Chapter 51: The Maze
This was indeed a man-made cave, its walls and ceiling covered in murals. They entered cautiously, as if afraid their footsteps would disturb the long-silent deities and Buddhas, and could only take a quick look through the dust.
Whether it was caused by wild animals, pedestrians, or simply the erosion of wind and rain, the walls of the cave were severely damaged. Fortunately, the area above a meter was still clearly visible. Three of the walls were covered with story paintings, and only one side was painted with a thousand Buddhas. The front of the cave was covered with a gable roof, which seemed to be painted. Before they could make out anything, the sunlight gradually retreated from the cave, driving them away.
They were so excited that they rushed back to the institute to tell everyone the news. When talking about seeing the Buddha's light on the mountain top, the colleagues who stayed at Mogao Grottoes said that they had also seen it.
As the rain subsided and the surging mud and water from the Dangquan River receded, everyone busied themselves with building sandbags. They faintly sensed a crack opening in the darkened world, a golden light appearing from the summit of Mount Sanwei. They couldn't help but pause to gaze. Even those who had been visiting Dunhuang for years were witnessing this wonder for the first time. Gradually, everyone came to believe that Monk Le Zun had witnessed the same thing.
Although it was getting late, with so much happening in one day, no one wanted to go to sleep. Since everyone needed to take turns guarding the riverbank at night, they simply lit a bonfire and sat around it to chat.
The moonlight was bright and the valley was empty, with only the crackling of burning firewood and the whispers of people, which had a bit of the flavor of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.
Originally known as the National Dunhuang Art Institute, it was later renamed the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute, and only became the current Dunhuang Research Institute in 1984. The current director is modeled after "Dunhuang's Daughter," Fan Jinshi, a Peking University graduate who overcame numerous obstacles and shouldered the work of the institute on her frail shoulders. Her female colleagues at the time held her in high esteem.
That night, the dean told everyone the story of how the old director discovered the scriptures.
When the institute was first established, they had only two donkeys and an ox to pull their carts. They were worried about not being able to afford a horse, but then the county received word that a horse had been confiscated from bandits and could be allocated to the institute. To store feed for the animals, they decided to vacate a small temple behind the central temple, moving three statues from the late Qing Dynasty. This true story is recorded in detail in "The Glory of Dunhuang: A Conversation between Chang Shuhong and Daisaku Ikeda."
At this point, a stray cat meowed a few times from nowhere. A timid person asked, "Could this movement bring about some kind of evil disaster? Dean, are you telling a ghost story?"
The dean smiled and said to those around him, "Look at him! I haven't even said much yet, and he's already forgotten everything I said before. What did he say at the beginning? This is the joyous discovery of the scriptures. Your story sounds just like the monkey breaking off a corncob and throwing it away one by one."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wild cat disappeared into a low grove of trees, seemingly struggling with something. It shrieked sharply, and the jungle was filled with a rustling sound. Everyone was suddenly terrified, and there was no mood for laughter. The bravest ones raised torches and approached, hoping to drive away the unknown beast.
"Ah!" Jiang Yunyi shouted and jumped out holding the cat, and his hair was almost set on fire by the torch. Amid screams, Hang Liumei grabbed her son's ear and pulled him to sit in the crowd.
After he made such a fuss, it seemed that nothing would really happen tonight, so the dean continued telling the story.
Dunhuang statues are usually made by first standing a piece of wood upright, then tying another piece horizontally on top to form a "cross" shape, wrapping them with grass and reeds, and then using straw and mud to mold the general shape. The details are then applied with cotton and fine mud, and finally they are colored. This production method is based on the first chapter of "The Splendor of Dunhuang" "Gems on the Silk Road"
However, the three late Qing Dynasty statues were not made in this way. Their wood was deeply embedded in the earthen base, and in order to remove them, they had to be dismantled. After the statues were dismantled, it was discovered that the wood was not wrapped with grass but with scriptures.
The old director immediately investigated and discovered that these were indeed fragments of sutras, dating from the Northern Dynasties. This discovery shocked everyone. He then consulted the former abbot of Mogao Grottoes, who revealed that these statues existed before the discovery of the Sutra Cave in 1900, indicating that other sutras existed outside Cave 17.
The old director made a prediction at that time that there might be unknown caves and murals hidden somewhere in Dunhuang.
"You've discovered a new cave near the Yulin Grottoes today. It's truly providential. Everything the old director predicted came true. It's a shame he didn't see what we see today," the director said, throwing another piece of wood into the fire. The next day, she led a team, including Hang Liumei and Teacher Gong, to explore the new caves.
The rain had stopped, and the sun was helping them with their work. The grotto was unusually bright that day, its colors predominantly blue, white, and black, creating an ancient and elegant painting. As Hang Liumei looked up, her hands couldn't help but imitate the flow of the lines, but were often interrupted by cracks in the wall.
"Here, come and take a look here." Hearing Teacher Gong's low call, the scattered colleagues all gathered over.
That was the only relatively intact corner of the wall where Mr. Gong discovered a mottled image of a Yaksha. Yakshas, also known as Vajra Warriors, hold a Vajra Pestle. Vajra Warriors are one of the guardian deities in Buddhism. Each Heavenly King has two Vajra Warriors as his companions, which is often referred to as the "Four Heavenly Kings and Eight Vajra Warriors." This is referenced from the "General Course on Dunhuang Art."
Similar painting style, similar colors, similar images, everyone immediately thought of Cave 254 of Mogao Grottoes.
The murals in Cave 254, from bottom to top, depict the Vajra Warrior, the Thousand Buddhas and their stories, and the Apsaras, moving from the underground to the human world and then to the heavenly palace. This three-part layout is typical of Northern Wei Dynasty murals, and the paintings in the new caves follow a similar pattern. Combined with other details, it is virtually certain that this new cave was created during the Northern Wei Dynasty.
"There is nothing wrong with the colors of the top and body lights of the Thousand Buddhas being arranged diagonally. The Bodhisattvas and the flying celestials are also of the same lineage. But why is it so strange here? How can such a large piece be missing?" Teacher Gong stood up, patted his pants, and asked himself.
Hang Liumei knew what Professor Gong was referring to. The Northern Wei Dynasty grottoes, a blend of Western and Central Plains styles, are generally pagoda-temple-style. This means the first thing you see upon entering the cave is the Central Plains-style gabled roof, flanked by simplified wooden brackets on the north and south sides. A square column typically supports the center like a main beam, often with niches for statues on top. But the center of this new grotto was completely empty.
Everyone gathered in unison towards the center of the cave, looking from the ceiling to the floor, intent on finding the entrance to the mystery. Although their footsteps were light, they still kicked up a cloud of dust. Hang Liumei felt an itch in her nose, quickly covered it with her hand, ran outside and sneezed three times.
A mountain breeze blew outside, bringing fresh air. Hang Liumei took a deep breath and gazed at the distant woods. She heard hurried footsteps behind her. Turning her head, she saw her colleagues rushing out, covering their mouths and noses. They didn't open their mouths to breathe deeply until they were out of the cave.
"What's wrong? What happened inside?" Hang Liumei was startled and asked while holding Teacher Gong's arm.
Teacher Gong frowned but smiled without saying anything.
The last male colleague who ran out explained himself: "I ate too many sweet potatoes this morning. It was too cold when I came in. I just couldn't hold back my fart. I'm sorry everyone!"
The other colleagues started to make a fuss, saying, "What the hell is that? We are afraid that the murals inside will be smoked!"
After a burst of laughter, everyone sat on the ground while the smell inside dissipated and discussed excitedly in the open space at the entrance of the cave.
Teacher Gong took out a piece of chewing gum and handed it to Hang Liumei: "Yu Yu sent this to me, try one." Hang Liumei took it, hugged her knees like Teacher Gong, and let the mountain breeze blow her hair.
Teacher Gong then asked her, "Do you remember the stories in Cave 254?"
"Well, 'Prince Sattva Sacrifices His Life to Feed a Tiger', 'Shakyamuni Conquers the Demon and Attains Enlightenment', 'Nanda Becomes a Monk', and 'King Sibi Cuts Off His Flesh in Trade for a Pigeon'." Hang Liumei had already memorized the murals of these key grottoes.
"Did you just see what the story painting inside was?"
Hang Liumei shook her head. "The damage inside is too severe. The Thousand Buddhas are okay, but I haven't studied the story paintings in detail yet."
"So, do you think the ones inside are the same as these in 254?"
"It's hard to say, and it's unlikely they're exactly the same, otherwise it would be too strange." Hang Liumei recalled the murals she had just seen and suddenly added, "One of the murals is very similar to 'Shakyamuni Conquers the Demons'. The small, densely packed group of figures in the upper left corner should be the demon army of the demon king Mara. This is relatively easy to confirm."
Two particular fragments flashed through Hang Liumei's mind: a flock of blue peacocks, and a Bodhisattva perched on a Garuda. This reminded Hang Liumei of Cave 257, also built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and located next to Cave 254, where a painting titled "Sumati Inviting the Buddha" is found.
This painting, which originated from the same grotto as the renowned Nine-Colored Deer, proved difficult to discern for those unfamiliar with Buddhist texts. Even a group of early master painters who visited Dunhuang were unable to identify it. It wasn't until the year Hang Liumei arrived at the Dunhuang Institute of Cultural Relics that a professor, after extensive research, finally determined its meaning and name.
It tells the story of ancient India, where Mancai, who believed in the six heterodox teachers, asked to marry his son to the daughter of Shanji, who believed in Buddhism. The Buddha told Shanji that his daughter Sumati would help spread Buddhism if he married her, and then the two families decided on the marriage.
On the wedding day, many disciples of the six heterodox teachers attended. Sumati, concerned about their uncouth manners, refused to perform the ceremony. Someone suggested that Mancai embrace Buddhism, only then would Sumati respect them. Mancai then suggested inviting Sakyamuni to preach. Sumati lit incense and invited the Buddha, who then arrived with his own magical powers, riding on various treasures and exotic beasts.
In the entire Mogao Grottoes, there is only one painting of "The Story of Sumati Inviting the Buddha".
If it can be confirmed that there is also a painting of "Sumati Inviting the Buddha" in the new cave, it will be another extraordinary discovery.
Hang Liumei told Teacher Gong about her idea, and the two immediately rushed back to the grottoes to verify it. Later, Hang Liumei had a new copying task, and the archaeological work of the new grottoes took priority, so she put her work here aside. It is only known that Teacher Gong was still the main person in charge of the new grottoes.
As for what the content of those murals was, whether the second "Sumati Inviting the Buddha" painting was found, and if it was a cave from the Northern Wei Dynasty, why was there no iconic central tower column...all these mysteries seemed to be covered up after Teacher Gong left.
Nearly thirty years later, in Hong Kong, Hang Liumei looks at the photo. That was the last time she worked alongside Teacher Gong, and the ecstasy, surprise, and disbelief she felt at that moment flood back. Dunhuang still leaves so many unsolved mysteries. Teacher Gong is gone, but Hang Liumei still remembers him. But besides her, does anyone else remember the grottoes?
"Treasure your passion, even if you spill it, it will turn into a blue wave."
The handwriting is still clear. Teacher Gong protected this photo very well. I guess she never forgot that place until she left.
Hang Liumei no longer insisted on taking the photos, but instead asked Xiaomai to take one with her phone as a souvenir. After saying goodbye to Xiaoyu, her son and daughter-in-law called and said they'd meet at Chen Genji for seafood.
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