficult for later generations to find, but were discovered by the Taoist king. This should be a great discovery, because of this discovery, Dunhuang is more mysterious; Because of this discovery, Dunhuang went to the world; Because of this discovery, Dunhuang studies were born. Now, all visitors to the Mogao Grottoes have stopped in front of this mysterious cave for a long time.
There is a building named Sanqing Palace in front of Cave 16, which was built by Wang Yuanzhuan. After renovation, it is now the exhibition hall of Dunhuang Tibetan Sutra Cave. Here, I saw a photo of Wang Yuanzhuan. This is probably the only photo we can see of Wang Yuanzhuan. Wang Yuanzhuan was wearing a Taoist robe, short stature, and his face was covered with the carved traces of Gobi yellow sand and years.
Wang Yuan turned his ancestral home to Macheng, Hubei, and his ancestral home to Shaanxi. Because of war. Wang Yuan moved to Jiuquan, Gansu, to become a monk. Later, Wang Dao turned in all directions, came to Dunhuang 1892 and found the Mogao Grottoes at the foot of Sanwei Mountain. By this time, he was over forty years old.
At that time, the Mogao grottoes had lost their former style and were desolate. After the Yuan Dynasty, the Mogao Grottoes gradually declined and the living environment was extremely bad. The monk left, the birds flew away, and even passers-by left in a hurry. However, the emaciated Wang Yuan stayed. Why? Is it because of the beautiful flight? Still love Buddha? Or is it the Tibetan sutra cave destined to be discovered by him?
The Taoist king froze. He probably doesn't know what the value of life is or what greatness is, but he found that the Mogao Grottoes is the place where he can really die.
He really stayed, no one asked him to do so, and the government didn't give him a penny. Wang Yuanzhuan tried his best to clean up quicksand every day, and it took nearly two years to clean up the silt in a cave at 16. He vowed to make the Mogao Grottoes regain their former glory, which is probably the greatest wish of Taoist Wang in his life. Everything he did revolved around this great wish. I walked on the dirt road of Diangao Grottoes, as if I saw Taoist Wang's stumbling footprints, carrying sediment on one shoulder, and dripping sweat shining golden in the scorching sun.
Source: (/s/blog _ 4c7db94a01008nd5.html)-Exploring the merits and demerits of Taoist Wang in Mogao Grottoes _ Motto Taylor _ Sina Blog
1900, May 26th, was the most glorious day of Taoist Wang's life. Few people in history are so lucky as Wang Daochang. Wang Yuan turned to find the Tibetan Sutra Cave. This is a day to change fate, this is a day to shock the world. However, in the desolate Dunhuang and lifeless China, it seems that nothing has happened, the sky is still so quiet, the wind is still blowing, the moon is still shining, and the stars are still shining. Wang Yuance is still accompanied by that unbearable loneliness.
Don't we like to fill in the blanks? Don't we like being number one in the world? Don't we like selfless dedication? Wang Yuan specializes in filling the blank, Wang Yuan is the best in the world, and Wang Yuan specializes in selfless dedication. However, at that time, China, a declining China, who would take a little Taoist priest and his little discovery to heart?
Only Taoist Wang thinks things are not so simple and hazy, but they think it is a big deal. He braved the heat and walked 50 kilometers to report to the Dunhuang county magistrate, and presented two volumes of scriptures. However, ignorant Yan Zhi regarded it as waste paper and ignored it.
Road flyover Wang kept the scriptures for three years, and a magistrate took office. Road flyover Wang reported again. Magistrate Wang finally paid great attention to it, personally visited the Mogao Grottoes, instructed Taoist Wang to take good care of these scriptures, and then went home, never again.
The Taoist king still refused to give up. He thought these things must be treasures, so he trudged 800 miles day and night to An Su with two boxes of scrolls and visited the pavilion building on the platform. The adult read it carefully, but no matter how compared, he still felt that the calligraphy in the classics was not as good as his own.
The Taoist king is very confused. Is the scroll he found really a pile of waste paper? Don't these rulers know about the treasure? So Taoist Wang dared to write a letter to the official Lafayette, hoping to attract the attention of the court. However, the stormy Manchu dynasty had already taken care of itself, so why would it care about the Tibetan Sutra Cave?
The Taoist king said everything that should be said; Wang Daochang has done everything that should be done. What reason can we blame him?
1907, the Englishman Stan came. He exchanged 200 taels of silver for 24 boxes of scrolls, and it took him more than a year to get them out of China. French sinologist pelliot 1908 came in and bought more than 6,000 manuscripts. 1909, when this Buriot brought some Dunhuang masterpieces to the Six Kingdoms Hotel in Beijing for public exhibition, people rushed to watch. No one thinks this is the treasure of China, no one doubts it, no one thinks it is robbery, but thinks it is a normal transaction, and our nation is surprisingly generous.
Then, Japanese Zuicho Tachibana, Yoshikawa Koichiro, Russian Odenburg, and American Warner came one after another, taking away a lot of scriptures. So the door of China opened. No one asked, and no one stopped Wang Yuanzhuan, saying that these scrolls were national treasures and were not allowed to be sold.
I think Wang Yuan got a little money by using these scrolls for his own reasons. Perhaps these foreigners touched Wang Daochang with their knowledge, devotion to Buddhism and treasure of scrolls. Maybe he thinks these scrolls should be made public. In addition, the Taoist king vowed to repair the Mogao grottoes. He needs money, but not for himself. Ironically, the Dunhuang scriptures plundered by foreigners are now kept in the best museums in these countries, and none of them are damaged.
China people's worship of foreign things and flattery probably began at that time. Foreigners say yes, we say yes, foreigners like it, we like it. Therefore, when foreigners frequently visit the Mogao Grottoes, people suddenly realize that foreigners like it so much that it must be a good thing, so they try their best to steal it for themselves. Some take it to officials, some sell it for money, and some become their own private collections. It was not until 19 10 that the Qing government made a decision to transport all the existing books to Beijing for preservation. However, it was lost in transit.
Whose fault is this? Why is a Taoist responsible for the stupa of a dynasty? Why should the ignorance of a nation be borne by a Taoist?
Yes, he can do better, but why does he have to do better? He did his best. He has guarded Dunhuang for 40 years without regrets. What else can we ask of him? When a nation is in a daze, a short body stands up, which is already the pride of our nation. What else can we ask of him?
I feel wronged for Wang Daochang and even more sad for our nation. Whenever those people accuse our ancestors of their limitations, I feel ashamed of them. I don't like passion, and I don't like replacing history with emotion.
When the sun is about to set on the Three Dangers Mountain, the afterglow shines on a crude Taoist pagoda, which is the largest pagoda built by later generations and records his merits and demerits. Under the irradiation of the sunset, people are awe-inspiring.
Wang Daochang, I thank you, and our nation should also thank you. History will give you a fair evaluation, and this day may not be long.