The name Dunhuang comes from the Book of Han: "Dun means great; Huang means prosperous."
In 366 AD, the monk Le Zun carved the first grotto in Dunhuang's history.
In 1906, the Englishman A. Stein traveled east to the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang and took more than 10,000 manuscripts, over 500 paintings, and more than 230 bundles of manuscripts from the Library Cave.*, Aurel Stein, Serindia: The Discovery of the Library Cave
In 1908, the Frenchman Paul Pelliot took over 6,000 precious Dunhuang manuscripts and many other cultural relics excavated from the Library Cave at the Mogao Caves.*, Pelliot's Notes on the Dunhuang Caves
In 1933, the Liang couple and the Society for the Research in Chinese Architecture traveled to the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi...
Shortly before graduation, Song Yuan, a young woman from the foreign languages department, traveled to the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang to gather inspiration. Focused on her graduation project and with no interest in romance, she avoided every advance along the way.
After turning down yet another stranger's ardent overtures, Song Yuan accidentally glimpsed a man with the looks of a wicked deity. He seemed otherworldly, yet beguiling as a demon. Leaning casually in a corner, he drew everyone's attention. The flame flickering in his hand swayed in the dusty wind, making her heart flutter.
That night, the dreams that had not plagued her in years returned to haunt her. He held her as she sank into a sea of sand from which she could not escape. In the dream, yellow sand whirled and the wind roared.
Song Yuan told herself: Keep your distance from him. That man is no ordinary person.
"Too bad. You've been found again."
Jin Changdeng appeared in Song Yuan's Dunhuang tent as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Behind him stood towering statues of deities beneath an immense full moon. Gold, agate, and precious gems glimmered with an ethereal glow. His hand seemed to pluck a flower, and his expression was utterly bewitching.
"How much longer are you going to run from me, Yuanyuan? This time, you have to come back."
Everything around her began to change. The donors depicted in the grottoes, the flying apsaras in the murals, the mysterious Library Cave, and foreign expedition teams all began to appear.
Her true identity turned out to be...
*Le Zun is recorded in historical texts as the founder of China's Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. Over thousands of years, the caves were carved and filled with statues, becoming the world's largest surviving treasury of art, a treasure of Eastern culture, and a spiritual legacy.
A guide to the treasure hunt:
1. A female-oriented adventure romance by Qingluo Fans.
2. A foreign languages student, Song Yuan, and Jin Changdeng, a wicked deity who hits all the right buttons. Both leads have mysterious identities.
3. Protect our nation's treasures and the world's grotto culture. My next upcoming story is A Collection of Elegant Tales, a female-oriented adventure romance.
*This blurb was screenshotted on 2021.07.09.
Theme: Protecting the world's cultural heritage
