Editor's Note:
Our Article on July 15, "Asking Yourself about the Longmen Grottoes", has attracted the attention of many readers, and the article proposes that "Longmen is the first of the four major grottoes, why is the international influence less than that of the Mogao Grottoes?" The problem of statue destruction, is there really no cure? Whether the Longmen Grottoes were developed or protected first, and could they be desolateed? How to achieve the international expression of Longmen Grottoes? These four major questions have given many valuable replies.
Today we have selected an article by Liu Yanqing, a fourth-level researcher of the Development Research Center of the Luoyang Municipal People's Government (Municipal Government Research Office), a member of the Standing Committee of the Luoyang Municipal CPPCC and an expert of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference Think Tank, "A Glimpse of the Change of Tickets, Looking at the Years and Spring and Autumn of the Longmen Grottoes" for the benefit of readers.
Take a peek and see the whole leopard. Tickets are a window to understand scenic spots, and tickets for well-known scenic spots are even the business cards of a city. Although the ticket is small, it can reflect the past and present life of a scenic spot, and is the epitome of the development of urban cultural tourism and social change.
I am a researcher of Heluo culture and a collector of more than 400 kinds of tickets since the Longmen Grottoes opened to the public in 1959. I was inspired to read the article "Asking Myself About the Longmen Grottoes", and here I would like to talk about some of the issues raised in the text from the perspective of the change of the Longmen tickets.
First, the international influence of Luoyang highlighted by the tickets of longmen grottoes
Among the four major grottoes in China, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang are the first. Among the four most famous grottoes in China, in addition to the characteristics of the largest number of caves and statues, the largest scale, the longest construction time, and the highest level of internationalization, its international influence is also reflected in the tickets, which is embodied in the following points:
1. The earliest opening time to the public
Judging from the known tickets of the four major grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes were open to domestic tourists as early as the mid-to-late 1950s (Figure 1) and subsequently to foreign tourists. Among the four major grottoes in China, it is the earliest grotto to be opened.
Figure 1: Tickets to visit the Longmen Grottoes sold in the 1950s
Figure 2: Gantry Gate admission ticket for Japanese tourists
Figure 3: Dragon Gate admission tickets for tourists from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries
In order to facilitate management, the Luoyang Municipal Foreign Affairs Department, together with the Longmen Grottoes Management Office, has printed different visit tickets for tourists from different countries, such as longmen grottoes visit tickets for Japanese tourists (Figure 2), Longmen Grottoes tickets for British and American tourists (Figure 3), and so on. That is to say, the ticket of Longmen Grottoes has always been an important window for domestic and foreign tourists to understand Luoyang and feel the culture of Heluo, and has played a certain role in highlighting Luoyang's urban taste and international influence.
2. The types of tickets are complete
These tickets are subdivided, from the perspective of the object of use, there are individual tickets, group tickets, adult tickets, student tickets, preferential tickets, internal tickets, hospitality tickets, VIP tickets; from the perspective of fares, there are 5 points, 1 corner, 2 corners, 5 corners, 1 yuan, 2 yuan, 3 yuan, 4 yuan, 5 yuan, 8 yuan, 10 yuan, to 60 yuan, 80 yuan, 120 yuan, a variety of up to dozens of different denominations. There are dozens of tickets with a face value of only 5 points (Figure 4); from the material point of view, there are ordinary paper, advertising paper, plastic paper tickets, postage tickets, etc., and now there are magnetic card tickets and electronic tickets. Paper tickets are generally composed of a visiting roll and a sub-roll ticket inspection coupon, and the sub-roll is torn off when entering the door as a ticket inspection voucher. Plastic tickets are generally only based on punching holes in the door when the main volume (visiting volume) is entered. Magnetic card tickets, card check-in when entering the door, is a kind of intelligent embodiment.
Figure 4: Different styles of Longmen Grottoes 5-point tickets
Some people have made statistics that after the founding of New China, the types of tickets issued and used by the Longmen Grottoes were more than the sum of the three grottoes of Dunhuang, Yungang and Maijishan.
3. The tickets are rich in content and have a distinct theme
Compared with Dunhuang and Yungang, the Longmen Grottoes have distinct characteristics in terms of Buddhist culture. Because Luoyang is closely related to the rise and fall of the ancient and modern political centers and the change of dynasties, as a representative of Buddhist culture, the Longmen Grottoes do not have the complex cave structure of Dunhuang and Yungang, but appear in front of the world with a graceful and generous and magnificent royal style, reflecting the vigorous spirit of the times. At the same time, unlike the mystical colors of early Buddhist art, the Longmen Grottoes are increasingly secularized. In the Yungang Grottoes, most of the main statues are majestic, cold and daunting, while most of the Buddha statues in the Longmen Grottoes have their mouths upturned and smiling, and their clothing has changed from the previous favoritism of the right shoulder and the through-the-shoulder style to the Chinese style of the Chinese clothing Belt. In addition, the Longmen Grottoes also gather statues of various sects of Buddhism, and leave a large number of calligraphy treasures such as statue inscriptions and inscriptions. The characteristics of these grottoes are reflected in the tickets, which will make the tickets of the Longmen Grottoes rich in content and have a distinct theme, such as a large number of tickets printed with the Great Buddha of Lushena as the main content (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Entrance ticket to the Longmen Grottoes with a distinct theme
Figure 6: Tickets for the Longmen Grottoes used during the first and second peony flower fairs
Figure 7: Special tickets for the 7th and 8th Peony Flower Festival of Longmen Grottoes
4. Diversification of ticket design
From simple patternless tickets, to monochrome patterns, to color patterns, to laser anti-counterfeiting designs, all reflect the continuous development and change of printing technology. The design content and style are also the beat of the import era, keeping pace with the times. From the lifelike flying sky, to the attendants of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, to the carving of the "Twenty Pins", all of them reproduce the delicate exquisite and enduring charm of the Buddha carving art of the Longmen Grottoes. If the excavation of the Yungang Grottoes is the beginning of the sinification of Indian Buddhism, then it can be seen from the ticket ticket that the excavation of the Longmen Grottoes is the successful end of the sinification of Indian Buddhism.
In addition, since 1983, the longmen grotto management department has also actively used the influence of the Luoyang Peony Flower Festival to promote the Longmen Grottoes, and designed, printed and launched a series of Longmen Grottoes tickets used during the Peony Flower Festival (Figures 6 and 7).
Second, why the international influence of the Longmen Grottoes is not as good as that of the Mogao Grottoes
When it comes to the international influence of the four major grottoes in China, people are accustomed to recommending the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes first, followed by the Longmen Grottoes. So, where is the gap between the Longmen Grottoes and the Mogao Grottoes? The author believes that the gap between the two may be reflected in the gap between Dunhuang Studies and Longmen Studies.
Dunhuang Studies is a Dunhuang Testament, Dunhuang Grotto Art, Dunhuang Theory as the main discipline, and Dunhuang Historical Place as the object of study, originated from more than a hundred years ago, Dunhuang Grottoes a Taoist in the dunhuang grottoes in the removal of sand in the grottoes found the Mogao Caves Tibetan Scripture Cave, a large number of Dunhuang testaments, cultural relics, murals from which came out, in the Japanese scholar and the famous Chinese master of traditional Chinese studies Mr. Chen Yinke, Dunhuang Studies gradually became an international science. Dunhuang Studies, together with Huizhou Studies and Tibetan Studies, has become one of the three major regional cultural comprehensive disciplines in China and has become one of the most popular disciplines in the world.
Although the number of existing statues in Longmen Grottoes is 45.5 times the number of statues in Mogao Grottoes, the number of caves is 3.2 times the number of Mogao Grottoes, although in recent years many scholars have been pushing "Longmen Science" and doing a lot of basic work, but longmen Grottoes to rise from Buddhist culture to "Longmen Science", I am afraid that it will take a long way, and it is even farther away from the road of international popular disciplines.
Dunhuang Grottoes is the only place in China's major grottoes that is not listed as a scenic spot, and it is also the most demanding place to visit in China's major grottoes, and the whole process cannot be freely moved, and the caves are randomly selected by highly professional guides. The Dunhuang people's protection of the Mogao Grottoes is something that no other grotto can do. This may also be the reason why the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes were the first Buddhist temples in China to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Behind Dunhuang Studies, it is not only the thickness of Dunhuang culture, but also the love and respect of Dunhuang people for culture, reflecting the taste of a city. Therefore, the early tickets of the Mogao Grottoes are always sought after in the auction market, such as the Mogao Grottoes ticket with a face value of 2 corners on a collection network, which has been auctioned for 2127 yuan (Figure 8), and still bid more than once.
Figure 8: Tickets for the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes that are being auctioned on a collection website
Of course, Luoyang is still remarkable in the protection of the Longmen Grottoes. Scholars in Luoyang even put forward the idea of returning the Longmen Grottoes to their original ecology and desolation. But this only stays at the academic level, because this can not be done in reality, and the Experience of Hangzhou West Lake in the free ticket model is not something that anyone can learn. Not only that, in the process of finding a balance between heritage protection and development and utilization, we sometimes behave too impetuously and too hastily, such as the development of the "Night Tour Dragon Gate" (Figure 9) project, because the glittering Longmen Grottoes are indeed somewhat customary.
Figure 9: Longmen Grottoes Night Tour Longmen Special Ticket
Third, how to further highlight the international influence of Longmen
Good tickets, indeed, will be like a scenery film, making people feast their eyes and make people fascinated. Therefore, for the managers of the Longmen Grottoes, it should also be paid attention to give full play to the role of scenic spot tickets and let the tickets fully highlight the international influence of the Longmen Grottoes.
1. Excavate ticket resources and show the style of the dragon gate in the past
Once, when I was chatting with a deputy director of the former Longmen Grottoes Management Office, I talked about the topic of Longmen tickets. When he heard that I had hundreds of kinds of Dragon Gate tickets, he said that he didn't believe anything, saying that he had been in charge of this work in the past, and the total number of ticket types was not more than 50, and while saying that, he stretched out his finger to give me the types of Dragon Gate tickets, "5 points, 1 corner, 2 corners, 5 corners, 1 yuan, 2 yuan ...". I told him that I had at least 30 types of Gantry tickets with only 5 points! He then understood that our understanding of tickets is not on one level, and he has no concept of the scenes reproduced after the tickets enter the field of collection from the circulation field. From this point of view, it is necessary to tap ticket resources, expand ticket functions, and show the style of the dragon gate in the past.
Figure 10: Dragon Gate tickets that are highly sought after by collectors
In the field of collection, the status of the longmen grotto ticket is very high. The Dragon Gate tickets printed and used by foreign tourists during the "Cultural Revolution" were rated by collectors as China's "Top Ten Most Beautiful Tickets" because of their large size, exquisite design and exquisite printing. In addition, the non-denomination stone ticket, the 5-point flying ticket, and the 2 yuan Northern Wei main Buddha ticket are also highly sought after by ticket collectors (Figure 10). In addition, the special ticket for the "New Year Luoyang Citizens' Tour to the Dragon Gate Activity" printed and used in previous years has been speculated to a sky-high price because of its exquisite design, short trial period (only 3 days), and a hard-to-find ticket in the collection industry. Because Luoyang has not done a good job in the display and publicity of Dragon Gate tickets, this situation has been little known.
Since the longmen grottoes issued and used more tickets after the founding of New China than the sum of the three grottoes of Dunhuang, Yungang and Maijishan combined, we should find ways to make full use of this resource of Longmen. There is also a lot to be done in this regard. For example, it holds a special exhibition of Longmen tickets, edits and publishes books and atlases of Longmen Grottoes ticket culture, and introduces the National Ticket Collection exchange conference to Luoyang, and so on.
2. Expand the ticket function and enrich the cultural connotation of Dragon Gate tickets
Whether from the perspective of tourism or from the perspective of collection culture, the tickets of longmen grottoes should pay more attention to the cultural connotation of tickets, and should be diversified and keep pace with the times. For example, the Longmen Twenty Pins, the Longmen Ten Temples, etc. can be ticketed. In particular, the Longmen Twenty Pins can be called the treasures of the treasure house of Chinese calligraphy art, and some scholars have proposed to the state to establish The Chinese "Longmen Calligraphy Award", which is juxtaposed with the "Lanting Award". In the past few years, in a set of 14 sets of Longmen Grottoes tickets, one of the twenty longmen products was first revealed, which was refreshing (Figure 11).
Figure 11: "Dragon Gate Twenty Products" debuted on the Dragon Gate ticket
In the form of printing, we should be bold and innovative, and constantly introduce nostalgic tickets, special tickets, commemorative tickets, etc. During the tourist season, try one ticket per day. In the design of tickets, we must make further efforts, collect ticket design plans in a larger scope, and let the national ticket collectors evaluate the dragon gate tickets, so that the dragon gate tickets also reach the international level in design and printing, and match the world cultural relics of the dragon gate.
3. The balance between the protection and development and utilization of longmen heritage is in a virtuous circle
It is necessary to establish the concept of "protection first, should be guaranteed as much as possible" with protection as the purpose and utilization as the means, ensure the authenticity and integrity of Longmen cultural heritage, and then form a virtuous circle of protection and utilization, realize the maximization and optimization of ecological benefits, social benefits and economic benefits, highlight the uniqueness and difference of Luoyang urban culture, and leave valuable wealth for future generations. Because the protection and utilization of cultural heritage itself is an important part of urban development and an important symbol of the progress of urban civilization.
It is worth mentioning that among the three major grottoes in China, the Ticket Price of Longmen Grottoes is the lowest. The ticket price of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is 240 yuan in the peak season (ticket price is 180 yuan / person, Mogao Grottoes Number Exhibition Center is 50 yuan / person, round-trip transportation fee is 10 yuan / person and time), 140 yuan in the off-season; the ticket price of the Yungang Grottoes is 150 yuan / person in the peak season, and 120 yuan / person in the off-season. The Longmen Grottoes have remained at 120 yuan for many years, which is only slightly higher than the ticket price of the Maijishan Grottoes (90 yuan / person · time). Moreover, the Longmen Grottoes also take advantage of holidays from time to time to benefit the people through some activities. For example, the "New Year Luoyang Citizens Tour Dragon Gate Activity", the ticket price is only 20 yuan (Figure 12), thus winning the praise of tourists from all over the world, and is known as the "most conscientious scenic spot" in China's "World Heritage" scenic spot.
Figure 12: Longmen Grottoes Spring Festival special tickets
4. Strive to expand the channels and platforms for "international expression" of Longmen Grottoes
In addition to the ones mentioned earlier, there is also a significant gap in the international level between longmen grottoes and Dunhuang Mogao grottoes, that is, Longmen lacks an international high-level performance program like The Mogao Grottoes digital movie. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes digital film promotional film, ticket price of 50 yuan, magnificent, magnificent, bringing the audience a kind of spiritual collision through time and space, has been often performed for many years. In the past few years, there has also been a "Ode to the Dragon Gate" (Figure 13), but it is short-lived.
Figure 13: Tickets for the Longmen Grottoes "Ode to the Dragon Gate" performance
The Millennium Dragon Gate is also a magnificent and magnificent historical picture, how to carry out "modern expression" and "international expression"? An international high-level performance is essential, and the case of the movie "Shaolin Temple" in the early years made the Songshan Mountain Scenic Area a hit is impressive to everyone. On this basis, the channels and platforms for "modern expression" and "international expression" of the Longmen Grottoes have been continuously expanded, and the Longmen Pioneer Area of the Luoyang International Humanities Exchange Center is about to come out.
Conclusion:
Tickets, just a point. The change and development of the Longmen Grottoes still needs to reflect and taste more points.
About the Author:
Liu Yanqing, who has long been engaged in policy research, is immersed in Heluo cultural research and Heluo literature collection in his spare time. He is currently a fourth-level researcher of the Development Research Center of Luoyang Municipal People's Government (Municipal Government Research Office), a member of the Standing Committee of the Luoyang Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and an expert of the Think Tank of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference.