Chang Jiahuang's work "The Breeze of the Great Buddha Hall of Mogao Grottoes".
Editor's note: 2024 is the 120th anniversary of Chang Shuhong's birth and the 100th anniversary of Li Chengxian's birth.
In Dunhuang, there has been a fine tradition of paying tribute to pioneers, guarding heritage, remembering ancestors, and respecting teachers and education since ancient times. Generations of scholars have walked through the sand, carried forward the fine traditions, and continued the ancient civilization. In the 30s of the 20th century, under the promotion of Chang Shuhong and others, "Dunhuang Studies" came into being. In 1996, Li Chengxian and Chang Jiahuang's mother and son inherited Chang Shuhong's last wish and excavated modern grottoes in Danghe, Gansu, completing another great initiative to continue the Dunhuang civilization.
I was born in a Yuan Dynasty monastery in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and when I was a child, I heard the chanting of the lama next door and the sound of iron horses tinkling on the eaves of the Great Buddha Hall, the sound of small streams and the rustling of leaves in the distance.
My father said that this is called ghost clapping, and the trunk of Xinjiang big-leaved poplar has many eye-like scars, and the leaves are rattling when they are blown together.
Every time I go home as an adult, I see a crowded scene in front of me. One morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone into the Great Buddha Hall of the Mogao Grottoes, my father described the scene of his first arrival in the Mogao Grottoes in his autobiography "Ninety Spring and Autumn": "Not far away, through the poplar branches, countless grottoes carved into the cliff are densely packed like beehives. The bright sunshine shines on the colorful murals and painted sculptures, which are resplendent and dazzling. The whole picture, like a huge splendid studded with jewels and jade, unfolds in front of us, which is thrilling ......So, I created "The Breeze of the Great Buddha Hall of Mogao Grottoes".
Chang Jiahuang in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
For decades, I have pursued this subtle feeling, conducted ** painting research in Zhejiang ** University, and the fusion with the clouds, flying streamers, and musical instruments in the murals has produced new ideas and created a series of works.
The green mountains are together with the wind and rain, how could the bright moon be two towns? On December 18, 2023, 6Category 2**, the aftershocks continued, causing major casualties and property losses, I propose that the Japanese Gansu Association actively donate money and materials to the disaster area, and remit the first donation to the ** account within 72 hours after the earthquake. At the beginning of the new year of 2024, the eruption**, tsunami, volcanic eruption, and disasters in Japan followed, and I also received care from all parties in Japan.
The road of the world is long, and there are many obstacles. Art is the best medicine for spiritual trauma, Dunhuang is the art of coexistence of suffering and beauty, there is a cultural context that lasts for thousands of years, the wind, sand, rain and snow through the desert, and the barrenness of the years and the torrent of time. People of different colors coexist in harmony, civilizations of different regions blend harmoniously, and the ancient grottoes shine and flourish, becoming a spiritual habitat that transcends time and space, and a treasure house of art that attracts worldwide attention. Excavated in 1996, the Dunhuang Danghe Grottoes will inherit the art of the ancient millennium Dunhuang Grottoes and leave it to the future.
In the war-torn era, in the new China, which was in ruins, my father and mother chose to stick to Dunhuang, fight against suffering with brushes, cultivate the spirit with literature and art, take root in the desolate land of Northwest China, and always maintain artistic enthusiasm and patriotic feelings.
2024 is the 120th anniversary of the birth of my father Chang Shuhong and the 100th anniversary of the birth of my mother Li Chengxian.
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In the autumn of 1935, on the banks of the Seine River in Paris, a picture album called "Catalogue of Dunhuang Grottoes" appeared on a used book stall, which shocked the painter Chang Shuhong, who became famous in France. He made up his mind - to return home! Visit Dunhuang!
On February 20, 1943, a new camel bell sounded on the ancient Silk Road, and Chang Shuhong stepped on the Hexi Corridor. It took more than a month to arrive in Dunhuang, and the thousand-year-old honor and disgrace are in front of you: more than 400 caves, more than 2,000 colored sculptures and about 4The 50,000-square-meter mural, which has accumulated more than 1,000 years of splendid art, has been looted several times, and the mural has been blackened by fire, the cave has collapsed, and the plank road has been destroyed, ......
From the first time I saw it, I said in my heart: even if I die here for it in the future, it's worth it! "Dunhuang waited for Chang Shuhong, the broken cave, and the fire of nirvana.
On March 24, 1943, in front of the middle temple of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, a new wooden plaque was hung up, which read: The Preparatory Committee of the National Dunhuang Art Research Institute.
At that time, the great northwest was full of desolation, poverty, calamity, and death. The times are difficult and there is a shortage of funds. Ask the people for money and get nothing. Chang Shuhong borrowed the wisdom and strength of the people to build a wall for the Mogao Grottoes, and carved on the wall with a knife: "The people of Dunhuang have made great contributions." ”
In 1945, the Anti-Japanese War was won. Chang Shuhong was full of tears, stood on the big Buddha hall, held the huge bell mallet, and struck the big iron bell hard. He never expected that the news of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War would come together with a telegram from the Ministry of Education at that time: "The Anti-Japanese War is over, all kinds of waste are waiting to be rebuilt, the country is rebuilt, and the funds are limited, from now on, the National Dunhuang Art Research Institute will be abolished." ”
Beloved students, colleagues who have been close to each other, and close friends who have shared weal and woe ......One by one, their homes are all shattered, "Even if I am the only one left, I will not leave Dunhuang!" Will not leave the Mogao Grottoes! Chang Shuhong said to the Thousand Buddha Cave.
Glory and disgrace have risen and fallen for thousands of years, and the rooster sings the world white. On September 28, 1949, the sky outside the fortress was clear, the sun was shining, and a bright red flag fluttered at the head of the ancient city of Dunhuang. The treasure house of art created by the people has finally returned to the arms of the people.
A few years later, Chang Shuhong went to Beijing to prepare for an exhibition of Dunhuang cultural relics. This is also the first review of the Mogao Grottoes people after the founding of New China. The exhibition has aroused great enthusiasm and attention from Chinese and foreign visitors, and has brought great honor to Dunhuang. "People**" published a report "The staff of the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute who have worked hard for eight years", which is a commendation for all comrades.
This article is excerpted from "Dunhuang Guardian" by People's ** Publishing House).
*: People's Weekly, Issue 1, 2024.
Author: Chang Jiahuang (dictated) Reporter He Juan (finished).
Editor-in-charge: Wang Cuiping.