- 3 days ago
Now for the fourth instalment of our Xinjiang sojourn, one that takes our three amigos east to pay homage to a crucial crossroads on the ancient Silk Road. As they discover, interconnectivity has always been a reality here - generations of travelers along the trade route have left their enduring cultural footprint.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00You sure?
00:02OK.
00:06Mom, I'm coming home.
00:08Train Nico is leaving Hami.
00:11I'm here in Turfan, which is in the eastern part of Xinjiang,
00:15China.
00:16You can just look at this view.
00:18A major oasis along the northern route of the Silk Road.
00:22The next one being Hami and then on to Dunhuang.
00:26People on the Silk Road thousands of years ago
00:29were already pushing limits.
00:32It's great to see that someone from here
00:34is still pushing in a different way.
00:37Take a look at this.
00:39It's like the bazaars, the modern bazaars,
00:42happening now on the field, live.
00:45I'm shocked.
00:47And all these oasis are vital spots
00:50that allowed people to fuel in some ways.
00:54Even today, with this location,
00:57it can really connect cultures in the east and west.
01:09Just like it did during the Silk Road.
01:14It's like the new era of the Silk Road.
01:16The Silk Road.
01:17The Silk Road is still closed.
01:18It's also a fine form.
01:19It's a fine form.
01:20It's a fine form, but it's a fine form.
01:22It's not fine.
01:23It's a fine form.
01:24It's a fine form.
01:25The frontier of China.
01:26The heart of Eurasia.
01:28So I'm here in Turban, I heard it was the driest and hottest area in all China, but when coming
01:46here I was really surprised to see how much green this land was.
01:50It's like an oasis in the desert.
01:54I'm Hasna, I come from Morocco, from Casablanca.
01:58I came here to China to be working in architecture.
02:02I've never been to a grape field before and it's really lovely, I can't stop eating.
02:10I'm in Gauchang district of Turban and I'm going to meet Ubaidullah, he's a web celebrity
02:16who started his e-commerce company selling agricultural products.
02:20What's interesting about Ubaid is that he would take a traditional business
02:24model and turn it into a modern one, which is selling on live stream.
02:27I felt like it's the same thing happening.
02:32Actually, the Silk Road kind of inspired the world into this connectiveness between cultures
02:38to exchange their goods.
02:40Turban is extremely important because it was a place where various cultures came together,
02:45where traders also came together, where traders also came together to sort of refuel.
02:50And Jiao He is a city that epitomizes that.
02:58And this city has been here for over 2000 years.
03:02And this one place where traders also came together to sort of refuel.
03:06And Jiao He is a city that epitomizes that.
03:10And this city has been here for over 2000 years, in this one place we have, for example,
03:22the Gauchang Kingdom, the Yangtze frontier command of Tang Dynasty.
03:26All these layers still exist today, leaving traces of these civilizations.
03:30And this one place symbolizes the range of cultures that came together along the Silk Road
03:36and blended here in Turban.
03:39My name is Neil Schmidt.
03:40I'm an American and a historian of China.
03:44As a researcher, I work at an archaeological site in Dunhuang.
03:49So this city is surrounded all the way around by rivers, which makes it a natural fortress.
03:55Jiao He, the geography is ideal.
03:58You would come out of central China, up the Hashi Quarter, to Dunhuang.
04:02Then the next major oasis is Hami.
04:04And then after that is Turfan.
04:06And all these oasis are positioned between the Tianshan Mountains.
04:10So they're vital spots and crucial spots for travel.
04:19I'm here in Hami Locomotives Depot.
04:22Even today, Hami is still an important hub between eastern and western China,
04:27just like it did during the Silk Road times.
04:29My name is Nico DeRouge.
04:31I'm French.
04:31I specialize in reportage and documentary photography,
04:35which takes me around the world.
04:38And I will meet Mr. Cheng Xin and his dad.
04:40Their family have been train engineers for three generations.
04:44From the steam locomotives train, to the diesel trains,
04:48all the way to the high-speed electric trains.
04:50This is my car.
04:53I also drive that car.
04:54This is my car.
04:56What impressed me most about the diesel train from Feng Xin's dad
05:09was the complexity of all the buttons
05:12and things that you had to master to be able to ride the train.
05:15I can't imagine being in here for 10 hours in a row trying to operate the train being under pressure and stress in these extreme conditions with the wind and the heat it's impressive
05:39take a look at this it's his father and he's selling his fruits in front of his live stream it's like the bazaars the modern bazaars happening now on the field
06:09live I'm shocked
06:12how long have you been doing it
06:3410 months
06:36how many fans do you have
06:38there are 30 more
06:43that was not expected oh wow
06:45experts
06:46look at this
06:47one
06:49seeing they and his father selling on live stream i felt like they were inspired by how they used to do it before
06:57back in the time on the bazaars and the silk road
06:59i'm standing here in the middle of this very large temple which really
07:16epitomizes so much of the silk road because monks and merchants go together
07:23it was through the support of merchants and trade that buddhism flourished along the silver
07:30turf and has one of the most extreme climates on the planet but it's because these extremities that
07:36we have so much material preserved from over thousands of years i'm going to go see those materials here in
07:42the turf and museum wow that's crazy these people were crazy
07:50all these materials we see here are from the gaocheng period so this is about the fifth century
07:57and it's thanks to the silk road that these materials were able to flow across eurasia
08:01that gave rise to this rich range of cultures but also the trade that allowed these cultures to
08:08flourish
08:17so what it tells us is that here in terfan grapes are grown as far back as 2300 years ago
08:25they represent the transmission of plants along the silk road from western asia all the way to terfan
08:31and are still grown today i see here that the women are collecting the grapes and putting them inside
08:39boxes packages and i think they're ready for shipping with obey to sell them online
08:45all these different kinds of maps but let's see if they are in the next video
08:49what would happen with these things menu here is how do we actually meet them
08:51all these different things
08:53i think you will use some of the things that you can sixty percent
08:56of all these things
08:57so that if you can get to that
08:59This is from the New York Times.
09:00The first road is to drive to Hanmiqua.
09:03It was originally used to drive a car.
09:05After we joined the company,
09:07we're now using a spare car or a plane.
09:11For example, we have Hanmiqua.
09:13We have our customers today.
09:15We can get to eat in the house tomorrow.
09:17Wow.
09:19There's often this belief that the Silk Road
09:22involved these large caravans of 200 camels
09:25that went from Chang'an in China all the way
09:29to Samarkand, thousands of miles away,
09:31in a single train.
09:32That is some kind of highway
09:34that has an occasional on and off ramp.
09:36But in fact, trade didn't work that way.
09:38It was very, very local, and it flourished.
09:41It's very interesting.
09:41Now, can you go to Hanmiqua?
09:46Yes, we can go to a lot of places.
09:48In the West and the West, we have a car.
09:50We have to go to Gansu, Koli, Koli.
09:53So on this side, we have coins.
09:58Coins in bronze, gold and silver.
10:01Trade that was done in silks, in furs,
10:04which really sort of embody the wealth of trade
10:07that flowed along the Silk Road.
10:09For example, during the Tang Dynasty,
10:11when there were protectorates,
10:12that meant that there were troops out here stationed.
10:15And they were paid typically
10:16either in coins, grains, or silks.
10:19It's not necessarily merchants
10:21carrying bags and bags of silk.
10:23It's actually payment for services rendered
10:26for the troops here who are maintaining the peace.
10:31So this small piece of paper is actually a type of passport
10:34to allow trade along the Silk Road.
10:36People would go from stop to stop presenting these documents.
10:40And in these documents, we had information
10:42about who was traveling, how many people,
10:45and actually what was traded.
10:47And these were crucial for maintaining trade
10:51and commerce along the Silk Road.
10:53Ha Mingzhan.
10:55This is our today's car.
10:56Uh-huh.
10:59For their family, we can actually witness
11:02the evolution of train technology.
11:05In Xinjiang and China,
11:06but also in the world as a whole.
11:09From the old technology we used to use,
11:12to the modern high-speed train we now have.
11:19左站台.
11:20关左门.
11:24正点开车.
11:25I can imagine if I was a merchant in the ancient Silk Road days,
11:29riding the camel caravan all the way from Hamid to Turpan,
11:33it would take a lot of time.
11:34It takes a lot of time to get more skills.
11:36It's a great way to get more skills.
11:38This livestream selling to people
11:40and then the shipping and the transportation,
11:41all these elements together
11:43contribute to the excellent quality of the service of shipping.
11:51I can imagine if I was a merchant
11:53in the ancient Silk Road days,
11:55riding the camel caravans all the way from Hamid to Turpan,
11:59it would take me days, even weeks.
12:02And now, it takes one and a half hours.
12:05That's amazing.
12:07Turpan and Tami are incredibly vital
12:10because they're a major artery east-west.
12:13And there was not only a flow of goods,
12:14but of course there was a flow of cultures
12:16that moved along the Silk Road.
12:20I'm here in Tuyo-Go,
12:21and this site has been active for over 1,700 years.
12:25And I've heard that a new Buddhist cave has been discovered.
12:28And I'm here to meet Mr. Xu,
12:30who's been working in this area,
12:31doing preservation and conservation work for over 30 years.
12:34I am now in Wupu town, 50 kilometers away from Hamid.
12:40Motorcycles are very popular in Wupu
12:44because of the challenge of the environment
12:45and the harsh conditions, the rocky roads.
12:47As a photographer, this is one of the most exciting topics to shoot.
12:52Shooting sports, especially fast motorsports,
12:55with jumps and slides in the sand and things like this,
12:57is super visual.
12:58But now, one man and his motorcycle are taking this fame
13:03to the international level.
13:04Hello.
13:05Hello.
13:05I'm Zakiya.
13:06Hi.
13:07I'm Zakiya.
13:07I'm Zakiya.
13:08I'm Zakiya.
13:09I'm Niko.
13:10Thank you very much.
13:12and things like this is super visual but now one man and his motorcycle are taking this fame
13:19to the international level is like here the uh uh
13:29we are in the middle of the world
13:33so the dakar rally is a very famous race especially where i'm from it's very famous for being one of the
13:52hardest sports competitions around the world because it's very long and you have to go through
13:56desert days and days and days look at this magic good good good i am in downtown hami it's actually a
14:21modern city that is highly commercial but that still has some marks of ancient times
14:26and i'm about to meet bao jin who is a business woman who has an embroidery company that is quite
14:33popular in the area and i'm very curious to learn about hami's embroidery story from
14:40i see this peony flower everywhere and all the designs
14:44很多人一看到我们这个牡丹就知道这是哈美的丝绣最早是从那个
14:48清代的那些修绣的修娘带过来的到我们这里以后呢它的颜色更符合这里员的审美
14:56这种就是维吻的老乡都非常重土这种就是维吾尔族比较有特色的一个建筑
15:03过街楼底下是鹿上面是他们的房屋啊这个老山树三十年前它还活着
15:11过去大家养残家里自己做纺织
15:14哈美刺绣最重要的特点就是在绒布上刺绣它显得比较高档
15:18它显得比较高档
15:21这个是非常漂亮的
15:23你看我们越走这个路面就越低
15:27就越接近有水的地方
15:29所以有水的地方往往是他们生活的重点区域
15:33这个是茶壶套
15:35你看这边放壶
15:37是在红吗
15:39这是壶上套的
15:41这是下面就放到上面的
15:43这个上面它可以喝茶
15:46然后有盆子通风也比较好
15:48它喜欢复盖房顶因为也热嘛
15:56我们在大海道
15:58在哈美地区
16:00它是一部分的古代
16:02between
16:02杆枢 杆枪
16:03和
16:04Torpan
16:05过几千年
16:06人们在这些地方
16:08这是最快的方法
16:09是最快的方法
16:11是最快的方法
16:11是最快的方法
16:13是最快的方法
16:14是最快的方法
16:15这是亚丹的一帽
16:16路况也比较复杂
16:16这边骑车比较加强的控制能力
16:21这边骑车比较加强的控制能力
16:25玩赛车风险也大
16:29比如说一个动作
16:31我们连了几万遍
16:33以后再学会这个动作
16:36几千年以后
16:37人们在这里
16:38已经接触了
16:40东西和东西
16:42帮助世纪到最后的步骤
16:45它是很吸引的
16:46现在赛克和他的学生
16:49也在不同的角度抑制
16:56到了屠宫 马杂
16:58马杂就是梦藏的意思
17:00这个就是一个佛教的莲花石座
17:03后来利用起来作为一个储师
17:05然后建了这个房子
17:06说一说它跟佛教有一定的关系
17:08是
17:10Tuyugo is an excellent example
17:12of this combination of cultures
17:13that morph and change one to the next
17:16but there are multiple layers here
17:18some of the earliest finds are Buddhism
17:25so this cave is a depiction
17:27of Shakyamuni's final moments
17:30here all these cultures come together
17:32to mourn his passing
17:34and we know there are various countries
17:35because there are different types of hats
17:37Baojin taught me that there are many
17:43other stitching methods from eastern China
17:44which gives the importance and the difference
17:46of Haami's embroidery
17:48it is the symbol of the fusion between
17:50Xinjiang and the rest of China
17:51后来随着那个佛教走向衰落
17:53代至于就是民间
17:55这种绘画它表现这种门上面
17:57没有偶像成绘画
17:58它会没有偶像成绘画以后
18:00它会没有偶像成绘画
18:01它会没有偶像成绘画
18:02它会没有偶像成绘画
18:03它是一层一层的很明显的在国度
18:04这是一种平正的绘画
18:05精绘用的特别多
18:06Baojin taught me that there are many other
18:07stitching methods from eastern China
18:08methods from eastern China
18:09which gives the importance and the difference
18:11of Haami's embroidery
18:13it is the symbol of the fusion
18:15between Xinjiang and the rest of China
18:17后来随着那个佛教走向衰落
18:20代至于就是民间
18:22这种绘画它表现这种门上面
18:24没有偶像成绘画以后
18:27它会每个门上画些花鸟
18:29画些风景
18:30石库的艺术已经走向民间
18:32形成当地的风俗
18:33这种风俗
18:36我今天发现很多东西
18:38在绘画上的绘画
18:39什么东西
18:40你能想起来
18:41什么东西
18:42你能用在你的生活中间
18:43我感觉到
18:44当人们生活在
18:45monochromatic
18:46颜色的颜色
18:47他们有更多的需要
18:49作为绘画的绘画
18:51艺术
18:52它并不是绘画的绘画
18:54有很多绘画
18:56有很多白色和白色
18:57所以这可能会引起人
18:59去搜索的颜色
19:01有很多颜色的颜色
19:02太漂亮了
19:03太漂亮了
19:04太漂亮了
19:05先生和我
19:06很有趣的谈论
19:07他在谈论
19:08这个岸上
19:09当然我们可以
19:10拍摄的照片
19:11但是它不常常
19:12摆取的绘画
19:15他说
19:16在几年
19:17这些画面
19:18不会这么浅
19:19所以
19:20他想要做
19:21是作品
19:23作品
19:24我认为
19:25有真心
19:26在这种想法
19:27保持
19:28但也分享
19:29这就是我们的绘画机
19:31这就是我们的绘画机
19:32这十二个机头
19:33就是十二个爆炸
19:35我们两半岛的话
19:36一半可以做成
19:37四十八个爆炸
19:39可以做出来
19:40这样就大大的
19:41提高了我们的产量
19:42虽然我们可以认为
19:44手制作品
19:45永远不能够
19:46帮助
19:47Bao Jin
19:48帮助这种工历
19:49让其他人
19:50能利用
19:51这种文化
19:52为一个价格
19:53价格的价格
19:54更高
19:55我们可以看到它
19:56可以
19:57在这里看
19:58这个杆
19:59向右拉
20:00准备
20:01好
20:04好
20:05OK
20:06我睡一下吧
20:07好
20:11好
20:12OK
20:14可以
20:19可以
20:20给点油
20:21给点油
20:22OK
20:25Look
20:29It knows what to do
20:30How long ago did you bring this machinery into Hami?
21:00I've already been 17 years ago. I have no chance to win the World Cup.
21:07But I hope that my students can win the World Cup.
21:12It's so good.
21:16When I was at the same time, I felt like it was a good time.
21:20I don't know if I could just like it.
21:23I thought I would like to do more products.
21:26I want more people to support it.
21:31My wife gave me a love and a beautiful life.
21:38So I don't want to leave.
21:47This is a building in 2014.
21:51Let's see.
21:57This building is really good.
21:59This building is a huge value.
22:00It's a huge value.
22:01It's a huge value.
22:02It's a huge value.
22:03You're the first person to visit this building.
22:07We enter into the cave and with maybe a torch or candles, and all of a sudden the gold begins to sparkle.
22:12It lights up the cave.
22:14You can see how bright the colors are, how vivid the images are.
22:18And much of this art has been lost.
22:20But here, this cave shows us what the materials and what the art was like during that period in time.
22:27The cultural heritage is our most precious asset.
22:38And modernization is creating the bridge between the past and the identity of the present.
22:45It allows new generations to receive it and identify with it and eventually use it as a value for the people around us.
22:55Wow.
22:57This is like a game I could enjoy.
23:05While riding the bike, I started to understand a bit more what Zakhar was saying.
23:10His relationship with this environment, his playground.
23:14Zakhar, much like I've seen in Xinjiang with other people, took this challenge or this constraint and turned it into greatness.
23:24Wow.
23:27It's inspiring to see them and what they've achieved, even touching.
23:32One of the things that struck me is the fusion of cultures that occurred here, and in some ways still occurs here today, as a major route along the Soviet Union.
23:45And this sort of layered relationship among cultures in Xinjiang will continue into the future.
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