All the explosions are the result of long-term accumulation! Tianshui, why?

All outbreaks are the result of long-term accumulation.

The same is true for Tianshui

Before the rise to fame

There are many times when no one cares about the water.

Few people know where Tianshui is

Few people know what Tianshui has

Even few people know that there is a city called Tianshui

Now from being unknown to being a popular place

It seems that only overnight

So someone asked

Tianshui, why?

I think

Tianshui relies on the boundless beauty of the vast Long Mountains

"The so-called beauty is on the other side of the water"

(The beautiful scenery of Maiji, gorgeous and varied, photographers @Fu Guoqing & Yang Chun & Lu Gang, the above is from "Qin Feng·Jian Jia")

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It's the passionate man who stands on his horse with a sword in hand

"As long as the flying general is in Longcheng, the Hu horse will not be allowed to cross Yinshan Mountain."

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Wushan Water Curtain Cave, the mountain gullies are wild and unrestrained, the picture is from @Visual China, the above is from Wang Changling's "Two Poems on the Frontier, No. 1", the "Flying General" mentioned in the poem is Li Guang, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, who was born in Tianshui, Gansu and was nicknamed "Flying General")

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Since Fuxi created the world with one stroke

For 8,000 years, this land has always been guarded

(Please slide to view the statue of Sakyamuni in Maijishan Grottoes. Under his feet is his son Rāhula. Sakyamuni is the Buddha and also the father. The softness and majesty are all frozen in his hand that wants to touch but then retracts. Photographer @李文博)

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Guard

It seems to have become a habit of this land.

Eight thousand years ago

The ancestors guarded the land

Three thousand years ago

Heroes keep their original intention

now

The people of Tianshui are waiting for the clouds to clear.

01

Protecting the land

Tianshui is located in southeastern Gansu

Like a button

Connecting the Central Plains, Northwest and Southwest

Raise your perspective and look down on the earth

The exquisiteness of its location is clearly visible

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Tianshui location and topographic map, drawn by @高麗倩/Planet Research Institute)

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The east is separated from Guanzhong by the Longshan Mountains.

In the south, the Qinling Mountains lie at our feet.

The Wei River runs through the city from west to east.

Heading to Guanzhong

(The broad definition of Longshan generally refers to the Liupan Mountain Range. The picture below shows the layers of terraces in Liupan Mountain that look like ripples and fingerprints. Photographer: @彭兴隆)

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Tianshui is sandwiched between two mountains and seems to be closed and isolated.

The river cuts out a path for external communication

Can attack or defend, can advance or retreat

(Tianshui City’s Qinzhou District and Maiji District are sandwiched between the mountains. If you turn your phone sideways, you will see a huge “crocodile”. Image source: @Changguang Satellite, map by @Zhang Qi/Planetary Research Institute)

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In the era when the Central Plains was the political center

Tianshui is the last gate guarding Guanxi

Defending the Central Plains and connecting the West

As the famous Southern Song official Yu Yunwen said

"Guanzhong is the upper reaches of the world; Longyou is the upper reaches of Guanzhong"

But for the people of the Central Plains

Crossing Longshan Mountain and Tianshui River

It means being away from home

From now on, the hometown is out of reach

Therefore, in literary imagery

The background color of the sky and water is sad and bitter cold

More than a thousand years ago, Du Fu fled to Tianshui to avoid war.

Far from home, brothers separated

I just feel that the moonlight in Tianshui is not as good as that in my hometown

"The dew is white tonight, and the moon is bright in my hometown"

The city of Tianshui is particularly lonely

"A lonely city in the valley among the vast mountains"

(The above is from Du Fu's "Remembering My Brothers on a Moonlit Night", the seventh of "Twenty Miscellaneous Poems of Qinzhou", and the picture below is the Du Fu sculpture in Nanguo Temple, photographer @李伟, map @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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Du Fu missed his family and hometown in Tianshui

I miss Li Bai even more

"My old friend came into my dream, which showed that I missed him so much"

"I've dreamt of you three nights in a row, and I can see your love for me"

(The above is from "Dreaming of Li Bai's Two Poems", the picture below is the rich autumn colors of Tianshui Liziyuan Garden, photographer @杨春)

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But the vast mountains and trickling water

And the layers of earthen platforms

Clearly saying

Tianshui is lively and colorful

It can be pink and jade

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Tianshui Xianren Cliff is full of ice and snow, photographer @Fu Guoqing)

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Can be foggy

(Nanshan Pagoda in the depths of the clouds, photographer @杨春)

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I always thought that there were thousands of ravines

There are also vast expanses of fertile land here.

(Rapeseed flowers and terraces on the Loess Plateau, image source: @Visual China & Zuo Xuelan)

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Tianshui looks very un-Gansu

A picture of Jiangnan in the Northwest

" Longshang Jiangnan " comes from this

There is a proverb in Gansu that is still popular today:

“Zhangye is gold, Wuwei is silver, and Tianshui is the only place that cannot be exchanged for gold or silver.”

Surrounded by mountains and rivers, with fertile soil

The earth is ready for everything

A civilization is brewing

Thousands of years ago

The Dadiwan ancestors in the Tianshui area

First to gather here and build villages

The fertile soil under your feet is the best material

Sculpting, drawing, firing

The birth of exquisite painted pottery

This is the earliest painted pottery in the Yellow River Basin.

(Painted pottery unearthed in Dadiwan, photographer @梦物如颜&Visual China, map @张琪/Planet Research Institute)

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Maybe there are too many things to mark.

Dadiwan Ancestors

Mysterious symbols carved on pottery

It's a secret they've kept hidden for thousands of years.

This is the prototype of the original Chinese characters.

(Schematic diagram of Dadiwan pottery symbols, image source @Visual China, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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Circles of flat terraces are the natural stage for crop growth

So they cultivated land here.

Cereal seeds unearthed here

The origin of dryland farming in northern China was pushed back 1,000 years

Thousands of years of construction

People finally walked out of the dark dungeon

Build a spacious and bright hall-style building

In addition, the wise ancestors used the readily available ginger stone

Sintered building aggregates that are both compression-resistant and moisture-proof

It is very similar to the concrete invented in the West in the 19th century.

Maybe it's to record a carnival

Maybe it's a prayer note.

They used charcoal to draw a picture on the ground

This is the earliest ground painting in China.

(The original village ruins of Dadiwan, with the F371 house on the left, taken by photographer @makerD)

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The civilization here is protected by the ancestors of Dadiwan.

Prosperity, Migration and Evolution

Along with other equally brilliant cultures

The famous Yangshao culture

Mountains and rivers give birth to life, and life protects civilization

Year after year

Countless scholars and warriors came to Tianshui

From Tianshui to the vast mountains and rivers

Endure humiliation, overcome difficulties, and travel through mountains and rivers

Because of the heart

All are kept in mind

02

Keep an original intention

①

The Qin people guarded an unwilling

Qin

A dynasty worthy of all the heroic and magnificent adjectives

However, before Qin became Qin

Ancestor of the Ying clan

Also in Tianshui area

There were some difficult and dark times.

During the Shang Dynasty

The Ying clan was a vassal trusted by the Shang royal family.

But the situation is changing rapidly

Success or failure all happen overnight

Merchant, lost

(Li Gui (guǐ) from the Western Zhou Dynasty, records the epic of King Wu's conquest of King Zhou, photographer @路客看看, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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Overnight, the powerful princes became slaves.

Even the name "Yingshi" was taken away

The Ying clan, who had lost everything, were regarded as "stubborn people"

Driven out, suppressed, excluded

One of the branches moved to Xichui (now the eastern part of Li County, Longnan)

(Qin Cavalry Terracotta Warriors during the Warring States Period, Photographer @Singxing, Map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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At this time, Xichui was still the residence of the Xirong.

The Ying clan migrated west to this place

To endure the humiliation of the Zhou royal family

And the constant danger of being annexed by the Xirong

Unwilling, Unwilling, Unwilling

But they have nothing

Only these mountains and rivers

yes!

There are mountains and plains! There are valleys and rivers! There is this land!

This is a great place to raise horses.

(Please watch in horizontal mode. Guanshan Ranch is located at the junction of Long County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province and Zhangjiachuan, Gansu Province. This is where the ancestors of Qin Shihuang raised horses. Photographer: @赵高翔)

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At that time, horses were an indispensable fighting force for a country.

So Fei Zi, a member of the Ying clan, made a living by raising horses.

Be discovered, valued, appreciated

Finally became a vassal of the Zhou royal family

Ask for a piece of land

Qinyi (near Zhangjiachuan County, Tianshui today)

They also regained the right to worship their ancestors and were called

Qin Ying

The Qin people have been the Qin people ever since.

(Qin You has stone armor on his shoulders, photographer @张天柱&白阳, map @张琪/Planet Research Institute)

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The Qin people seized the opportunity and worked even harder.

Go to the battlefield to fight against the enemy and defend Guanxi

Generation after generation

The father died in battle, and the son succeeded him.

Step by step

From slaves to vassals to officials to princes

From Qinyi to Xichui to Qiānyi

(Schematic diagram of Qin's fiefdom during the Western Zhou Dynasty, drawn by @Gao Liqian/Planet Research Institute)

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Before Dawn

Always have to endure the darkness

300 years, 13 generations

Guarding an unwilling

Defend a Great Qin

②

A hero keeps a long-cherished wish

"…I am a commoner, tilling the land in Nanyang

I just want to survive in this chaotic world, and not seek fame and fortune among the princes..."

After writing this earnest "Departure from the Imperial Academy"

Zhuge Liang led his army north to conquer Cao Wei and restore the Han Dynasty.

How to march north and where to break through

Tianshui , the guardian of Guanxi, became the first choice

If we attack Guanzhong from Tianshui

The terrain is relatively flat and there are some dangerous places to take advantage of.

In addition, the wonderful relationship between Tianshui and Guanzhong

If we take over Tianshui, we will have a chance to capture Guanzhong.

Then unify the country

Just like the Qin people thousands of years ago

(The high-speed rail runs along the Wei River from Tianshui to Guanzhong, picture source @Visual China, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang entrusted the wrong person

Ma Su lost Jieting

If you fail in one move, all your efforts will be wasted.

From then on, Zhuge Liang's life

Five Northern Expeditions, Two Expeditions to Qishan

All ended in failure

"To die before achieving one's goal will always make the hero shed tears"

(Historical records show that Zhuge Liang led troops from Qishan twice to attack Wei, and the saying "six times to Qishan" comes from the historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The above is from Du Fu's "The Prime Minister of Shu". The picture below shows the Weihe River Gorge in Tianshui. The roads and railways pass through tunnels one after another. It is no longer difficult to go to Guanzhong. Photographer @邓建峰)

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More than ten years later

His subordinate Jiang Wei was in charge of the military power of Shu

This general, who was born in Tianshui, originally belonged to the State of Wei.

Surrendered to Shu during Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition

Later, he was highly valued and praised as "Liangzhou Senior Sergeant"

Now the teacher is gone

Jiang Wei wanted to realize his long-cherished wish

Restore the Han Dynasty and return to the old capital

However, times have changed

After Jiang Wei took control of the military

Nine expeditions to the Central Plains, more victories than defeats

But he was no longer able to revive the Han Dynasty

(Aerial photo of Gangu County, Tianshui City today. Gangu is the birthplace of Jiang Wei. Image source: Visual China)

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In 263, the Shu Kingdom fell.

The young man who was full of vigor and vitality in the past is now in his twilight years

According to folklore

After Jiang Wei died, his body was disemboweled and abandoned in the wilderness.

The Wei army also sent special personnel to guard the tomb and not allow it to be buried.

His men risked their lives to steal his boots back and buried them in Gangu.

The villagers are trying to help his soul find its way home.

The "Requiem" written for him has been sung for generations

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“The lanterns in Jiangjiazhuang, the lanterns by Nanshan, there is a basin of water behind Nanshan, and the lanterns on the top of Nanshan are red.

Lanterns in Jiangjiazhuang, lanterns in Nanshan, lanterns for every pine or cypress tree,

The lights of Xueziping are eternally red (soul), eternally red (soul).”

This Tianshui man

Jiang Boyao is loyal

Spend your life to keep a long-cherished wish

③

Gods and Buddhas keep one belief

Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

Buddhism, which teaches the law of reincarnation and karma, began to flourish

It was soon promoted by the rulers as a tool to maintain social stability.

At one time, everyone from the royal family to the common people

Throwing themselves into the illusory world beyond

Carve a Buddhist shrine on the cliff to avoid the world

Becoming a popular practice

Maiji Mountain, hidden in the valley, quickly became

Buddhist Holy Land

As the stone structure of Maiji Mountain is loose, it is not suitable for carving large Buddha statues.

Craftsmen used stone as the base and covered it with mud to facilitate sculpture.

Stone-based clay sculpture

(The rows of Buddha statues on the front corridor of Maiji Mountain in the mist and rain, and Cave 4, image source: Visual China)

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It guards the travelers from the west.

Wanliguanshan

A large number of monks from the Western Regions poured into the Central Plains

They traveled long distances and crossed mountains and hills.

Traveling through the desert

Flying sand and rocks, a narrow escape

When they traveled east to Tianshui

The scenery here is undoubtedly a paradise dream compared to the way here.

And as long as you reach Tianshui

This means the next stop is Central Plains.

So believers carved Buddha statues on Maiji Mountain

They carved as they went

Paving the way to the great Eastern country with piety

Thank the gods for blessing them with a safe journey

(The smiling little monk in Maijishan Grottoes is known as the Oriental Smile, picture source @Visual China, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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It protects the women of troubled times.

Sad and helpless

Yifu, the founding queen of the Western Wei Dynasty

She was originally the daughter of a prominent family.

Talented and good-looking

Her husband Yuan Baoju also loved her very much.

The Emperor Has No Love

What's more, he is a puppet emperor.

In order to reconcile with the Rouran who had been constantly invading

Yuan Baoju must marry the Rouran princess as a queen

(A Bodhisattva stands on the right side of the main Buddha in Cave 43 of Maijishan Grottoes. Cave 43 is the "Ji Mausoleum" where Yifu was originally buried. Photographer: Li Wenbo, map by Zhang Qi/Planetary Research Institute)

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Yifu had no choice but to become a nun and give up her position as queen.

But the young Rouran princess still refused to let go.

Yifu had no choice but to leave Chang'an and go to Maiji Mountain to practice Buddhism.

Before leaving, Yuan Baoju secretly asked Yi Fu to grow her hair long.

Promise to see you again someday

But I didn't expect the news to leak out

Poor Yifu did not receive the imperial edict to welcome her back to the palace.

But she received an imperial edict ordering her to commit suicide.

Despair, disappointment, helplessness, powerlessness

They all accompanied her to sleep in the cave

(The picture below shows the Buddha statue in Cave 44 of Maijishan Grottoes. Many scholars believe that the main Buddha image was modeled after Yifu. The cave 43 next to it is the "Ji Mausoleum" where Yifu was originally buried. Photographer @李文博, map @张琪/星球研究院)

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221 caves

10632 Buddha statue

More than 900 square meters of murals

More than a thousand years of protection

(Maijishan Grottoes under star tracks, photographer @鲁刚)

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Now all the hopes, reluctance, love and hate, helplessness

All melted into time

Sleeping with the land

The people on the land

In the morning bells and evening drums

Working hard for life

Waiting for the clouds to clear

03

Waiting for the Clouds to Open

Far away from the wind and clouds behind the thousands of walls

It is cute and lively

Buckwheat

It is the "elf" growing in this thick soil

Tianshui people's use of buckwheat

It is truly extraordinary

Peel and grind the buckwheat

Soak, grind, filter

Then pour in boiling water and stir

When the buckwheat paste becomes a thick gelatinous state, remove from the pot and cool it down.

Use a special scraper to scrape it into strips

A bowl of " Laolao " is ready

If you continue to cook the buckwheat paste

The Advanced Mode will be turned on.

Cool down and break into pieces by hand

Served with spicy oil made from Gangu peppers

Congratulations, you have successfully unlocked a bowl of " Guagua "

(The breakfast “C” of Tianshui is Lao Lao, Gua Gua and Ran Ran. The cooking method of Ran Ran is similar to Gua Gua, and the raw material is potato starch. The photographer is @糯米米米, and the map is @张琪/星球研究院)

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Don't worry, keep the batter simmering.

Dry the moisture thoroughly

Get something like rice crust

Guagua's friend " Pipi " is ready

(Splashing chili oil "injects soul" into everything, photographer @杨光)

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Lao Lao, Gua Gua, Pi Pi

Burn, cut, fish

Behind the cute reduplicated words

It is the love of generations of Tianshui people for this land.

Simple and deep love

In addition to buckwheat

Everything that grows from the ground

Can be smart and hardworking Tianshui people

Polishing out unique flavor

Chicory water

Yellow rice cake made from millet

Lard box baked with oil and dough

There is also delicious almond tea

Sweet and bitter fusion of can tea

…

Simple ingredients condense thousands of years of Tianshui

Blooming on the tip of your tongue

(Tianshui tea is usually served with red dates and rock sugar, simmered slowly and sipped slowly, bitter at first but sweet at the end, photographer @陈宗义)

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All flavors are inseparable from this land

Tianshui’s cuisine is not all rough

The internationally renowned Huaniu apple

Red Qinzhou cherries

There are also Xiaqu grapes and Qinan peaches

Boxes of fruit that don't seem to belong here

The abundant fruits prove the vitality of this land.

(The attractive color of Huaniu apple, photographer @潘泉)

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And when the smoke dissipates and night falls

The galaxy that has twinkled for thousands of years covers the earth

Always reminds me

Thousands of years ago, people did the same

Watching the sky above

So the people of Tianshui lived on the banks of the Wei River.

Held the Fuxi Ceremony with all Chinese people

With the sound of bells and drums, we pay tribute to our ancestors thousands of years ago.

Telling of our respect

(Tianshui Fuxi Temple, photographer @Lu Wen)

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Sacrificial activities in ancient times

It has become a more diverse and vivid social fire that has been passed down to this day.

Dragon lanterns, lion dances, and land boat races

Stilt walking, paper horse dance, and Yangko dance

The gongs and drums were deafening, and the music was full of excitement.

(Tianshui Qin'an Dragon Dance, photographer @makerD attempted)

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Thousands of years ago, the Qin people raised horses and trained soldiers here.

Grazing and martial arts gradually combined

The Qinzhou whip dance with its clear rhythm was born

Exquisite carving skills

Changed the way but still radiates brilliance

Wood carving is rough and powerful

Bamboo carving is delicate and exquisite

Lacquer carving is simple and elegant

(Dragon and phoenix wood-carved windows in Fuxi Temple, image source: @Visual China)

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In 2020, the first tram in Tianshui City will be put into operation

Named "Boyo"

This is the unique romance of Tianshui's guardian hero

(Boyue tram, photographer @Shen Guan, map @Zhang Qi/Planet Research Institute)

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The waves of the times keep beating

Tianshui can't stop

Guard the past and the future

But the road to Tianshui is too difficult.

Agriculture is Tianshui's advantage

But agriculture alone cannot sustain itself

There are very few industries that can support it.

It is not easy to be in the economically weak northwest

There are very few plains for cities to grow.

It has the second largest population in the province

Its GDP ranks only fourth in the province.

(Passing by the Longhai Railway in Tianshui City, the Longhai Railway was built in 1904, connecting Lanzhou and Lianyungang. The construction process was extremely difficult and bumpy, and it went through various historical stages since the late Qing Dynasty and the founding of the People's Republic of China. Photographer @郑斐元)

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As eastern cities compete to break through economic barriers

In 2020, Tianshui achieved a comprehensive victory in poverty alleviation

The population is growing, but the economy is not keeping pace

Tianshui gradually disappeared from sight

Farewell to the turbulent era

The people of Tianshui who have been silent for a thousand years

Born here, stay here

Cooking time in the years when no one cares

In your own way

Protecting the mountains, rivers and land

Guarding the ancestral lineage

(In Cave 121 of the Maijishan Grottoes, the Bodhisattva and his disciples are "whispering". The raised hands seem to be clasping together, but the slightly separated fingertips seem to be clapping. Image source: @Visual China)

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Now the clouds have cleared

They are clumsy and sincere

Guarding the crowds coming from all directions

They open their arms and give the best

The wanderers in other places are also trying their best from thousands of miles away

But when the excitement returns to calm

The people of Tianshui continue to guard this piece of land

Just like Tianshui guarding Guanxi

Gods and Buddhas guard the earth

This is Tianshui

At the beginning of civilization

Where East and West meet

Tianshui has guarded this land for thousands of years.

Protecting the land

Keep an original intention

Waiting for the Clouds to Open

(Tianshui Iron Flower Show, "The first one is about the government being in good order and the people being harmonious, the iron flowers are auspicious, the second one is about blessings from heaven, the whole country is happy, the third one is about favorable weather and good harvests...", photographer @makerD tried)

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This article was created by

Written by : Xiong Huo

Image : Zhou Xuguang

Map : Gao Liqian

Design : Zhang Qi

Proofreading : Xiang Bu Xiang & Huang Taiji & Chen Jingyi

Cover Photographer : Fu Guoqing & makerD try

Audit Expert

Wei Wenbin, professor of the School of History and Culture, Lanzhou University

【References】

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[2] Wang Hongbin. Tianshui City Chronicles[M]. Fangzhi Publishing House, 2004.

[3] Su Haiyang. On the History and Geography of Longyou (Longyou Cultural Research Series)[M]. China Social Sciences Press, 2014.

[4] Fu Junlian, Zhou Fengzhen. History of Gansu Culture[M]. Zhonghua Book Company, 2022.

[5]Xue Shichang, Meng Yonglin. Phoenix over Qinzhou: A Narrative on Du Fu's Poems in Longyou[M]. Social Sciences Academic Press, 2013.

[6] Bill Porter. The Silk Road[M]. Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2017.

[7] Liu Guanghua. General History of Gansu[M]. Gansu People's Publishing House, 2009.

[8] Wang Xiaojun. Geographical interpretation of the image of Longshan in literary texts [C]//Longshan Cultural Development Forum (2015). 2015.

[9] Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute. Tianshui Maijishan[M]. Cultural Relics Publishing House, 2013.