敦煌莫高窟

甘gān肃sù敦dūn煌huáng，是shì丝绸sī chóu之zhī路上lù shang的de一yī座zuò古gǔ城chéng。一yī千qiān六lìu百bǎi多年duō nián以前yǐ qián，人们rén men开始kāi shǐ在zài城chéng外wài的de山shān崖yá上shàng凿záo洞dòng，在zài里面lǐ miàn画huà画huà、塑sù佛像fó xiàng。

Dunhuang in Gansu was an old city on the Silk Road. More than sixteen hundred years ago people began carving caves into the cliffs outside town, painting them and sculpting Buddhas.

这些zhè xiē洞dòng就是jìu shì莫mò高gāo窟kū。一代yī dài又yòu一代yī dài的de人rén凿záo下去xià qù，最后zuì hòu留下líu xià了liǎo七qī百bǎi多duō个gè洞dòng，四sì万wàn五wǔ千qiān平方米píng fāng mǐ的de壁画bì huà。

Those caves are the Mogao Grottoes. Generation after generation carved on, leaving over seven hundred caves and forty-five thousand square meters of murals.

走进zǒu jìn洞dòng窟kū，抬头tái tóu就jìu能néng看见kàn jiàn飞fēi天tiān。画huà上shàng的de飞fēi天tiān衣yī带dài飘piāo飘piāo，在zài彩cǎi云yún之间zhī jiān飞fēi舞wǔ，好像hǎo xiàng马上mǎ shàng就要jìu yào飞fēi出chū墙壁qiáng bì。

Step inside a cave and look up: the apsaras. Their ribbons stream as they dance among painted clouds, as if about to fly off the wall.

画huà这些zhè xiē画huà的de工gōng匠jiàng，大多dà duō没有méi yǒu留下líu xià名字míng zi。他们tā men在zài黑暗hēi àn的de山shān洞dòng里lǐ，借jiè着zhuó小xiǎo小xiǎo的de灯光dēng guāng，一yī笔bǐ一yī笔bǐ地dì画huà了liǎo一辈子yī bèi zi。

The artisans who painted them mostly left no names. In dark caves, by small lamplight, they painted stroke by stroke their whole lives.

一yī九jǐu零líng零líng年nián，一yī个gè叫jiào王wáng道士dào shì的de人rén在zài莫mò高gāo窟kū发现fā xiàn了liǎo一yī个gè小xiǎo洞dòng，里面lǐ miàn藏cáng着zhuó五wǔ万wàn多duō件jiàn古代gǔ dài的de书shū卷juàn和hé文wén书shū。

In 1900 a man named Wang, a Taoist priest, found a small sealed cave holding over fifty thousand ancient scrolls and documents.

这zhè就是jìu shì有名yǒu míng的de藏cáng经jīng洞dòng。可惜kě xī的de是shì，那nà时候shí hou没有méi yǒu人rén明白míng bai这些zhè xiē文物wén wù的de价值jià zhí，很hěn多duō书shū卷juàn被bèi外国wài guó人rén用yòng很hěn低dī的de价钱jià qian买mǎi走zǒu了liǎo，现在xiàn zài分散fēn sàn在世zài shì界jiè各地gè dì的de博物馆bó wù guǎn里lǐ。

This is the famous Library Cave. Sadly, no one then understood their worth; many scrolls were sold to foreigners for little and now sit scattered in museums worldwide.

一yī九jǐu四sì四sì年nián，常cháng书shū鸿hóng来到lái dào了liǎo敦dūn煌huáng。他tā在zài法fǎ国学guó xué画huà，本来běn lái可以kě yǐ在zài国外guó wài过guo很hěn好hào的de生活shēng huó，可是kě shì他tā在zài一yī本běn画册huà cè里lǐ看到kàn dào了liǎo莫mò高gāo窟kū，就jìu决定jué dìng回来huí lai守shǒu着zhuó它tā。

In 1944 Chang Shuhong came to Dunhuang. He had studied painting in France and could have lived well abroad, but seeing the grottoes in an album, he chose to return and guard them.

那nà时候shí hou，敦dūn煌huáng的de条件tiáo jiàn非常fēi cháng苦kǔ。没有méi yǒu水shuǐ，没有méi yǒu电diàn，风沙fēng shā一yī来lái，什么shén me都dōu看kān不见bù jiàn。常cháng书shū鸿hóng和hé同事tóng shì们men白天bái tiān清理qīng lǐ流líu沙shā，晚上wǎn shang临lín摹mó壁画bì huà，一yī守shǒu就是jìu shì几jǐ十shí年nián。

Conditions were bitter then: no water, no electricity, sandstorms that blotted out everything. By day they cleared drifting sand; by night they copied murals, for decades.

后来hòu lái，樊fán锦jǐn诗shī也yě从cóng北京běi jīng来lái了liǎo。她tā在zài敦dūn煌huáng住zhù了liǎo一辈子yī bèi zi，人们rén men叫jiào她tā敦dūn煌huáng的de女儿nǚ ér。

Later Fan Jinshi came from Beijing and stayed her whole life; people call her the daughter of Dunhuang.

现在xiàn zài，莫mò高gāo窟kū每měi年nián接待jiē dài上shàng百bǎi万wàn游客yóu kè。为了wèi le保护bǎo hù好hào壁画bì huà，每měi个gè洞dòng里lǐ的de温度wēn dù和hé人数rén shù都dōu有yǒu严格yán gé的de规定guī dìng。

Today the grottoes receive over a million visitors a year. To protect the murals, each cave's temperature and visitor count are strictly ruled.

壁画bì huà上shàng画huà的de不bù只有zhǐ yǒu佛fó。种zhòng田tián的de、打dǎ鱼yú的de、结婚jié hūn的de、跳舞tiào wǔ的de，一yī千qiān多年duō nián前qián普通人pǔ tōng rén的de日子rì zi，全都quán dōu留líu在zài了liǎo墙qiáng上shàng。

The murals hold more than Buddhas: farming, fishing, weddings, dancing, the everyday lives of people a thousand years ago, all kept on the walls.

敦dūn煌huáng离lí大海dà hǎi很hěn远yuǎn，离lí绿lǜ洲zhōu很hěn近jìn。古人gǔ rén相信xiāng xìn，把bǎ最zuì美měi的de画huà画huà在zài离lí佛fó最近zuì jìn的de地方dì fāng，祝福zhù fú就jìu能néng传zhuàn到dào很hěn远yuǎn的de地方dì fāng。

Dunhuang is far from the sea and close to the oasis. The ancients believed that painting the finest pictures nearest the Buddha carried blessings far away.

洞dòng子zi里lǐ不bù能néng拍照pāi zhào，不bù能néng开kāi大dà灯dēng，因为yīn wèi光线guāng xiàn会huì让ràng壁画bì huà慢慢màn màn变biàn老lǎo。讲解jiǎng jiě员yuán打dǎ着手zhuó shǒu电diàn，轻qīng声shēng细xì语yǔ地dì讲jiǎng每měi一yī幅fú画huà的de故事gù shi。

No photos or bright lights are allowed in the caves; light ages the murals. Guides speak softly by flashlight, telling each painting's story.

那些nà xiē一yī千qiān多年duō nián前qián的de画huà还huán在zài，颜色yán sè还huán那么nà me鲜艳xiān yàn。一代yī dài一代yī dài的de守护shǒu hù人rén走zǒu了liǎo，可是kě shì他们tā men守shǒu下来xià lai的de东西dōng xi，留líu给gěi了liǎo我们wǒ men每měi一yī个人gè rén。

Those thousand-year-old paintings are still there, colors still bright. Generation after generation of guardians has passed on, but what they guarded remains for every one of us.