Tangata Whenua

Surrounded by the vast expanse of the desert Gobi, overlooking the large sculpture of "The Son of the Earth", it becomes a spectacular Gobi cultural landscape. The "Child of the Earth" sculpture is 15 meters long, 4.3 meters high and 9 meters wide. It crouched on the ground and fell asleep on the Gobi Desert in Hongshanpo, Guazhou County, Gansu Province. The rough texture of the sandstone, the calm and heavy brown-red tone of the stone itself, and the cultural connotation of the work itself are all blended with the vast Gobi situation. In terms of creative concept, the baby itself should be a tender, authentic, delicate life. When the baby sculpture image no longer appears with normal mass and common smooth materials, instead of replacing the coarse gravel stone with red sandstone, the work There is a shocking expression of vitality and respect for life itself, and at the same time it has a strong visual effect. The plain nature of the situational integration is always the main face, which is where the traditional Chinese art spirit lies.

Visiting Guazhou was definitely a whim of ours, as the self-driving process was much smoother than expected, and we ended up with half a day to spare. So we resolutely decided to head to Guazhou, which is only about an hour away from Dunhuang. The Son of the Earth in Guazhou is an artwork I am very fond of. The huge baby sculpture lying on the ground makes one's heart ache the more one looks at it. Love and peace are the eternal pursuits of mankind.

||Explore the beauty of Gansu's culture and nature.🌟Just stepping into the east line of Dunhuang, Guazhou, Gansu, I was shocked beyond words! The beauty of the sculpture art there almost left me speechless. Each sculpture is like a book, telling endless stories. 🏞️Especially the 'Son of the Earth', a bronze sculpture over 30 meters high, its majesty and greatness almost made me forget my existence. Standing under this sculpture, I felt the vastness and infinity of nature, as if I had become a speck of dust in the universe. 🐎'Han Wu Xiong Feng' is equally breathtaking, every detail embodies the craftsman's hard work and wisdom, as if the scroll of history is slowly unfolding before my eyes. 🌊And the mirage in the desert is dreamlike, the seemingly real ocean and city scenes, make me feel like I am in a myth, feeling the endless mystery and charm. 👍On this trip, I gained a lot, and my soul was greatly baptized and sublimated. If you also crave a dual journey of culture and nature, then the east line of Dunhuang, Guazhou, Gansu is definitely worth exploring! 🗿Explore the footprints of the 'Son of the Earth' and feel its unique charm —— 📍Scenic guide: 'Son of the Earth' sculpture in Guazhou County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province 🕰️Recommended play time: half a day 💰Budget reference: free visit 📷Photography recommendation: panoramic view of the 'Son of the Earth' sculpture 🍽️Food recommendation: taste Guazhou special beef noodles and local snacks 🚗Traffic suggestion: self-driving or choose local chartered service 🛏️Accommodation recommendation: a variety of homestays are available in Guazhou County The 'Son of the Earth' sculpture, which is up to 30 meters high, is not only the pride of Guazhou, but also a treasure of Chinese sculpture art. Its huge body, each finger is spacious enough to accommodate a car, standing next to it, can't help but feel a sense of solemnity and solemnity. This work of art, which has been carefully crafted for several years, combines the essence of traditional Chinese culture with the innovation of modern art, and its surface texture and patterns fully demonstrate the unique style of the northwest region and the colorful life of the people. While appreciating the 'Son of the Earth', you can also choose some souvenirs in the surrounding shops to leave this unforgettable travel memory. The food in Guazhou County is also not to be missed, whether it is the rich Guazhou beef noodles or the local snacks, it will bring a new experience to your taste buds. If you have enough time, why not stay in Guazhou County for a longer time and deeply feel the local customs of this land. 💕💕💕Before departure, remember to bring sunscreen, sunglasses and camera and other necessary items, record every moment in front of the 'Son of the Earth' sculpture, let this journey become an eternal memory in your heart.

Hexi Corridor, a thousand-year dream. The ancient Silk Road with the sound of camel bells, the wind of the Han and Tang Dynasties still heard from the horses of the nomads. Guazhou, soaked for four thousand years, every grass, every tree, every flower, every stone, is conveying the spirit of the Silk Road and the continuation of civilization to the world. On the way from Dunhuang to Jiayuguan, passing through the small town of Guazhou, you will pass this group of architectural sculptures, which is the large-scale art creation activity of the "Program of Art in Wilderness". Son of the Earth: The work of Professor Dong Shubing, Sculpture Department of Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, is the largest digital sculpture stone sculpture work at home and abroad to date. An old Dunhuang and a sleeping baby lying on the vast Gobi, this is the inheritance and hope of human civilization. Boundless: Also known as "Mirage", created by Professor Dong Shubing, Sculpture Department of Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, with the Silk Road as the background. The inspiration for the sculpture comes from the "Paradise Pavilion" of the Tang Dynasty in the "Observation of the Sutra of Immeasurable Life" in Cave 25 of the Yulin Grottoes. Han Wuxiong Wind: The work of young sculptor Zhang Wanxing. The ambitious Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened the Silk Road, for the first time casting the eyes of the Chinese people to the world. Gobi Ark: One of the "Ark" themed series of works by Professor Zhao Meng, Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts. The overall shape is in the shape of an "Ark", floating on the vast Gobi beach, entrusting the hope of human civilization with a leaf ark, "hanging the sail straight in the desert to cross the sea". 📍 Less than 20 kilometers out of Guazhou County, the sculptures are not far apart, just navigate to "Gobi Ark", "Son of the Earth" and other names, the positioning is accurate and there are clear signs, each sculpture has a parking belt on the side of the road, easy to park, and very suitable for flying drones. 😲 There are many tour buses that will stop at "Son of the Earth", so there are the most people there. The other sculptures are not crowded, and it is easy to take pictures without people. 📷 If you want to wait for a picture of the Son of the Earth with no one, unless it's very early. I waited from the afternoon until more than 7 o'clock in the evening on the first day, and there were still tour buses coming. I simply stayed nearby for one night, and the first tour bus came at 7:10 in the morning (😱😱😱 Are the tour groups too dedicated now) Fortunately, after they left, there was about half an hour of gap, and I finally took a picture of no one. 🌈 Fortunately, I took a beautiful building under the sunset at "Boundless", I can't take it from the front, I need to go around to the back of the sculpture, the sunset is just behind. When I left, I took a picture of the sunset at "Han Wuxiong Wind", which was reflected with the emperor of all ages. See the world on the road, see all beings, see yourself. This is the meaning of travel, right? I am Xiao Xue, 39 years old, resigned naked to restart life, and started the life experiment of wandering on the road.

Upon arriving here, I finally understand: Emperor Wu of Han developed the Hexi Corridor, and since then, the Western Regions have been part of our China. The sculpture is majestic and spectacular, wonderful🤗 The son of the earth lies quietly on the earth, as if time and space are both still🏜

On the 5th day of self-driving, we, who have been heading west all the way, left Jiayuguan and began to enter the Gobi area. Along the way, apart from the highway, there is endless yellow sand on the left and right, which is very trance and very comfortable. I even briefly understood those poets who call the city a 'steel cage', feeling that people should feel the vast world like this. "Sculpture group on the Gobi Desert After leaving Jiayuguan, the roads on both sides have become monotonous earthy yellow without even roadside trees, and the atmosphere of the desert is coming. I complained with Dapi, no wonder the self-driving guides on the Internet are all 'Gannan route', our Hexi Corridor route is too boring. Dapi started chatting with me about Jiayuguan: In the Ming Dynasty, Jiayuguan was a border pass, and it was the only legal route for Western Region envoys to go to the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty. So it's normal to be desolate after leaving Jiayuguan, which is equivalent to being outside the pass. I didn't listen carefully, just looking out the window in a daze, the vast sand land is a large blank, as if it has outlined many stories, and finally covered by yellow sand. Not long after being pretentious, I arrived at Guazhou, where the very popular 'Gobi Desert Sculpture Group' is located. It is said to be a group, but the sculptures worth seeing are only three: Hanwu Xiongfeng, Son of the Earth, and Boundless. The first thing I saw was Hanwu Xiongfeng. I could see the portrait of Emperor Hanwu standing there from a distance. Behind him and on both sides were rolling sand dunes, as if Emperor Hanwu was leading a million soldiers behind him, full of momentum. Less than a kilometer away is the Son of the Earth. What you see with the naked eye is a child lying between the vast world, with a calm expression, which is very shocking. Boundless is my favorite, a palace door rises from the desert, as if you can go to another illusory world through this door, very evasive. Many people are taking pictures near the sculpture. In fact, these three sculptures are very suitable for viewing from a distance, blending with the desert, endless meaning and reverie. Looking closer, it demystifies, the traces of human carving are obvious, and the space for imagination is suddenly lost. "Yumen Pass is endless loneliness The sculpture group in Guazhou is only more than two hours drive from Yumen Pass. There is not much difference between taking the national highway and the expressway. The two roads are adjacent and parallel, like drawing two parallel lines between two points in the desert, connected by roads. After passing Dunhuang, there are fewer and fewer cars, and even road signs no longer appear. After the mobile phone signal is cut off, the music in the car stops abruptly, and we realize a long loneliness. The overwhelming yellow sand gives people a sense of loss that is rarely seen by humans, leaving only a straight road that cannot see the end to prove its direction. Dapi couldn't stand this loneliness, drove the car off the highway, and started running on the sand. The road surface immediately became bumpy, the seat belt automatically tightened, and the sand rolled up by the wheels did not stop us from rolling down the car windows, because the extra money spent on renting off-road vehicles was somewhat worthwhile at this moment, and Dapi called this 'the joy of a child stepping on a puddle'. On the way, we passed a place that looked very much like the 'Yumen Pass Toll Station'. We stopped the car and walked around and found that this gate building had been abandoned. Dapi suddenly mentioned, doesn't it look like the abandoned gate buildings everywhere in the end-of-the-world shooting game we played. After another ten minutes, we finally arrived at the Yumen Pass Scenic Area. Before coming, all the infinite reveries about Yumen Pass were drowned by the yellow sand along the way, and only a few poems about Yumen Pass were left in my mind, such as Li Bai's 'Long wind for thousands of miles, blowing through Yumen Pass', and Wang Zhihuan's 'Why should the Qiang flute complain about willows, the spring breeze does not pass Yumen Pass'. I used to think that Wang Zhihuan's poem was just a mood, but when I arrived at the scene, I found out that it was actually realistic, and the spring breeze really couldn't blow to Yumen Pass. Yumen Pass looks like a very, very small mound, and there may not be a hundred people standing inside. It is said that historians believe that this is not the real Yumen Pass, but inferred from geographical location and some archaeological discoveries. The real Yumen Pass may have been blown away by the wind. We walked around Yumen Pass, three sides of the desert, and a view of water and grassland in the distance. Dapi pointed out that that piece was the 'outside the pass' often written in novels. My thoughts were still on the endless desert that I had just passed by. How did people pass by thousands of years ago. Returning to Dunhuang from Yumen Pass is another hour of boring desert journey. We didn't drive for a long time this day, but we were exhausted and didn't even have the mood to be excited about arriving in the legendary city of Dunhuang. I didn't know until I arrived. Dunhuang is not even a prefecture-level city, just a small county town. There is not much to visit except the night market. We are also tired enough, just sitting in line for dinner in front of a huge fire mutton shop, watching the sky slowly sink outside, and suddenly feeling down, there are still two days to return, but there are so many places I haven't been to.