In Xinjiang, the western border of our motherland, there is a place called the "roof of the world" like the Himalayas, the "Pamir Plateau" of Kunlun Mountain. The Pamirs Plateau was also called "Green Ridge" in ancient times, and it was named after the lush cliffs. The tall Kunlun Mountain and the Tianshan Mountain, which are covered with snow all year round, meet and form a natural barrier. Its main peaks are all above 6000 meters above sea level, and our country now relies on the eastern part of the Pamirs, which is flatter than its western part.

As early as the Han Dynasty, when Zhang Qian "hollowed out" the western regions, 36 countries in the western regions had been brought under the jurisdiction of the empire in the era of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and the first "Western Region Protection House" was established in Qiuci. At that time, the country in Tashkurgan County was a country called Zuo Wu. According to "Han Wu Chuan" Volume 30 records:

The land of China in the 4th century AD was a short unified dynasty after the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Western Jin Dynasty, with a history of only 5 1 year, was the most miserable period. The nomadic people on the grassland established political power in the north of the Yangtze River. Since then, the northern part of China has been in flames of war, causing untold suffering. A monk named Faxian was born in the post-Zhao Dynasty and was called "Five Lakes and Sixteen Countries in the Eastern Jin Dynasty". He is also the most important westward traveler after the martyrs of Han Dynasty (Zhang Qian, Ban Chao, Gan Ying, etc.). Before the opening of the Eastern Silk Road and Tang Xuanzang.

Faxian was sickly at the age of three, and was sent to Tang Xian Temple in Shaanxi by his parents. Since then, he has become a monk. By the time Faxian was more than half a century old, the outside world was already the pre-Qin era, and Chang 'an (now Xi 'an) was the capital of the pre-Qin that unified the whole northern China at that time. When Faxian studied Buddhism, he gradually found that Buddhism and precepts originated in India in the Central Plains were not perfect and the accuracy of translation was not satisfactory, so the 62-year-old Faxian resolutely embarked on the road of learning from the West.

In 40 1 year, Fa Xian set out from Chang 'an, and after three years' long journey, he finally came to the "tired fork country" located in present-day Tashkurgan county. After that, Fa Xian went out of the territory of the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty and continued to March to Tianzhu (now India). After returning from his trip, he wrote The Story of the Buddha, covering all the hardships of 13 years.

At the beginning of the reign of Li Shimin, the second monarch of the Tang Dynasty, a monk was born in Luoyang, the eastern capital of the former dynasty, and was widely known by later generations-Xuanzang. After more than 200 years, Xuanzang, a 28-year-old monk who shared the same interests with Fa Xian, ignored the emperor's order not to cross the border and resolutely chose to sneak all the way from Guazhou, Gansu to Yiwu (now Hami) in the western regions, thus starting a long journey to learn from Tianzhu in 19. After Xuanzang arrived at Nalanduo Temple, a Buddhist holy place in Tianzhu, he studied Buddhism seriously and became a famous Buddhist master.

In 643 AD, Xuanzang left India for Congling, ready to return to the long-lost Tang Empire. Through the Wakhan Corridor, we arrived at the "Kupantuo Country" in Tashkurgan County at that time. Although the fate between Xuanzang and Tashkurgan is not long, it is the first person to record the Pamirs in the history of world exploration, and the second person to visit the Pamirs and the "Stone Town Site" after Faxian and be accurately recorded.

It is a very pleasant journey to fly from Urumqi to Kashgar Airport. Because of the previous experience of flying to Kuqa, I learned that most of the routes to southern Xinjiang are to cross the Tianshan Mountains. So I sat by the window and watched quietly all the way, away from the towering mountains and rivers thousands of meters away.

When I arrived at Kashgar airport, my first impression was a little different from what I imagined. I always thought that the southern Xinjiang area around the Taklimakan desert was extremely dry and hot all year round, so I prepared sunscreen before leaving. But after landing, I found that there was a temperature difference between Urumqi and Urumqi, but it was only a few degrees.

The most famous scenic spot in Kashgar is the "Ancient City of Kashgar". The ancient city of Kashgar does not belong to the category of "ancient" in my appraisal, because its architecture is not an ancient rammed earth structure, which is completely different from the world cultural heritage of Turpan and Kuqa. It is more like a cultural derivative, and its building materials are completely modern masonry structure, and except for some styles that are unique to Uighurs, the rest are like copying, which is a bit like the meaning of the western version of Datang City that Never Sleeps. Due to space reasons, this article will not be introduced in depth, and will remain in the exclusive article of Kashgar in the future.

From Kashgar to Tashkurgan County (hereinafter referred to as "Ta County") is a relatively easy itinerary planning. Because I have never been a test drive in my life (I got my driver's license for nearly a year), I checked the information before leaving, took a bus at Kashi West Bus Terminal, and arrived in Taxian after six hours of bumps. Don't forget to apply for the "Border Pass" when you go to Tashkurgan County. You can do it at the Tashkurgan County Office in Kashgar City across the road from the left side of the "Chenguang Eden" community in Kashgar City, or at the "Yimin Building" in Urumqi City. It's best to do it at the local police station at home in advance before departure, which also saves a lot of worries and uncertainties.

There are two places by car from Kashgar to Taxian, one is the entrance of the "Chen Guang Eden" community, and the other is the West Passenger Transport Station. Generally speaking, it is ok to take a bus in either of these two places, and it is only a tandem stop relationship. All the buses to Taxian leave at the gate of "Chen Guang Eden". After picking up the guests, you can buy tickets at the West Railway Station. In the meantime, you can also pick up passengers at the West Railway Station, depending on the capacity of the bus at that time. /kloc-There are two models in October. One is a bus subsidized by the government, which runs once a day. The specific departure time is uncertain, it is after 1 1 o'clock in the morning, and it is limited to 14 people, and the fare per person is 60 yuan. The other is a private minibus with frequent frequency, limited to four people, and the fare per person is 120 yuan.

On the return trip to Kashgar West Bus Station, the bus subsidized by the government takes the bus at Taxian Bus Station. The departure time is between 10- 10, and the ticket purchase time starts at 9 am. It is suggested that friends who plan to take the bus go to the queue early. In addition, the return bus also leaves at the entrance of the tourist center in front of the "Stone City Ruins", only at 3 pm, and arrives at the international bus terminal in Kashgar.

On the way to Ta County, the scenery is constant, and various landforms are full of six-hour trips. Most of the bus drivers and masters are Tajiks. You can tell him in advance where you want to stop, usually three, and they all know. First of all, the first one is a huge man-made reservoir, "Baisha Lake".

Baisha Lake is named after the surrounding Baisha Mountain, as clean as white sand. Even in gray weather, blue water has its own charm. From a distance, it looks like a handful of salt sprinkled on a faintly visible mound.

The traffic keeps shuttling on this "China-Pakistan Highway" (referred to as China-Pakistan Highway for short), and Baisha Mountain in the distance instantly beautifies this winding highway into a heavenly road.

When the driver stops, each scenic spot can stay for about 5-8 minutes, so it is recommended that friends who can drive choose to visit this beautiful China-Pakistan highway by car.

On the way, in a casual moment, you can see the scenery like "Nordic Polar Region".

Different from Baisha Lake, "Karakule Lake" is an artificial natural plateau lake. The probability of seeing plateau lakes in Xinjiang is about one tenth of that in Tibet, because the southern region, which occupies a large area of Xinjiang, is generally short of water. The famous waterscape at the foot of Tianshan Mountain is Tianshan Tianchi near Urumqi, Dalongtan and Xiaolongtan near Kuqa, and these lakes on the China-Pakistan Highway in Kashgar.

Like the "Mustag Ata", it is about 7546 meters above sea level and is a symbol and representative of the Pamirs. Mount Qomolangma, which belongs to the roof of the world, is also the highest peak of the motherland and the world, and it is also a paradise for mountaineering and adventure lovers, but such an extreme challenge cannot be done alone. Not far from it, it is the "Muztag Glacier Park" aided by Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, which was not officially opened when it went.

If you are interested in close contact with glaciers, friends who choose to go to road trip can arrange the "Oytak Glacier Park", which is located in the front section of the China-Pakistan Highway and is a passing scenic spot on the way to Ta County.

On the way to Ta County, you can enjoy all kinds of scenery and climate, which are concentrated in front of you all year round.

After a 6-hour drive, I finally arrived at Tashkurgan County, which is located in the western border of the motherland.

Shitoucheng site is located on the hillside in the northeast of Tashkurgan County, Xinjiang. There are existing sites, temples and yamen in the Jin and Tang Dynasties. The connection between Tashkurgan County and the Central Plains Dynasty was mentioned in the previous historical introduction. "Ta County" in Han Dynasty is Wangpuli City, one of the 36 countries in the Western Regions, and its hometown is more than 0/00 kilometers away from Shicheng Site. During the period of Gupantuo Kingdom, Tashi 'an area began to build castles in the "Stone Town" on a large scale. In the Tang Dynasty, the "Stone Town" became the guardian city of the western regions of the Tang Empire-Qingji Shoujiao Station.

"Tashkurgan" means "stone castle" in both Tajik and Uygur languages, and Taxian county in Pamirs has a history of more than 2,000 years. From the "hollowing out" of the western regions and the eastern section of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, countless Chinese and foreign celebrities, monks and scholars passed through here to go to the western countries or come to the Central Plains.

The most famous are Fa Xian in the Jin Dynasty, Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, and Kelpolo in the Venetian Republic of Dayuan Mongolia (Yuan Dynasty). This ancient castle in the western regions with a history of nearly 1400 years is particularly spectacular under the towering snow-capped mountains. The earliest historical record of this site is Liang Shu About the History of Southern Dynasties, which records:

On his way to India, Monk Faxian chose to leave the Western Regions from the Green Ridge. When he described the Pamirs in The Story of the Buddha, he said that the mountains were covered with snow in winter and summer, and there were poisonous dragons. If they go against their wishes, the dragon will spit out poisonous winds, rain and snow, flying sand and stones. No one can survive such a disaster. The dragon here is an avalanche. However, after a month's arduous journey, the monks who traveled west with Faxian finally succeeded in crossing the Green Ridge and arrived in today's Kashmir, and achieved a miracle of no casualties.

When Xuanzang was studying in India and preparing to return home, he chose to cross the "Big Snow Mountain", that is, the Green Ridge, and return home by land. "After leaving Dachuan, I crossed the danger and arrived in Pantuo." When passing through Shitou Town, he stayed in Tashkurgan Shitou Town for more than 20 days. Later, he also recorded in the "Datang Western Regions":

At present, only the inner city is left in the ruins of Stone Town, and the city wall collapsed badly, but the crib mouth is clearly visible. The original ancient city had four gates, but now only the northeast gate is well preserved, which is also the entrance to visit, and the other gates can't see the outline clearly.

Buddhism, as a religion that pursues the cycle of cause and effect and promises the happiness of believers in the afterlife, has got rid of the endless pain in the hearts of the public in spirit, so it has spread rapidly in folk Buddhism.

When Xuanzang arrived in Pantuo, he didn't stay long because he was on his way home and was on the plateau. However, in less than a month, he knew the Pamirs like the back of his hand, and described the danger and charm of this area in "The Western Regions of Datang".

After entering the northeast gate, the place similar to the T-junction on the left hand side is the place where Xuanzang lectured in the past, the Buddhist temple in the inner city.

At present, most of the relics in the city have been destroyed, and only a few city walls stand, but its internal layout is beyond judgment except for Xuanzang Lecture Hall.

Interestingly, Xuanzang once described the local atmosphere in "The Western Regions of Datang". "People are impatient and violent, accustomed to muddle through and openly rob." But I feel that the simple folk customs of Tajik herdsmen here are really warm and friendly to me as a foreigner. Whenever I come to them, they will take the initiative to say a kind "hello" to me in Chinese, which is really warm.

Walking around the city wall, you can see the distant mountains and snow peaks around you. This is an unparalleled enjoyment.

According to legend, the ruins of Stone Town were built by a king to provide a resting place for caravans. The alpine kingdom, which lacked architecture, came up with a plan to build a city with stones from the Ya Bu Mountains in Aplasi.

The king ordered the people of the whole country to line up to dig stones, which took "three 40 days" to build. The first 40 days: digging and transporting stones; The second 40 days: earth and mud; The third 40 days: start work in the same place and complete the construction.

Down to the bottom of the city, there is another scenic spot "Alar Golden Grass Beach". Under a gust of autumn wind, the bleak hay is swaying in people's sight.

Nourished by the trickle of Tashkurgan River, there are abundant water plants here, and local Tajik herders bring their own cattle and sheep to graze every day, and "alpine pastures" gather in front of them.

As the only county closest to the border in Xinjiang, the western border of the motherland, Tashkurgan County plays an unparalleled and irreplaceable historical role on the land "Silk Road". As a "tourist under the iceberg", my visit to Ta County bears my yearning for Tang Wenhua, the last relic in the westernmost part of the national map.

Under the protection of Tajik herders for generations, the green ridge is bathed in sunshine, welcoming the weather changes in high places every morning. When I left, I quietly rolled down the window and reflected everything I experienced during my visit in my eyes and kept it in my heart.

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