Many Buddhist grottoes have a river in front of them: Yungang Grottoes face the Wuzhou River, Longmen Grottoes are close to the Yi River, Yulin River flows in the canyon where Yulin Grottoes are located, and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang face the east, and Daquan River is here. At 5 o'clock in the morning that day, I took the scheduled Taxi from the downtown area of Dunhuang to Mogao Grottoes. First, I crossed the Daquan River.
很多佛教石窟前面都有条大河：云冈石窟面临武州河，龙门石窟紧邻伊河，榆林窟峡谷流淌着榆林河，而敦煌莫高窟向东而立，面临着大泉河。凌晨5点钟，我乘坐预约的Taxi，从敦煌市区来到莫高窟，首先跨过的，就是这条大泉河。
In this satellite image, we can see that the Mogao Grottoes are surrounded by tan Gobi beaches, a river valley, and an oasis, accompanied by thousands of years of Buddhist cave groups.It was too early, and the gateway to the Mogao Grottoes Management Office had not yet been opened. I left the road and walked freely along the Daquan River. On the other side of the river, the tall cliff face is Mingsha Mountain, and the Mogao Grottoes were cut from the cliff.
太早了，通往莫高窟管理处的门还没开。我离开道路，沿着大泉河边，随意行走。大泉河对岸，高高耸立的崖壁，就是鸣沙山，千佛洞就在崖壁上开凿而成。
The morning breeze was cool, and a bright moon hung over the cliffs of Mogao Grottoes in the west, bright and icy. The surroundings were not very dark, the moon shadows were clear, the river was gurgling, and the dark night hided the traces of the times. The mountain, the water, and the bright moon were just like what they had been thousands of years ago.
晨风清凉，西边千佛窟山崖上空，一轮明月悬挂着，明亮皎洁。周围并不很黑，月影清晰，河水潺潺，黑夜遮掩了时代的痕迹，这山，这水，这明月，一如千年之前的模样。
The east brightened, and then the sun rose behind Sanwei Mountain. The air warmed up instantly. The warm morning sun shone on the opposite Mingsha Mountain and the Mogao Grottoes above it, rendering the entire cliff wall as golden, like a holy light, sublime and solemn, which made people admired. According to legend, the monk Le Zun first cut the first cave. He traveled all over the world in the second year of Qin Jianyuan. After passing through Mingsha Mountain, he suddenly saw a golden light shining as if ten thousand Buddhas had come. I think he saw the same sunrise on the golden cliff.
东方渐亮，随后，太阳在三危山后升起，空气瞬间暖和起来。暖色朝阳投在对面鸣沙山的千佛窟崖壁，把整个崖壁渲染得一片金黄，如圣光笼罩，崇高而庄严，让人心生敬仰。传说，最早开凿第一个洞窟的是僧人乐尊，他在前秦建元二年云游天下，经过鸣沙山，忽然看见有金光闪耀，好像万佛降临，才发愿在此开凿洞窟宣扬佛法。应该，他看到的也是这样一幅旭日金山的景象吧。
The management office door finally opened. Unfortunately, the current Mogao Grottoes feel like a warehouse of cultural relics: armed police guards, ubiquitous cameras, rebuilt straight retaining walls to block the cliffs, and modern aluminum alloy doors and windows in front of each cave. The administrator looked at each visitor with suspicion, fearing that someone would take the soul of the mural with the camera .......
太阳升高，管理处大门终于开了。可惜，现在的莫高窟感觉就是个文物仓库：武警看守，无处不在的摄像头，重修的笔直的挡土墙档住崖壁，每个洞窟前面是现代的铝合金门窗。管理人用怀疑的目光审视着每个参观者，生怕有人用相机摄去了壁画的灵魂.......
It should be said that such protective measures can make clay sculptures and murals last longer. However, the creators and supporters of the murals may feel sad, their style and skills, as well as the pure land and Buddhist law in their hearts, will miss most of the descendants.
应该说，这样的保护能使泥塑和壁画延续更多的岁月。不过，壁画的创作者和供养人或许会觉得悲哀，他们的风姿和技艺，还有他们心中的极乐净土与佛法，却与大多数的后人们无缘了。
In terms of popularity and cultural relics value, Mogao Grottoes is undoubtedly the first of China's four major grottoes. However, the current status of management is not a good experience for visitors. Fortunately, I came early, and I can experience the bright moon rising in the Daquan River Valley, the golden light of the Sanshan Mountain at sunrise, and the desolation of the Gobi Desert outside. So, I still said to myself: This trip is worthwhile.
从知名度和文物价值而言，莫高窟无疑是中国四大石窟之首。可现在，石窟所有洞口都已被封闭，窟内光线幽暗，只能通过导游的黯淡手电光模糊看到壁画和雕塑，而且，不允许拍照，相机也不能带进去，只能被动地跟着导游，沿固定线路，看有限几个洞窟。对于参观者而言，实在不是良好体验。好在，我来得早，可以独自体验大泉河谷升起的明月，三危山日出的金山圣光，还有这塞外戈壁的苍凉，于是，我还是对自己说：不虚此行。
I walked alone far away, circled, and across the Gobi Desert, I looked at Mogao Cave from a distance; The sun had risen, and the only thing that accompanied me was the moon, which was still hanging in the western sky.
独自走到很远的地方，兜着圈，隔着戈壁滩，远远的，看着心中的瑰宝
陪伴我的，只有日出三竿，还依然悬挂在西天的明月。
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