As an ancient Qiuci country established in 176 BC, it once became a leading power among the 36 countries in the Western Region during the period of 1000 destroyed by Uighurs, including the vast land such as Kuqa Basin Oasis, Sailimu Oasis, Baicheng Oasis, Aksu Oasis, Xinhe Oasis, Shaya Oasis and Luntai Oasis.
Qiang, Sai, Yue, Wusun, Xiongnu and other ethnic groups once lived in ancient Qiuci, and gradually evolved into Qiuci people in the process of integration. The kingdom of Qiuci is located along the ancient Silk Road, and Buddhism spread eastward to Qiuci through the Silk Road in the first century. In the 4th century, Qiuci Buddhism reached its peak. It is said that there were many Buddhist temples here at that time, with many followers, which looked like Buddhist shrines.
The rise of Buddhism also gave birth to a large number of skilled craftsmen and painters. The caves in Qiuci began to be excavated at the end of the 3rd century AD, during which most of them were square caves and elephant caves. At this time, the mural style mainly presents Gandhara style, depicting simple but vivid characters with rough lines. The content is mainly Buddhist stories, which embodies the thought of Hinayana Buddhism. It is said that during this period, a giant Buddha with a height of 16 meters was excavated in Qiuci, completely imitating the Bamiyan Buddha Cave in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, due to religious changes, this giant Buddha has long since disappeared in the traces of time.
From the middle of the 4th century to the end of the 5th century, Qiuci Grottoes gradually developed into a cave with a central pillar hole as the center, including a monk's room, a lecture hall and a worship hall. And gradually formed a temple model. In terms of mural style, vignetting and rhombic composition are mainly used, which can also be seen in the murals of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.
Qiuci Grottoes flourished in the 6th-7th century. During this period, patrons mostly pasted gold powder or gold foil on murals and Buddha statues, and the grottoes were mainly shaped with central pillars. The theme of murals is becoming more and more complex, among which the story of karma is the most popular. Regrettably, after the 8th-9th century AD, the abandoned Qiuci Grottoes gradually stopped and the Qiuci Grottoes culture gradually declined.
By combing the development process of Qiuci Grottoes, it may be helpful for tourists to appreciate the existing Qiuci Grottoes. Nowadays, the Qiuci Grottoes that most tourists can visit are the Qizil Thousand Buddha Cave in Baicheng.
Qizil Grottoes, the earliest excavated grottoes in China, are located in the westernmost part of the geographical location. Its development process lasted for seven centuries from the 3rd century to the 8th-9th century. This span is unique in the world. Because it is located on the Silk Road, it was packaged into the World Heritage List as the Silk Road Heritage in 20 14.
There are 236 numbered grottoes in the existing grottoes, but only 6 grottoes are open for tourists to visit. Fortunately, these grottoes can basically let you appreciate the process of the establishment, development, prosperity and decline of Qiuci Grottoes culture.
The first cave I visited was No.27, which was dug in the heyday of Qizil Grottoes. The murals in the whole cave niche are not well preserved, but some illustrations can still be seen on the front room wall. From the picture, we can see that it is very beautiful to smell the law and heaven.
Further on, you will reach Caves 2-3, numbered 32 and 34, which are caves in the development of Qizil Grottoes, showing the gradual maturity of Qiuci Grottoes. In this period, the blooming method and rhombic composition method were mainly used, and the contents were mainly Bunsen stories and Karma stories.
Among them, Cave 32 is the central tower cave, which is the only cave that can lead to the back room. Originally, there was a statue of Buddha in the back room, but now the statue no longer exists, and the top of the wall was blackened by fireworks.
Maybe everyone is familiar with flying. In many grottoes, such as Mogao Grottoes or Yungang Grottoes, the flying sky we see is mostly the image of the goddess scattering flowers or playing the pipa. But in the fourth hole, No.8 hole "Sixteen Sword Cave", you can see couples of men and women flying in the sky, with strong men and enchanting women. They play the pipa and dance the elegant Qiuci, just like a peaceful and peaceful Buddhist world.
If Cave 8 is famous for flying, then Cave 17 is characterized by story painting. In particular, there are more than 40 Buddhist stories in the diamond box at the top of the coupon. This kind of diamond-shaped painting is said to be the first in Qiuci area. It depicts the life of the Buddha with smooth lines through the superb skills of the painter. This mural painting method was later spread all the way along the Silk Road to the Mogao Grottoes, which became the early mural processing method in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.
The last cave we visited was Caveno. 10. Compared with the previous five caves, this cave is a monk's cave. Generally speaking, a monk cave is a cave for monks to live in. There are no statues or murals. Today, however, this grotto is a showroom, displaying Mr. Han Leran who has made great contributions to the protection of the Thousand Buddha Caves in Qizil.
Generally speaking, compared with the Mogao Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes, Qizil Grottoes are much inferior in the number of themes and the integrity of preservation. However, China's early grottoes and Qiuci culture are still treasures for cultural travelers. (Author: non-stop, life lies in walking, the journey needs to be recorded! )
Tips for Qizil Grottoes Tourism;
Although Qizil Grottoes are located in Baicheng County, most tourists use Kuqa as a transit point from Kuqa City to Thousand Buddha Cave. If you go from Kuqa, it is recommended to drive or charter a car. Personally, I suggest taking a one-day tour to visit Kuqa Grand Canyon and Thousand Buddha Cave.