The hometown of Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow (Wuwei)

When talking about Wuwei, many people may feel unfamiliar with it. It also has a legendary name ☞ Liangzhou. The origin of Wuwei can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty. When Huo Qubing conquered the west, he established Wuwei County to show his military prowess. It was under the jurisdiction of the Liangzhou Provincial Governor's Office. Speaking of Liangzhou, the first thing that comes to mind is the Liangzhou League, which officially incorporated the Tibetan region into China's territory. Secondly, this is the site where the Chinese tourism symbol "Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow" was unearthed. This is also the second largest city of the mysterious Western Xia, and the rare treasure Western Xia Stele was discovered on this land. Historically, Former Liang, Later Liang, Southern Liang, Northern Liang, and Western Liang all built their capitals here, and Wuwei has since been dubbed the "Five Liang Ancient Capitals". This was during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. During the 140 years of the Five Liangs, the Central Plains was in chaos, but Liangzhou was the only place that was safe. Thus, there was a spectacular scene of "people coming to Zhongzhou to seek refuge one after another day and night" How can such a place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery not have a cool museum? Don't be fooled by its status as a third-level museum. This is the second largest historical museum in Gansu Province. The exhibition hall is very new. The number, variety and historical value of cultural relics exceed many second-level or even first-level museums in China. If you come to Wuwei, you must not miss it. The focus is on Han Dynasty wood carvings, Han Dynasty horse culture, Wuliang culture, Xixia culture, and Liangzhou Grottoes, which are very regional and ethnic. Among them, the painted wooden unicorn of Han Dynasty is very eye-catching, with unique shape, smooth lines, and both strength and beauty. Needless to say, the horse culture, as the hometown of Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow, although most of them have been "snatched" by the Provincial Museum, there are always some fine products that slip through the net. As the former capital of the Five Liang Ancient Capitals and the second city of Western Xia, Wuwei Museum is your best choice to learn about this period of history and cultural relics. Don't miss the special exhibition of Tianti Mountain Grottoes (also known as Liangzhou Grottoes) on the third floor. Tianti Mountain Grottoes is known as the ancestor of Chinese grottoes and the source of Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes. This grotto construction model is named Liangzhou Model. Due to the construction of a reservoir in the upper reaches of the Huangyang River, many fine statues and murals in the grottoes are preserved in the Wuwei City Museum and the Gansu Provincial Museum. In addition to the above regular exhibition halls, the current temporary exhibition is snuff bottles. There are all kinds of snuff bottles of various types and materials here. Some are really eye-opening. It was the first time I knew that the red-crowned crane was not only a poison, but also specifically referred to the skull of the helmeted hornbill. Because it is suitable for carving, it is carved into an extremely dangerous animal. The entire museum is very rich in content. It takes two hours to walk around all the exhibition halls. If you want to see it carefully, you need to set aside about four hours. It is a very good local museum. Finally, I want to complain about the Leitai Han Culture Museum in the same city. There is really nothing in it. The museum in the park is basically imitations, and they are very bad imitations. There are no real things in the tomb, and there are many steel supports blocking the view. It costs 45 tickets to enter the tomb. Personally, I suggest that unless you have nothing to do or have special feelings, don't go.