Li Biyan finished
On March 21, 2021, the "Guizi GrottoEs Inscription Publication Symposium" sponsored by the Central and Western Bureau was held in Shanghai. "Guizi Grotto Inscription" (hereinafter referred to as "Inscription") by the Xinjiang Guizi Research Institute and Peking University Ancient History Research Center, Chinese Min University Guo college, the ancient Guizi Kingdom within the scope of all the existing Tocharian materials, especially the grotto inscriptions that have been less concerned before, to systematically sort out, interpret and study in detail, is an international academic level of Xinjiang existing Tocharian literature research academic monographs, including cultural relics plates, preservation information, word imitation, content transcription, translation annotations, Comprehensive research, vocabulary index and cultural relics number index, etc. The publication of the "Inscription" will not only present the latest achievements of Chinese scholars in the study of Tocharian literature, but also fully reflect that the Xinjiang region has been the meeting place of multi-ethnic settlement and multi-cultural exchange on the Silk Road since ancient times.
"Guizi Grotto Inscription" published the poster of the symposium
Wang Yilong, secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Guizi Research Institute, said at the forum that the "Inscription" is another Chinese masterpiece jointly published by Kyzyl and Peking University since the publication of the "Archaeological Report on the Kyzyl Grottoes in Xinjiang (Volume I)". The publication of this set of books is of landmark significance. On October 23, 2020, the General Office of the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Protection and Utilization of Grotto Temples, which is the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China that special work guidelines have been issued for special categories of immovable cultural relics, and for the first time, the grotto temple, one of the important categories of immovable cultural relics in China, has been expressed in a centralized manner from the national level and strategic level, with its historical value, cultural connotation and social significance. It shows the important value of the cave temple in the cultural relics of China and its special significance in economic and social development.
Xinjiang Grotto Temple is an important part of China's grotto temple, and is a historical witness to the multiculturalism and coexistence of multiple religions in Xinjiang. Strengthening the protection and utilization of cave temples is related to the inheritance and development of China's excellent traditional culture, the comprehensive implementation of the strategy of cultural enrichment, and the high-quality construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations, which is of great significance.
Therefore, the publication of the "Inscription" will not only present the latest achievements of chinese scholars in the study of Tocharian literature, but also fully reflect that the Xinjiang region has been the intersection of civilizations inhabited by multiple ethnic groups and multicultural exchanges and integration on the Silk Road since ancient times. The publication of the "Inscription" is one of the best results of practicing the protection and utilization of the grotto temple in the new era, and also provides a strong empirical evidence for building a strong sense of the Chinese national community.
Wang Yilong
In the end, three volumes of "Inscription" were presented, namely "Inscription Report", "Plate Plate" and "Research Paper", with a total number of words in the resulting layout of about 1814 thousand words, more than 1760 pictures, hardcover, 16 open, and "Plate Article" printed in full color.
"Guizi Grotto Inscription" actual shooting
At the forum, Wang Binghua, former director of the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; Xu Wenkan, editor and reviewer of the Dictionary Compilation Office of the Hanyu University; Duan Qing, professor of Peking University, Meng Nan, professor of Xinjiang University, Wang Xin, professor of Shaanxi Normal University, Zhu Yuqi, professor of Peking University, Qiu Zhongming, professor of Beijing Fashion Institute, Yao Chongxin, professor of Sun Yat-sen University, Chen Juxia, professor of Shanghai University, and many other experts in various fields such as Guizi studies, western archaeology, language, history, philology, art history, and religious history, discussed the collation of the "Inscriptions," its academic value, and other fields. The publishing experience and the historical review and future development of Guizi studies were discussed. Yu Zhiyong, vice president of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Culture and Museum, who was unable to attend the meeting for some reason, sent a congratulatory letter, expressing gratitude for the publication of the "Inscription" and the staff of the Chinese and Western Bookstores who have worked hard for the publication of this book, and hoping that all experts will, as always, support and pay attention to the study of Xinjiang's history and culture, profoundly expound the development process and historical facts of Xinjiang's pluralism and integration, and help culture to aid Xinjiang and prosper the research on the history of cultural relics in Xinjiang.
Group photo of the participants
Ten years of hardship, Yuru Yucheng
Rong Xinjiang, one of the editors-in-chief of the "Inscription", mentioned the reason for the publication of the book, saying that in fact, a big reason for his "Inscription" was mr. Ji Xianlin's entrustment. He once said in the article "Mr. Crying Ji" that Mr. Ji had called him home to explain three things before entering the 301 Hospital, one of which was that Mr. Ji talked about himself as the only person in China who knew Tocharian at that time, but there was no successor. Mr. Ji modestly said that he only knew the Tocharian A dialect, that is, Yanqi, and could not read the Tocharian B dialect, that is, Guizi, hoping that Rong Xinjiang and he would work together to contact the Guizi Grotto Research Institute and Pinault in France to sort out this batch of materials. At that time, Mr. Chen Shiliang, the old director of the Guizi Grotto Research Institute in Xinjiang, once found Mr. Ji and said that the more than 40 wooden janes collected by the institute had Borneo riddle characters on them, and he wanted to ask Mr. Ji to find someone to read. Rong Xinjiang felt that he had made some efforts for this, but in the end he could not complete the task given by Mr. Ji. Therefore, later, Qing Zhaorong and Ogiwara Yumin, as pino's students, and as scholars studying and working at Peking University and Renmin University, can be said to be a very rare opportunity to do this work. Of course, this is a special thanks to the Guizi Institute and its colleagues, because all the grotto inscriptions, murals, and collections of the institute are selflessly provided by them. Without their selfless provision, the interpretation could not be carried out.
Rong Xinjiang
Then on the topic of Rong Xinjiang, Zhao Li, another editor-in-chief of the book and a researcher at the Xinjiang Guizi Research Institute, introduced her indissoluble relationship with the Guizi Grottoes and her whole process of participating in this project: "During my university years, I watched a teaching film "Guizi Grottoes" filmed by Meng Nan and them, and I was shocked by the exquisite murals of the Kyzyl Grottoes. After graduating from the History Department of the New University in 1992, he took the initiative to ask to go to the Kyzyl Caves to work.
"In 1998, under the leadership of Professor Huo Xuchu, Peng Jie, Tailaiti Wubuli and I in our research office found many ancient inscriptions in the process of recording the "General Catalogue of the Contents of the Kyzyl Grottoes", especially Tailaiti Wubuli was very sensitive to inscriptions. Therefore, we set up a column of 'inscription' in the general record. In 2000, the "General Catalogue of the Contents of the Kyzyl Caves" was published, and teacher Rong Xinjiang saw that there were so many Brahmanical inscriptions in the grottoes, and began to draw how to protect and interpret and study these inscriptions.
"In September 2002, I had the honor to follow Mr. Huo and Mr. Rong to berlin, Germany to attend an academic seminar. At the seminar site, the French Tocharian expert Pino and the German Tocharian expert Klaus T. Schmidt disagreed on the interpretation of the Tocharian inscription of the Kyzyl Caves, and even quarreled, in the words of Teacher Rong, "They are fighting for Kyzyl". During the tea break, I listened to Mr. Rong and Mr. Huo talking about the Tocharian inscriptions in the Guizi Grottoes.
In October 2008, Mr. Rong met Qing Zhaorong, a graduate of Taiwan University who had been encouraged by him to go abroad to study The Hu language in the Western Regions many years ago, in Paris. She also introduced Hirotoshi Ogihara, a classmate who was also studying under Professor Pino, an expert in Tocharian language. At that time, they had accumulated investigative experience and rich research data in Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg and other places. In May 2009, Mr. Rong and Mr. Zhu Yuqi brought Kei Zhaorong, Hagiwara, and Wen Xin to the Kamezi Research Institute to inspect the grotto inscriptions. After that, Hagiwara and Shōryū graduated one after another and worked at the Postdoctoral Workstation of the Faculty of National Studies of Chinese University and the Department of History of Peking University, respectively. Our three collaborative projects officially began in 2010.
"From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Rong led Qing Zhaorong and Hagihara to the Xinjiang Guizi Research Institute many times, and on the basis of our previous investigation (the content of the Kumu Tula, Senmusem and Kyzyl Gaha Grottoes was published in 2008 and 2009), with the strong cooperation of colleagues such as Researcher Tai Laiti Ubuli of the Institute, the project team members climbed mountains and mountains and climbed the caves, which was very hard, like the Yisakakgou Grottoes could not be entered until the dry season. In the end, a total of about 700 Brahmanical inscriptions were obtained in the Guizi Grottoes, and similar materials collected by our hospital's collection and The Kuqa County Cultural Management Office were also comprehensively investigated.
In the past 10 years, Mr. Rong has put aside the research on Khotan, invested a lot of time and energy in the research of Guizi, and even the investigation funds were raised by Mr. Rong. Under the leadership of Mr. Rong, through this project, we have harvested fruitful results, and Mr. Rong has successively published a series of articles in journals such as "Cultural Relics", "Western Regions Literature and History", "Western Regions Historical Language Research Collection", "Western Regions Studies", "Dunhuang Turpan Studies", "Tang Studies" and other journals, which have attracted wide attention in the academic circles at home and abroad. At the same time, through this project, a number of materials have been preserved for our institute, and many cave inscriptions have been blurred compared with 10 years ago, and these photos we have taken are very precious.
"The investigation and research of the inscriptions of the Guizi Grottoes by Chinese scholars led by Professor Rong has played a vital role in the international academic community, and is forming a new and healthier academic ecological pattern."
Zhao Li
Professor Meng Nan, Zhao Li's class teacher at the time and the current dean of the School of History of Xinjiang University, also came to Shanghai to participate in the symposium. Meng Nan recalled that the first contact with the Guizi Grottoes and GuiziXue was in 1984, the second year after graduating from university. "At that time, the party committee of Xinjiang University decided to take the study of guiziology as a key scientific research project of the school, which was strongly supported by the Cultural Department of the Autonomous Region, so Xinjiang University specially set up a 'guiziology research group', headed by the famous scholar Mr. Wei Lianghan, Zhu Yingrong, Feng Xishi and other mr.s were members of the research group, and I was also fortunate to be included in it." Mr. Han Xiang, then director of the Cultural Relics Department of the Autonomous Region's Department of Culture, and relevant leaders of Xinjiang University specifically organized this work. From April 20 to May 22, with the strong support of the Kuqa County Government, the Cultural Management Office, the Kyzyl Thousand Buddha Cave Cultural Management Institute and other units, the research group recorded and photographed the cave shapes and murals of the Thousand Buddha Caves in the ancient Guizi region, such as Kyzyl, Kumutula, Kyzylgaha, Senmusem, Mazabokha, Tohulakeken and other Thousand Buddha Caves and the Ruins of Subash. On this basis, the research group has also preliminarily compiled 9 teaching videos, including "Kyzyl Thousand Buddha Cave", "Kumutula Thousand Buddha Cave", "Kyzylga ha thousand Buddha cave", "Senmusem Thousand Buddha Cave", "Mazaboha Thousand Buddha Cave", "Tohulace Eken Thousand Buddha Cave", "Subash Site", "Guizi Mural - Celestial Map", "Guizi Tangu", etc. At the same time, it also collected Papers and works on the study of Guizi culture at home and abroad, and compiled them into 9 volumes of the Chinese "Guizi Research Data Compilation" and 1 volume of the Chinese historical materials compilation "Guizi Historical Materials". To this end, Xinjiang University has set up a special Guizi Studies Research Laboratory. The Autonomous Region's Department of Culture also established the Guizi Grotto Research Institute in 1985 (renamed the Guizi Research Institute in 2009).
In 1988, the Guizi Grottoes Research Institute of the Autonomous Region Cultural Department and the Central Asian Culture Research Institute of Xinjiang University planned to organize and compile a series of Guizi cultural research series. The bibliographies originally formulated in the series include: "Guizi Grottoes", "Guizi Ancient Country History", "Guizi Historical Materials", "Guizi Buddhism", "Guizi Art", "Guizi Material Culture History", "Guizi Grottoes Text Inscription Research" and so on. Among them, Wu Pingfan and Zhu Yingrong edited the "Guizi Historical Materials" published in 1987, Han Xiang and Zhu Yingrong co-authored "Guizi Grottoes" published in 1990, and won the second prize of the first national book jointly issued by the State Nationalities Commission and the State Administration of Publications in 1992. In 1992, liu xigan and Chen Liangwei edited the "History of the Ancient Kingdom of Guizi" was published. Due to various reasons, the idea of publishing a "Study on the Inscription of the Guizi Grottoes" at that time was not realized, but the forward-looking academic ideas of the previous scholars inspired the progress of later scholars! More than 30 years after the previous scholars put forward this idea, the three-giant volume of the "Inscription" was finally published, and the long-term wish of the predecessor scholars was finally partially realized. ”
Meng Nan
From following to leading
Xu Wenkan, one of the recommended experts of the National Publishing Fund and the Shanghai Municipal Cultural and Creative Fund, and the editor and reviewer of the Dictionary Compilation Office of the Hanyu University, commented on the significance of the publication of this book: "The advent of this book is of extremely great academic significance, and it will change the research outlook of Chinese Guiziology and Tocharian Studies, from the original follow-up to the lead. ”
Xu Wenkan
Regarding Guizi studies, Meng Nan believes that "its research relies on two major foundations, the records of documentary historical materials (of course, mainly the records of Chinese historical materials) and the cultural relics and monuments centered on the Guizi Grottoes that are still left in the world. Judging from the research status, among the two major foundations relied on by the Guizi Institute, the academic community has made great achievements in the excavation of Chinese historical materials and the research carried out accordingly. However, it is undeniable that there are still many unsatisfactory points for the excavation and study of another major foundation on which the Institute of Turtle Studies relies, the excavation and study of the cultural relics and monuments centered on the Kamezi Grottoes that are still left to the world. In particular, there are still many gaps in the collection, collation and research of a large number of inscriptions existing in the Guizi Grottoes group, or there are major controversies. Among these inscriptions, the relevant inscriptions in Chinese and Uighur script have been relatively studied by scholars, and certain results have also been published. However, the study of a large number of Guizi and some Sogdian in the inscription is extremely weak. Limited by the literacy of philology, foreign scholars have shown great advantages in the study of Guizi related materials, while the research of Chinese scholars is still extremely lacking. And for a long time, these Guizi related materials have been very scattered, collected in various places, or scattered in various treatises, not well summarized, and there are certain differences in the interpretation of the Guizi language. Since the reform and opening up, Xinjiang's cultural and archaeological undertakings have developed rapidly, and the Guizi Research Institute has also made great achievements in related research mainly on the Guizi Grottoes. On this basis, the Xinjiang Guizi Research Institute, the Research Center for Ancient Chinese History of Peking University and the Guoshu College of Chinese Min University fully cooperated, conducted many field visits, and finally completed the investigation, interpretation and research of the inscriptions mainly in guizi (Tocharian B), forming the book "Inscription". Its publication also indicates that with regard to the study of the history of the Western Regions, especially the study of archaeology and writing in the Western Regions, the discourse system and discourse power of Chinese scholars are being established, and we have begun to enter a new academic commanding height in this regard."
Regarding the most basic tocharian research on Tocharian language, Professor Wang Xin, dean of the Institute of Western Frontier Research of Shaanxi Normal University, said: "As the first comprehensive and systematic display of various Hu inscriptions mainly written in the ancient Cave Monasteries of the Guizi region and the special book excavated from the excavated Jianmu documents, the publication of the Inscription not only fills the gap in the international academic community, but also marks the establishment of the discourse power of the East Asian academic community led by Chinese scholars in the field of Guizi (also known as Tocharian B) research. Moreover, for the in-depth understanding of the diversity and diversity of ancient Western cultures, especially the exchanges and exchanges and blends of ancient Eastern and Western civilizations on the Silk Road, it not only has far-reaching academic value, but also undoubtedly has important practical significance. Just as through the joint efforts of several generations of scholars, Dunhuang Studies finally returned to China from abroad in an all-round way, and then fed back and promoted the sharing of human academic progress and achievements, the publication of the "Inscription" broke the monopoly of Tocharian B research discourse in European and American academic circles to a certain extent, and complemented mr. Ji Xianlin's Tocharian A research results, indicating that the Chinese academic community has fully participated in the international cooperation research team of ancient Indo-European languages and documents, in the Guizi Studies, Western Studies, The research fields and discipline construction of Central Asian studies and even the history of exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations in ancient Silk Road are of epoch-making significance. ”
Wang Xin
Duan Qing, a disciple of Mr. Ji Xianlin and a liberal arts chair professor at Peking University, pointed out at the symposium that although we have made great achievements in the field of mural paintings and grottoes over the years, the study of Guizi culture has not yet been deepened. I have to say that the reason why further in-depth research is difficult, one of the biggest obstacles is the lack of talents who can master the Guizi language. And it is in this field that the "Inscription" has set a precedent for the blue wisps of the road. She mentioned that Mr. Ji Xianlin once said: "The impact of Oracle's discovery and research is limited to China. The discovery of these ancient languages in Xinjiang has world significance. ”
Duan Qing
The opening of a new pattern of guizi studies
When introducing the academic value of the "Inscription", Rong Xinjiang pointed out the following three aspects: First, it systematically published all the Guizi inscriptions of the Guizi Grottoes and the accompanying Sanskrit, Uighur, Sogdian, and Historical German inscriptions, which can be said to be an achievement to fill the academic gap. Although Western scholars have also interpreted some inscriptions, such as those in some of the murals looted by the expedition that year, in many cases these plates are half in their place, half are in our place, and many of the inscriptions are in the corners of the cave walls. Today we are fully interpreted word for word, and provide color plates, completely bright for everyone, if the interpretation is not correct, you can criticize. We did our best and did everything. Of course, the basis of this work is the content summary provided by the Kamezi Institute, which already mentions the location of the inscriptions of the Brahmanical letters in the grotto, but it is impossible to determine what language it is. Therefore, without these summaries, our follow-up work would be completely impossible to carry out. The second aspect is that we have done a thorough study of the problem of cave murals related to the inscription, centered on the inscription. So the project of the "Inscription" is a whole, in addition to interpreting the inscription, such as the 34th Cave of Kumu Tula, all the murals we have drawn line drawings, which is very difficult, so we are integrating the image and the inscription to do research. Third, in addition to the inscription, with the grotto as the center, the historical and cultural issues of Guizi, that is, the traffic roads related to the inscription, the history of Guizi, the Buddhist economy of Guizi, and the lineage of the Guizi kings, have been carried out accordingly through the "Research Papers" and the "Inscription Reports" within our ability.
Rong Xinjiang's speech was recognized and echoed by the participating scholars. For example, Duan Qing pointed out at the symposium that the value of the "Inscription" is not only in the field of language research, "Before getting this book, I thought that it only contained the content of the inscription, and I did not expect that there were also photos of Huyu fragments that had been found and preserved by the Guizi Research Institute for many years, including Buddhist scriptures written on the bark of birch trees." This is a particularly precious bit of a residual leaf, which I think is a fragment of a Bedolo leaf. Mr. Ji once said that every fragment unearthed in the Hotan area is of great historical significance. The mere remnants of The Bedoloye have shown a channel of communication as far as southern India. It provides the best evidence for the comparative study of the Sino-Indian grottoes."
Inner page of the Inscription and Plate Edition of the Guizi Grottoes
Yao Chongxin, a professor at the Department of Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University, also pointed out the significance of the "Inscription" from the perspective of Buddhist archaeology and art archaeology that he was concerned about: As we all know, the difficulty of writing the history of Guizi Buddhism is mainly limited to the comprehensive grasp of non-Chinese materials, including the mastery of non-Chinese inscriptions in the inscriptions of the Guizi Grottoes. Therefore, the content of the inscription can be combined with other Guizi buddhist texts to expand the study of the social history of Guizi Buddhism. In addition, it can be combined with the Tocharian secular texts of the Guizi region and invented with each other. Another example is the promotion of the archaeology and grotto art of the Guizi Grottoes, including the chronological study of the grottoes, the relationship between the grottoes and the ancient Guizi monasteries, the identification and research of the content of the statue theme, etc., such as the discovery of the ancient place name "Yebasseh Chicken" in the inscription of the Kyzyl Caves, which provides the core evidence for proving that the Kyzyl Cave Temple should be the ancient Yeboser Chicken Temple. For example, the study of the historical geography of the ancient Guizi area has also played a role, such as the project team members have re-identified the nature and identity of some city sites in the ancient Guizi area based on the information provided by the Guizi inscription, and so on. In short, the results contained in the "Inscription" have to a certain extent represented the direction and value orientation of academic research around this book in the coming period.
Yao Chongxin
Qiu Zhongming, a disciple of Mr. Jin Weinuo and a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Art and Culture of Beijing Institute of Fashion Institute, mentioned in his speech that the "Inscription" in one letter and three volumes is the result of the simultaneous promotion and overall advancement of the publication of new materials and the discussion of new problems, and the achievements have been great. In terms of methodology, the "Inscription" can be described as a collection of masters, including archaeological fieldwork and collation, textual comparison, proofreading, interpretation and text analysis and criticism of chapters and sentences, textual meaning and contextual elaboration of history, and the study of related images. Looking forward to the future of Guizi research, if the cooperation of Huyu literature, history, archaeology and art history and other disciplines can be realized, it may promote the construction, chronology and phased issues of the Guizi Grottoes that have long plagued the academic community, as well as the progress of the classification and functional evolution of the caves, the doctrine and history of buddhism, Buddhism and secular society, the military and political system, and the understanding of the relationship between the Western Regions, the Western Frontier and the Central Plains Dynasty, and the position of the Western Regions in the context of diverse civilizations throughout Asia and beyond.
Qiu Zhongming
Cultural philosophies of archaeological research
The symposium specially invited Wang Binghua, a researcher who is former director of the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Wang Binghua is a representative of Xinjiang archaeologists and has worked in the frontline of Archaeology in Xinjiang for more than 40 years. In his archaeological career, Wang Binghua has traveled all over Xinjiang and achieved countless pioneering achievements, such as the discovery and excavation of the ancient tomb ditch cemetery.
At the symposium, Wang Binghua pointed out the importance of Guizi from the perspective of archaeology. He vividly pointed out that there were no "landlords" in the ancient Xinjiang region, but there were "water lords", and as long as there was water in such a vast area, there was wealth, and the water source in the oasis area where Guizi was located was quite abundant. Guizi is west of the Weigan River, east of the Kucha River, after going out of the mountain to the desert more than 100 kilometers into the desert in the abandoned city can see irrigation channels, such a water environment in ancient times enough to support a considerable scale of agricultural production. After all, building so many monasteries along so many rivers and rivers must have economic strength, without economic strength, these grottoes and monasteries could not be built, so Guizi was a very important economic center at that time, as well as a cultural center and a religious center. So it was very closely related to the Kushan Empire where Tochara was located, and there were a lot of religious things that came from there, which was a background. Since Buddhism between Kamezi and the Kushan Empire was frequent, it is not surprising that factors from the Tocharian region were brought into Kamezi. However, we should note in our research that these problems are quite dangerous if they are not analyzed in detail, such as exaggerating the influence of Tocharian culture with the existence of these Tocharian factors. Therefore, while engaging in archaeological research in the Western Regions, we must also have a kind of "cultural and philosophical thinking on archaeological research." The value of the book "Inscription", one of the most important points is to seek truth from facts, we put out some basic, strict and rigorous interpretation of the inscription, research out, let everyone see, let peers at home and abroad study, our research motivation is very pure.
Wang Binghua
Wang Xin, who was born in Xinjiang, grew up in Xinjiang, and has worked in Xinjiang's cultural and cultural circles for a long time, also added, "The remnants of ancient Indo-European culture in the Western Regions, including Tocharian languages and documents, are an organic part of China's ancient multiculturalism and multiculturalism, and Chinese culture has been an open and inclusive civilization system since ancient times. This may be the internal motivation for the continuous, continuous and still vibrant Chinese culture, and it is also of great enlightenment significance for the new era to forge a solid sense of the Chinese national community and build a community with a shared future for mankind. In this sense, the publication of the Inscription is timely."
Meng Nan also pointed out that the appearance of multilingual inscriptions in the Guizi Grottoes, and the mutual borrowing of Chinese vocabulary and Guizi vocabulary fully demonstrate the cultural diversity of the ancient Guizi region. The development of ancient Guizi regional culture is also a microcosm of the cultural development of China's Xinjiang region, which has both cultural elements from ancient India, Greece and Persia, as well as cultural influences from the Central Plains. The unified jurisdiction and governance of the ancient Guizi region by the central government of the Han and Tang Dynasties did not affect and limit the diversity of local cultures, but further promoted the exchange and integration and prosperity of the cultures in this region, which can be proved by the various language and writing materials found in the Guizi Grottoes.
Rong Xinjiang summed up the three values of the publication of the "Inscription" in the sense of history and reality: First, Xinjiang used to be an explorer's paradise, but now it is an academic temple. Chinese scholars in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China were "not able to reach" the place of Guizi, and only went to Huang Wenbi in the 1920s, and the other expeditions of Germany, Otani, Stein and others carried out archaeological excavations in Guizi. It was not until the 1950s that cultural relics archaeologists and scholars from the mainland had the opportunity to conduct systematic archaeological research on Guizi. Yan Wenru and Mr. Jin Weino went to the 50s. After the reform and opening up, Mr. Su Bai and his four disciples first went to Kyzyl and made an archaeological report, but only one. Later, although Wei Zhengzhong and Li Chongfeng also did some work, on the whole, there were still many places that needed to be worked on Guizi. Our editing and publication of the Inscription this time only grasped a point to work, but our work has far surpassed those explorers. Second, from the perspective of publication, when those imperialist robbers came to investigate, it was the most brilliant time in all aspects of their country's economy, so Stein's archaeological report was the most exquisitely printed publication in the Victorian era, the spines were gilded, and Peking University was placed in the library's good books, which absolutely could not be copied, and now Western academic publications cannot print to this extent. Today, we can use the most beautiful plates, the most beautiful bindings, and the publications that are no less than any colonial empire to show our research results, especially the plates in the Plates, because many of the grotto inscriptions are very slender and located in the corners of the grotto wall, but the Guizi Research Institute has all provided clear color plates, which is quite a remarkable place, all photographed, selflessly contributed. Third, Xinjiang is a pluralistic society of western civilizations, Guizi is the passage of the Silk Road, and the Inscription uses the best plates and words to represent this place of exchange between Eastern and Western civilizations. Because Kamezi is the meeting place of civilizations, languages, and religions. For example, Kumarosh, a Sanzang mage who knew many languages, was an outstanding figure cultivated by the land of Kamez. Therefore, the "Inscription" is a very good result of our promotion of Xinjiang's multiculturalism and the beautiful story of the Belt and Road Initiative, and it is also the latest achievement of the protection and utilization of cave temples in the new era.
Meeting site
Everything is organic, and the combination will bear fruit
Professor Chen Juxia from the Department of History of the Faculty of Letters of Shanghai University was once a researcher at the Dunhuang Research Institute, and has been conducting conservation research in Dunhuang for a long time, and can be described as empathetic to the work of his peers in the Guizi Grottoes. She believes that as an academic masterpiece that has been "polished" by the project team for six on-site investigations and has been "polished" for ten years, "Inscription" is not only a masterpiece in the field of grotto archaeology, but also a classic in the collection and research of grotto inscriptions. At the same time, the moment she got the "Inscription", it also reminded her of the archaeological report of the "Dunhuang Grottoes Complete Collection" compiled by the Dunhuang Research Institute. These two works can be said to be the masterpieces of grotto archaeology in these years. However, in Chen Juxia's view, another important significance of the publication of the "Inscription" is that it is a successful case of cooperation between cultural and cultural institutions and universities. This is not only reflected in the scientific norms and excellent compilation of the "Inscription", many of the papers collected in it are written on the basis of the new materials found in the investigation of the inscriptions of the grottoes, and the new insights are repeated, which have high academic value and influence.
As an archaeologist who has also worked at the Northwest Grotto Temple, Chen Juxia pointed out that the northwest region where the grotto is located is windy and sandy, and this weather is quietly eroding the grotto murals and wall inscriptions, making it increasingly blurred, blurred, and even disappeared. The cultural relics hidden by the cultural protection unit, such as the Mujian in the Guizi Research Institute, will also face erosion from diseases such as insect moths and crisp alkali, and their writing will become increasingly weathered and fall off. In the face of this helpless dilemma, photographic publication as soon as possible and completely is an effective way to leave us human beings with a precious archival material. This kind of publishing work requires the planning and sincere cooperation spirit of cultural protection units, universities and other scientific research institutions, publishing houses, and a strong and high-end academic publishing lineup to achieve, which is why the "Inscription" has achieved a commanding height in the field of the collection and research of the current grotto mural inscriptions.
Chen Juxia
The speeches of Duan Qing and Qiu Zhongming also mentioned the exemplary significance of the publication of the "Inscription" in the close cooperation between research institutions and cultural and cultural institutions, which is worthy of reference in the domestic academic circles. At the same time, it is also pointed out that an international and interdisciplinary academic research community led by Chinese scholars can be established on the basis of materials. Duan Qing also took the Sanskrit Buddhist literature that has been carried out in recent years and the construction of the talent team of the South Asia Department of the School of Foreign Chinese of Peking University as an example, emphasized the importance of teamwork, and believed that the most remarkable achievement of the "Inscription" is the trust, use and promotion of young people, and has cultivated a group of young talents at the international level in the collation and publication work.
On May 10, 2009, the expedition team surveyed the inscription at Cave 25 of Kyzylgaha
Speaking of the turn of the spring and summer in May 2009, Rong Xinjiang took three young scholars, Qing Zhaorong, Hagiwara and Wenxin, from Urumqi to drive more than 800 kilometers, all the way to Kucha in silence, and Zhu Yuqi, a professor of history at Peking University who participated in the "Inscription" project almost the whole time, felt a lot of emotions. From the beginning of his worries about how such a group of silent urban readers would open the door of GuiziXue, to finally grateful that people living in different cultural circles could come together and experience the precious journey of finally pushing open half the door of the Secret Garden.
On May 9, 2009, a trial and cooperative investigation of Cave 220 in the Kyzyl HouShan District was conducted (from left in the upper row: Yumin Ogihara and Wenxin; from left in the lower row: Tailaiti Ubuli, Rong Xinjiang, Qing Zhaorong, Zhao Liya, Wu Lihong, Yuan Liang)
Of course, as one of the authors, Zhu Yuqi most wanted to thank the guardians of the Guizi Grottoes, and the Inscription was actually dedicated to them. They have been living in painstaking waiting, but in exchange for the inscriptions that have been preserved for nearly 2,000 years, they have been preserved forever by protecting the publication. The Inscription is the exploit of the guardians of the Guizi Grottoes, their milestone, an account of their persistence, and an acknowledgement of their hard work, and this recognition will be passed on forever.
In Zhu Yuqi's view, the reason why the "Inscription" can be done so well is also to thank the arrival of a big era, and we in China can finally take the lead in the study of Tocharian language. Although the researchers come from home and abroad, the organizers are our Chinese. At the same time, he also thanked the city of Shanghai, if you want to find two recommended experts for the research of the few Researchers on the topic of Tocharian, you can find two in Shanghai - Wang Binghua and Xu Wenkan. Although there may be differences of opinion, various views can be integrated in Shanghai, which shows how high the cultural content of this modern city is. Although the Chinese and Western Bookstores that undertake this publishing task are young, they deserve the mission of "integrating China and the West and establishing academic societies". "Inscription" is a milestone project, but it is by no means the last project of Chinese and Western Bookstores in this field, and Zhu Yuqi said that the upcoming edition of "Huang Wenbi's Western Documents" is also worth looking forward to.
Zhu Yuqi
Finally, all the scholars attending the meeting expressed their gratitude to Kei Shō-rong and Ogihara Hirotoshi, two important editors of the "Inscription" who are currently in Paris and unable to come to Shanghai to attend the symposium due to the epidemic, as well as their high praise for their work. They are the natural candidates for today's "Inscription". As Xu Wenkan said: "It has been 100 years since the discovery of the Tocharian literature, but there is still no universally accepted conclusion. Issues such as Tocharian were once hotly discussed in the academic circles, but in recent years, researchers have generally become fewer, not more, and the same is true abroad. Therefore, in this case, it is very valuable that people like Kei shō-rong and Ogihara Hirotoshi can do this research wholeheartedly and in a very solid manner. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Huang Xiaofeng
Proofreader: Ding Xiao