馮玉雷

2013年10月下旬，受韓國慶尚北道邀請，我有幸考察新羅故地，并參加慶尚北道、《慶北時報》主辦，韓國海洋科學(xué)技術(shù)院承辦，韓國海洋財團、韓國海洋大學(xué)、慶州市協(xié)辦的“海洋絲綢之路國際學(xué)術(shù)會議”。

為拓展絲綢之路文化，慶尚北道成立專門辦事機構(gòu)——“韓國絲綢之路項目部”，負責人是金南鎰先生。2013年7月，我們在蘭州大學(xué)舉辦的“敦煌和絲綢之路國際學(xué)術(shù)研討會”中相識，新羅故地見面，很高興。寒暄幾句，他就滿懷激情介紹韓國絲綢之路項目的主要成果及今后計劃。2013年最大成果是，3月21日至4月4日從慶州到西安第一批探險隊考察（76人，行程5000公里）和7月17日至8月31日從西安市到伊斯坦布爾的第二批探險隊考察（24人，行程1.6萬公里）。兩批探險隊耗時兩月，途經(jīng)中國、哈薩克斯坦、吉爾吉斯斯坦、烏茲別克斯坦、土庫曼斯坦、伊朗和土耳其，完成對陸上絲綢之路的激情穿越。他們將于2014年舉行“海洋絲綢之路全球大長征”。即將舉辦的“海洋絲綢之路國際學(xué)術(shù)會議”就是從學(xué)術(shù)、科學(xué)、安全保障等方面進行論證。

晚餐后，熱愛文化、言談舉止都洋溢著文化氣息的孫文植提議到咖啡館里繼續(xù)聊天。我欣然接受?？Х瑞^對面百米外的地方，竟然是長著幾棵古樹、雖經(jīng)歷千年但威儀不減的龐大王陵。孫先生打開手機中的文物圖片，說這類墓葬結(jié)構(gòu)和形式與斯基泰人極其相似。中國《史記》、《漢書》稱斯基泰人為塞種、尖帽塞人或薩迦人，善養(yǎng)馬，屬南俄草原上印歐語系東伊朗語族，是史載最早的游牧民族，游牧地從俄羅斯東部一直延伸到內(nèi)蒙古和鄂爾多斯沙漠。

遙遠歲月長河中，斯基泰人與新羅人先祖有著怎樣的聯(lián)系？

就這個話題，我們聊得很多，很遠，在新羅歷史文化中徜徉。

我感慨說：“多年來，這是首次在距古代文化遺址最近的地方喝咖啡?！?/p>

“不是距離最近，你就坐在文化的中心！”孫先生微笑說。

古老而鮮活的新羅文化

10月29日，孫先生做向?qū)?，考察慶州文化遺址。

孫先生熱情，開朗，健談，滔滔不絕介紹新羅歷史文化，似乎要把這塊古老土地上每個文化碎片都毫無保留呈現(xiàn)出來。

新羅文化發(fā)源地慶州位于慶尚北道東南慶州盆地中部，四面環(huán)山，東有明治山，西有玉女峰、仙絳峰，南有金鰲山，北有金剛山。又有西川、南川、北川三水匯流，環(huán)繞城邑，山河壯美。公元前57年，古代新羅王在此建都，歷三國鼎立時代、新羅統(tǒng)一全朝鮮時代，923年，被高麗所滅，綿延繁榮近千年?！度龂酚洝酚涊d，新羅古都仿造唐長安城而建，昌盛時人口超過百萬，是慶州市總?cè)丝诘木疟?。慶州是韓國、朝鮮半島歷史文化及藝術(shù)文物最豐富的地方，被譽為沒有圍墻的文化博物館——歷史遺跡遍布于市區(qū)和郊區(qū)，星羅棋布，有50多座王陵，有新羅時代外城（山城）、王宮（半月城）及新羅第五代婆娑王所筑的滿月城，有曾經(jīng)舉行曲水流觴之宴的離宮舊址，有亞洲最早石建天文臺之一的“瞻星臺”，有文武王所建水湖棗雁鴨池（出土過很多文物），有受隋朝影響雕刻的三體石佛，還有芬皇寺、皇龍寺遺址、金庾信將軍墓、良洞村、佛國寺、石窟庵、雞林、石冰庫等歷史文化遺址，短期內(nèi)也根本無法全部觀瞻。

孫先生選擇最合理路線，爭取讓我多看幾處文化遺址。

首先是靜臥于慶州市江西面六通里的興德王陵。汽車在天然“氧吧”中行駛，絲毫不覺得乏味。山間秋葉色彩斑斕，令人陶醉。路邊常常有喜鵲悠然飛翔，歡快叫喚，聲音與甘肅蘭州、白銀、古浪、民勤等地同類一樣，聽不出方言障礙。

孫先生指著路牌說：“這是標示通往李彥迪家鄉(xiāng)良洞村的?！?/p>

李彥迪是朝鮮時期李朝哲學(xué)家，字復(fù)古，號晦齋、紫溪翁，他非常崇拜朱熹，1530年任司諫期間受排斥，在慶州紫玉山隱居七年，從事理學(xué)研究。1537年出仕，10年后，又被流放江界，直至逝世。李彥迪著《晦齋集》13卷，哲學(xué)代表作有《書忘齋忘機堂無極太極說后》、《答忘記堂書》、《大學(xué)章句補遺》、《中庸經(jīng)衍義》、《求仁錄》、《奉先雜義》等。

宋明理學(xué)傳播到韓國，并且影響如此之大，以前竟然不知道，慚愧啊。

汽車穿過一片靜謐田野，到達興德王陵區(qū)。陽光明媚，天氣晴朗，遠山溫潤，近林清幽，烘托王陵之肅穆氣氛。平緩山坡上，松林蒼翠，古意盎然。松樹香氣清新，滋潤心肺。我們懷著崇敬心情，瞻仰王陵。松林盡頭，豁然開朗，樸素簡約的興德王陵出現(xiàn)。通向陵墓的神道滿地綠茵，兩邊松樹整齊如新。守衛(wèi)神道的是兩對站立翁仲，一對武官，一對文官。武官石像竟然是身材魁梧、相貌威嚴、大眼闊臉、八字胡須的西域人形象！我推測其原型是粟特人。孫先生說，曾有中亞游客來此，也認定是他們先祖的相貌特征。興德王用外族武將為自己守靈，思想解放，胸懷開闊。也正是這種精神氣質(zhì)，才能促進物質(zhì)文化交流。據(jù)說中國茶葉也是興德王執(zhí)政時傳入的。

基于對興德王的崇敬，大家在翁仲像前流連忘返，探究品評。翁仲原指匈奴人祭天神像，但歷史上確有其人。翁仲原名阮翁仲，勇猛超常，將兵守臨洮，威震匈奴。翁仲死后，秦始皇鑄其銅像，置于咸陽宮司馬門外，稱“金人”、“銅人”、“金狄”、“長狄”、“遐狄”。其后，人們把立于宮闕廟堂和陵墓前的銅人或石人稱為“翁仲”。后來，又專指陵墓前及神道兩側(cè)的文武官員石像。翁仲石像從匈奴到秦漢、到唐朝，再到新羅，分明是一條穿越歷史、跨越民族的文化交流之路。

我們踏著柔軟草地，躬身前行，一步步，到達封土堆。興德王陵狀若饅頭，圓形，以石為基，有圍欄。護石圍繞一周，雕刻著牛、虎、蛇、猴、兔等十二支神像，雖經(jīng)受1200年風(fēng)風(fēng)雨雨，但依然栩栩如生，憨態(tài)可掬，仿佛滄桑歲月沒有在它們的心靈中留下任何痕跡。這些可愛的神靈與翁仲石像、松樹、鳥鵲、白云、陽光一起，默默陪伴興德王及王妃章合夫人，不舍晝夜。據(jù)說，興德王登基后第一年，王妃與世長辭，興德王悲痛不已。11年后，他辭世后與章合夫人合葬。另據(jù)《三國遺事》記載，興德王曾養(yǎng)過一對鴛鴦，母鴛鴦因病死去。興德王將鏡子放入鳥籠，希望它借己形象憶“亡妻”。公鴛鴦卻誤以為鏡中影像是母鴛鴦，拼命叩啄，最終死亡。這段悲情故事讓人動容。

正愜意享受王陵區(qū)的恬淡幽靜，忽然，一頭小鹿從左邊松林中躍出，蹦蹦跳跳，跑過山地草坪，進入右邊松林。

參觀完興德王陵，我們來到東國大學(xué)博物館。東國大學(xué)由佛僧初創(chuàng)，有100多年歷史，總部設(shè)在首爾，慶州是分校。在校學(xué)生都得選修佛教方面的課程。

博物館負責人李東憲先生迎接。進展館大門，一扇扇古老文化的窗戶在這現(xiàn)代文明高度發(fā)達的城市中心陸續(xù)打開，大家盡情享受古新羅人在慶州創(chuàng)造的東方文化饕餮盛宴。鴨形土器、骨壺、土偶、蓮花紋瓦當、鬼面瓦、塔像文磚、平瓦當上的萬歷四十年銘文、金銅佛像、金銅菩薩像、石造羅漢像、蠟石制十二支像片、壁畫、蠟石制舍利壺、銅鏡、龍鈕、華嚴經(jīng)石碑殘片、文武大王陵碑石殘片等，每一物件都是一部綿長歷史，每一形態(tài)都是一段美麗生動的文化交融故事。我深深感到，對于豐厚的藝術(shù)和思想而言，即便文字能夠做到像赑屃那樣善于馱負，即便能夠洋洋灑灑地書寫歷史，也不可能面面俱到，更無法觸及到每個細致入微的層面。

沒想到，韓國竟有如此燦爛輝煌的古代文化藝術(shù)。驚嘆中瀏覽，瀏覽中驚嘆。孫先生見我如此真實地陶醉，渾身上下都流溢出油然而生的“民族自豪感”。他對文化的摯愛程度不亞于任何一位中國學(xué)者。

參觀完博物館，大家到附近的谷食店小憩。這家餐館大門兩邊貼有對聯(lián)：“立春大吉，建陽多慶。”內(nèi)部陳設(shè)簡樸，極富生活氣息。半塊笑臉雕塑，一串紅綠辣椒，不知名的干花，中國書法作品“龍”，隨意布置。客人來來往往，絡(luò)繹不絕。配菜多是韓國泡菜，主食是一大碗面。此前，我以為蘭州牛大碗獨霸天下，端起這個碗，覺得更像小盆子，稱為“碗”都屈才了。

用過餐，告別李東憲先生，匆匆前往坐落在慶州南部的圣德王陵。道路兩邊，近處是農(nóng)田，遠處是披滿華麗秋裝的山，隨心所欲，自然開合，有詩意，有禪意，有古意，城市化痕跡被消解得干干凈凈。

圣德王陵主人是新羅第38代元圣王金敬信（785～798）。新羅從第13代國王味鄒王開始，絕大部分國王都是金氏。據(jù)傳，慶州金氏始祖閼智誕生于雞林。新羅脫解王時代，瓠公在一片叫始林、鳩林的樹林聽到雞啼，走近，看到一只金柜掛在樹枝上，立即向皇上報告?；噬先∠陆鸸?，打開蓋子，里面有個姓金的小孩，便為他取名金閼智，樹林也改稱雞林。歷朝歷代，雞林備受重視，現(xiàn)在成了游覽勝地。

圣德王當政時實行“讀書出身科制度”選用人才，很有作為。圣德王駕崩下葬，地下有水，棺材只好掛著，因此王陵又稱 “掛陵”。掛陵，規(guī)模大于興德王，中間的松軟草地帶延展到陵墓封土處，兩邊是松林、華表石、文武翁仲像、石獅子等。陵墓封土外面石上依然是十二支神像，護衛(wèi)一周。十二支（地支）是記錄時間和方位的神靈，在統(tǒng)一新羅時期由中國傳入，最初以土偶陪葬品形式出現(xiàn)，此后慢慢演變?yōu)榱昴沟氖刈o神，也是佛塔、浮屠、石燈等佛教藝術(shù)中陽面雕刻的主要內(nèi)容。

與圣德王陵毗鄰的是九政里方形墳，坐落在大德山南側(cè)丘陵末端平地上。這座墳的主人至今未考證出來。它距離圣德王陵非常近，是不是被允許陪葬的功勛卓著的文臣或武將？

國立慶州博物館

國立慶州博物館由考古館、美術(shù)館、雁鴨池館和室外展覽四部分組成，是僅次于漢城國立博物館的高水平博物館。它毗鄰新羅皇室墓葬群、瞻星臺、慶州月城，成立于1945年，初為韓國國立中央博物館慶州分部，以后不斷擴建，1975年升級為國立慶州博物館，主要展出史前時代、古新羅、伽倻文化圈到統(tǒng)一新羅時代的各種文化遺產(chǎn)。

我們抵達時，正逢慶州中、小學(xué)生被老師引導(dǎo)著在露天石雕像前參觀學(xué)習(xí)。學(xué)生天真爛漫，歡聲笑語，為沉重豐厚的歷史氛圍中平添許多生機。

首先拜謁的是館外的圣德大王神鐘。這尊大鐘用青銅鑄造，高3.36米，重23噸。傳說，當年鑄鐘時曾將一名9歲女童作為祭品，鑄成后發(fā)出“愛米萊”的聲音（韓語，媽媽），故稱愛米萊鐘。鐘體上有銘文和手持香爐的飛天像。飛天構(gòu)圖、形象幾近敦煌壁畫中的唐代飛天，明顯不同處是敦煌飛天多自由舞蹈狀，而鐘體飛天卻呈跪姿，由此可見圣德大王心心念念欲往極樂世界的愿望是多么深切，多么虔誠。

參觀期間，文化學(xué)者、韓國文明交流研究所社團法人、韓國檀國大學(xué)史學(xué)科鄭守一教授從首爾到慶州進行考察。鄭教授曾在中國生活過30多年，懂漢語，交流很方便。“樂莫樂兮新相知”，大家愉快參觀，隨時討論。

考古館展出的文物把慶州歷史上溯到54～56萬年以前的石器時代。最具代表性的是蔚山細竹里貝塚、慶州隍城洞、慶州下西里和蔚珍厚浦里遺跡，出土了用巖石、鷹翅骨加工而成的魚叉，以及陶器、石器、飾物、巖畫等，還有青銅器、鐵器、項鏈等文物。它們延續(xù)了古老的歷史文化，并且隨著人類文明長河的波浪不斷向前推進，公元前57年，新羅建國。以后，又陸續(xù)兼并伽倻、百濟和高句麗等國，完成統(tǒng)一大業(yè)，進入全面繁榮期。中國崇尚玉，而新羅推崇黃金，素有“黃金之國”美稱。天馬冢、98號古墓出土的新羅金皇冠、金制冠帽、蝴蝶狀冠飾物、腰帶等金器體現(xiàn)了新羅人的非凡智慧和卓越技藝。與胸飾、項鏈、垂飾搭配的飾品中，常?？梢娨环N造型像魚的彎鉤形狀物件，韓國民間稱作“曲魚” 、“曲玉”，學(xué)術(shù)界則叫“勾玉”。

天馬冢出土的金器、玻璃盞和大量勾玉，似乎幽幽訴說著遙遠歲月里新羅經(jīng)過海上絲綢之路與西方世界交流的傳奇故事。

鄭守一教授介紹，韓半島通過海路與南方海路沿岸地區(qū)間的交流遺跡非常多，至今存在著一些語言學(xué)“活化石”。百年前，美國傳教士豪末·赫爾波特就提出此問題，卻沒有引起學(xué)術(shù)界足夠重視。前不久，鄭教授與其他學(xué)者到南印度和斯里蘭卡調(diào)查，發(fā)現(xiàn)韓語與泰米爾語發(fā)音、語意相同的詞竟達500多個。這肯定不是偶然巧合。

展品中，除十二支神面石像，還有以其為表現(xiàn)題材的青銅秤砣、蠟石像、石雕像、泥塑像、青銅像等，都是人身“支”首，有的精巧華麗，有的細節(jié)逼真，有的神情生動，有的簡潔樸拙，從不同角度折射出古代新羅人的審美情趣和生活態(tài)度。

佛教美術(shù)廳，不管是形制獨特的磚石塔、土塔、舍利供養(yǎng)容器，還是綠松石、瑪瑙、玻璃珠、水晶石、玉珠、海螺、金銀器之類供養(yǎng)品，抑或用漢文書寫的塔志碑，都呈現(xiàn)出韓民族文化的包容性和佛教藝術(shù)的繁盛。三國時期的新羅屋瓦也獨具特色，有蓮花紋、寶相花紋、唐草紋、人面紋、迦陵頻加紋、麒麟紋、龍紋等。蓮花紋在表現(xiàn)形式和雕刻手法上各不相同。慶州靈廟寺遺址出土的人面紋表情安靜，面帶微笑，使人聯(lián)想到希臘、羅馬的健美雕塑。迦陵頻加紋則一點都不陌生，是敦煌壁畫中的常見題材。

佛教藝術(shù)第二展廳中大多陳列金銅佛像、石雕佛像、摩崖佛像、十一面觀音菩薩像、明活山城筑城碑、北漢山真興王巡守碑、壬申誓記石、意次頓殉教碑等雕塑。石刻藝術(shù)品手法樸拙，技藝高超，溫潤而不失大氣，含蓄卻不覺拘謹，它們組成強大的石雕藝術(shù)陣容，彰顯著新羅時期人們的審美能力和輝煌成就，也透露出那個王朝之所以強盛、繁華的歷史密碼。

我們在每一件文物前都駐足許久，不忍離開。不知不覺，閉館時間到了。出展廳，夜色微茫，寒氣襲人。走在靜謐的路上，我的內(nèi)心充實、愉悅，為韓國人對文化的尊重感到由衷的敬佩。天地之大，還有什么比齊心協(xié)力為共同的目標而奮斗更有意義？

山的堅韌，海的開闊

前兩天接地氣，接人氣，看博物館，對韓半島通過陸路、海路與世界的歷史狀況有了感性認識。相關(guān)文獻知識也在它們的故土復(fù)活了，鮮活了。

這真是一次難得的跨國田野考察。

10月30日，“海洋絲綢之路國際學(xué)術(shù)會議”在慶州希爾頓酒店舉行。

慶尚北道行政副知事朱洛榮先生、慶尚北道絲綢之路事業(yè)推進部總括企劃首席處長金日煥先生、韓東大學(xué)空間環(huán)境工學(xué)部教授李大俊、慶尚北道絲綢之路事業(yè)推進部探險隊運營首席處長金惠麟先生、東海研究所所長金東成先生、建筑學(xué)專家裴奎星等先生陸續(xù)到達。參加會議的還有其他大學(xué)教授、學(xué)生150人左右。

儒雅的朱洛榮先生同我交換名片后，彬彬有禮說：“我是朱熹的后代。”

學(xué)術(shù)會議準時開始，內(nèi)容分為開幕式、政策發(fā)言、主題發(fā)言和綜合討論。

韓國學(xué)術(shù)會議組織得非常嚴謹，每個環(huán)節(jié)都很細致。學(xué)者發(fā)表演講，都嚴格遵守時間。田有珍女士一絲不茍地翻譯。在她幫助下，我了解到韓國學(xué)者報告的大概內(nèi)容，如《從文物看史前時代的韓日文化交流》、《海洋絲綢之路的交流港口》（韓國東南亞大研究所洪喜俊教授）、《張保皋與亞洲的海上交易》（李有珍教授）、《海上絲綢之路與東海：歷史與未來》（嶺南大學(xué)獨島研究所裴桂成）、《慧超看的印度與中央亞西亞》、《推進海洋絲綢之路的海洋文化史的意義》、《張保皋船團的海上活動與交易》、《通過張保皋原船舶的新羅船復(fù)原事例》、《為確保海洋絲綢之路探險船舶的安全性的提案》、《根據(jù)古代氣候與海流，研究海洋絲綢之路探險航路》、《在海洋絲綢之路探險上，海洋科學(xué)的活用》等。

盡管田有珍非常敬業(yè)，仍然趕不上學(xué)者發(fā)言速度。但我還是了解到一些新的歷史文化交流知識，得到很多啟發(fā)。例如，通過李有珍教授演講的《張保皋與亞洲的海上交易》，我首次了解到這位對海上貿(mào)易做出重大貢獻的將軍。

張保皋，790年生于新羅，好武術(shù)，善水性。807年與好友鄭年入唐參加武寧軍，屢建戰(zhàn)功，819年擢遷至武寧軍小將。824年在赤山（今石島灣）建立赤山法華院。每年農(nóng)歷八月十五，新羅人在這里集聚，載歌載舞，歡度節(jié)日，赤山法華院遂成為新羅人文化活動中心和往返大唐的驛站。日本國佛教天臺宗高僧圓仁隨遣唐使滕原常嗣一行西渡求法，先后三次客居法華院，得到當?shù)毓倮簟⒕用窈头ㄈA院僧侶資助，再往五臺山、長安等地求法巡禮。圓仁歸國后，為感謝赤山人民的情意，讓弟子在日本京都小野山以赤山為名修建赤山禪院。他還編著《入唐求法巡禮行記》，使赤山法華院名揚海內(nèi)外。

828年，張保皋回到新羅，奏請興德王批準，清海鎮(zhèn)成立大本營，招募1萬島民組成軍隊，蕩平多股日本海盜。他又組建龐大船隊往返新羅、中國、日本，進行海運和商業(yè)貿(mào)易，并在莞島象皇峰、濟州島河源洞建法華院，與山東半島赤山法華院互為海運貿(mào)易聯(lián)絡(luò)點，形成以清海鎮(zhèn)為大本營，以赤山（榮成石島鎮(zhèn)）、登州（山東蓬萊）、萊州（山東萊州）、泗州（安徽泗縣）、楚州（江蘇淮安）、揚州（江蘇揚州）、明州（浙江寧波）、泉州（福建泉州）及日本九州為基點的海運商業(yè)貿(mào)易網(wǎng)絡(luò)。新羅入唐經(jīng)商、求學(xué)、從業(yè)、居留的人迅速增多，僅赤山一帶就有十多個新羅村。從赤山到文登、牟平、登州、青州、臨淄、長山等地沿途有許多專為新羅人提供服務(wù)的新羅院。

學(xué)者多次提到的另一位重要歷史人物是新羅僧人慧超?；鄢蠹s出生在700年，青年時前往五印度諸國巡禮，先后到東印度、中印度、南印度、西印度、北印度，再經(jīng)波斯、阿富汗、帕米爾、喀什、龜茲、焉耆返回長安，著有《往五天竺國傳》，記錄從中國去古印度探求圣跡所經(jīng)歷國家、地區(qū)、城邦以及中國西北地理、宗教信仰、佛教流傳情況及風(fēng)土習(xí)俗等。原書三卷，已佚?；哿账兑磺薪?jīng)音義》中有摘錄。1908年，伯希和在敦煌藏經(jīng)洞發(fā)現(xiàn)唐人節(jié)錄的一卷本，并附有五言漢詩三首。此傳殘卷發(fā)現(xiàn)后，引起學(xué)界重視，紛紛考證、箋釋、翻譯。

人文學(xué)者演講完，自然科學(xué)研究領(lǐng)域?qū)W者發(fā)言。他們對考察船性能、排水量等進行論證，甚至涉及到“遇到海盜如何應(yīng)對”之類嚴肅命題。人文學(xué)者希望能駕駛新羅時代的帆船出航，那樣更真實，更有意義?？茖W(xué)家則認為安全第一。

韓半島豐厚的文化積淀蘊含在那些將生活氣息與藝術(shù)風(fēng)格完美結(jié)合的翁仲、雕塑、裝飾、配件及屋宇建筑里。首次如此深入地接觸到海洋絲綢之路，無疑是饕餮大宴。一個民族，不管她的人數(shù)是多少，也不管她擁有多大的國土面積，只要她能創(chuàng)造出有益于人類的文化，就已經(jīng)足夠強大了。心靈強大，文化強大，才是真正的、永恒的強大！

In late October 2013， invited by South Korea？North Gyeongsang， I had the pleasure to investigate the old Silla and attended the “Ocean Silk Road International Academic Conference”， which was sponsored by North Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang Times， undertaken by South Korea Marine Science and Technology Institute and jointly held by South Korea Marine Consortium， South Korea Maritime University and the government of Gyeongju city.

In order to develop Silk Road culture， a special institution named Korea Silk Road Project was established in South Korea North Gyeongsang with Mr. Jin Nanyi as its manager. I met Mr. Jin in International Academic Conference of Dunhuang and Silk Road sponsored by Lanzhou University in July， 2013. This time we were pleased to meet again in Silla and after the simple greetings， he introduced the main achievements and future plans of KoreaSouth Silk Road items passionately. The eminent achievements in 2013 are the two batches of expeditions. The first batch of expedition consisted of 76 people who had traveled 5000 kilometers from Gyeongju to Xian， from 21st March to 4th April. The second batch of expedition consisted of 24 people who had traveled 16，000 kilometers from Xian to Istanbul， from 17th July to 31st August. Both of the expeditions had traveled for two months through China， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyz， Uzbek， Turkmen， Iran and Turkey and they had completed the journey of the Land Silk Road full of passion. They will hold “Ocean Silk Road Global March” in 2014 and “The International Academic Conference of Ocean Silk Road” will be held， in which discussions will be made from the academic， scientific and security aspects.

After supper， I embraced the invitation from Sun Wenzhi and chatted in a café. Mr. Sun was a gentleman who was fond of cultures and whose speech and manners were full of cultural atmosphere. About 100 meters on the opposite of the café， there surprisingly stood a huge and dignified Mausoleum surrounded by several ancient trees which have experienced thousand years winds and rains. Mr. Sun showed the heritage photos on his cell phone and told me that the structure and form of such tomb are similar to the Scythians. In Chinese Historical Records and The Book of Former Han， it is recorded that the Scythians is called the Sakas， the Hat Sai or the Sakya people， who was good at horse keeping. The Scythians originated from Eastern Iran belonging to the Indo-European language family and lived in the southern Russian steppe. It was the recorded oldest nomadic ethic， whose nomadic region extended from the eastern Russia to Mongolia and Erdos desert.

In the long history， what is the relationship between the Scythians and the ancestors of Silla？

Mr. Sun and I were talking much and deeply and our thoughts were strolling in the history and culture of Silla.

I said emotionally， “It is the first time that I have enjoyed coffee in a place which is so near to the ancient relic.”

“Not near”， Mr. Sun smiled， “It is the center of culture that you are in.”

Ancient but Fresh Culture of Silla

On 29th Oct， Mr. Sun guided me to investigate the relics of Gyeongju culture.

He was enthusiastic， optimistic and a great talker to introduce the history and culture of Silla incessantly. It seemed that he wanted to present each fragment of culture in this ancient place without reservation.

Gyeongju city， the origin place of Silla culture， lies in the center part of the south-east Gyeongju Basin of South Korea North Gyeongsang. This place is surrounded by mountains， with Meiji Mountain in the east， Yunv Mount and Xiantao Mount in the west， Gold Dragon-Turtle Mountain in the south and Kumgang Mountain in the north. Besides， it is an interchange of three rivers named Xi Chuan， Nan Chuan and Bei Chuan， which makes it a splendid and grand city.In 57 BC， the ancient King of Silla built the capital city here， and as a capital the city lasted prosperously for near one thousand years， during which it experienced the Three Kingdoms stage and the union of the whole Korea by Silla， till it was destroyed by Koryo in 923 BC. In History of the Three Kingdoms， it was recorded that the capital city of Silla was modeled on Changan City in Tang Dynasty. During its most prosperous time， the population of it was over a million， which was nine times the population of Gyeongju city. Gyeongju is known as “a culture museum without enclosure”， because it is a place where the historical， cultural， and artistic relics are most plentiful in South Korea and Korean Peninsular. Here， the relics scatter all over the place both in urban and rural areas， including more than 50 Royal Tombs， such as the outer city（Yamashiro） built in Silla times， the palace（Gyeongiu Wdseong）， the Mang etsu-ji built by the fifth Dancing King of Silla， the royal detached palace where the game of floating wine had been held， one of the earliest Asian stone-built observatories， the Water Lake Jujube Wild Geese and Ducks Pool built by Munmu of Silla， and the Three Body Buddha which were built under the influence of Chinese Sui Dynasty. Besides， there are also numerous relics such as Bunhwangsa Pagoda， the ruins of Royal Dragon Temple， the tomb of General Kimyu Xin， Liang Dong village， Buddhist Temple， Cave Temple， Gyeerim， Rock-glacial Creep and other precious relics which can not be viewed totally within a short time.

Mr. Sun chose the most reasonable route to let me see more cultural sites.

The first is the Tomp of King Heungdeok， which is located in a village six kilometers away across the river of Gyeongju city. Our car was running in natural “oxygen bar”， and the travel was not boring at all. The autumn leaves on the mountains are gorgeous and intoxicating. Some magpies flied leisurely on both sides of the road， singing and dancing， sounding the same as those in Lanzhou， Baiyin， Gulang， Minqin and other places， no language barriers were felt.

Pointing to the signs， Mr. Sun said： “This sign marks the road leading to Liangdong village， the hometown of Li Yandi.”

Li Yandi is a philosopher in ancient Korea and an admirer of Zhu Xi. In 1530， being an official crowded out， Li Yandi lived in seclusion for seven years in Gyeongju， studying Neo-Confucianism. In 1537， he returned to official circles， and ten years later， he was exiled again until death. Li Yandi wrote 13 volumes of Hui Study Records， and many famous philosophy books.

I felt shamed that I did not know that Neo-Confucianism had been spread into Korea， and its influence had been so great.

Passing through some quiet fields， we arrived at the Tomp of King Heungdeok. It is clear， sunny， and foggy mountains far away and the quiet woods nearby add a solemn atmosphere to the tomb. On the gentle slopes， the pine forest is green and exuberant， smelling pure and fresh. We looked at the tomb with reverence. At the end of the pine forest， there was the Tomp of King Heungdeok. The way to the tomb is full of green， and the pine trees on both sides are definitely tidy. Standing in front of the tomb are two pairs of Whenzhong， one pair are civil ones and the other pair are military ones， who are tall with burly， majestic looks， large eyes， broad face， and mustache looks like the western people. I guess its prototype is Sogdian. Mr Sun said that some central Asian tourists also considered these officials have the features of their ancestors. King Heungdeok， who had an open mind and thought， let foreign military commanders guard his tomb. It is this spirit and temperament that can promote material and culture communication. It is said that Chinese tea is also introduced into the country when King Heungdeok was in power.

Because of the reverence for King Heungdeok， we lingered around Whenzhong， evaluating the statues. Wengzhong， originally referred to the stone statues of Huns， was a real historical figure named Ruan Wenzhong. He was a very intrepid general guarding Lintao. After his death， the First Emperor of Qin Dynasty built a bronze statue of him and put it outside the gate of Xianyang Palace， called “Gold Warriors”， “Bronze Warriors”， Jindi”， “Changdi”， and “Xiadi”. Since then， the warriors standing before the palace， temple， and tomb were called Wengzhong. Later， only the stone statures of officials standing before tombs were so called. From Huns to Qin Dynasty， Tang Dynasty， and then Silla， WengZhong statue is clearly a way of cultural communication passing through history and crossing nations.

We walked on the soft grass， bending forward， step by step， and reached the mound. The tomb of King Heungdeok looks like a mantou， with stone as base and a fence. On the protecting stones were carved the statues of twelve animals such as ox， tiger， snake， monkey， and rabbit. Although they have experienced 1200 years ups and downs， they are still lifelike and charmingly naive， as if the time did not leave any imprints in their mind. These adorable deities and Wengzhong statues， pine trees， birds， magpies， white clouds and sun， all of them silently accompanied King Heungdeok and his rani day and night. It is said that the rani died in the first year after King Heungdeok got the power， and the king was in a deep grief. 11 years later， after his death， he was buried together with his rani. According to The Three Kingdoms， King Heungdeok once raised a pair of mandarin ducks， of which the female one died of illness. King Heungdeok put a mirror in the cage for the husband to mourn his wife. However，the male mandarin duck mistakenly assumed that the mirror image was the female one， so he desperately pecked the mirror， and eventually he himself died. This story is very sad and affecting。

When I was enjoying the quietness and comfortableness of the tomb area， suddenly， a fawn jumped out from the left of the pine forest， ran through mountainous lawn to the pine forest on the right.

After the visit to the Tomb of King Heungdeok， we arrived at the Museum of Dongguk University， which was firstly built by the Buddhist monks and had a history of 100 years. Its headquarters was in Seoul， and the one in Gyeongju was its branch school. The students in this university have to take courses of Buddhism.

Mr Li Dongxian， the director of the museum greeted us. Entering the door， with the windows of old culture opened up one by one in a city center of highly developed modern civilization， we enjoyed Oriental cultural feast that ancient Silla people created in Gyeongju. All kinds of figures of Buddha on Duck-shaped earthenware， bone pots， clay image， lotus-pattern eaves tiles， ghost face tiles， tower-like brick and flat eaves tiles， every object has a long history， and every form has a beautiful， vivid， and culturally mixed story. I deeply felt that， for the rich art and thoughts， even if words can carry as bixi， can write history magnificently， they cannot carry all the thoughts or describe the details of arts.

It is surprising that South Korea had such a glorious ancient culture and art. I was amazed when browsing， and browsed with amazement. When he found that I was intoxicated，Mr. Sun showed national pride spontaneously on his whole body. His love for culture is not less than any Chinese scholar.

After visiting the museum， we went to the nearby restaurant to have a nap. On both sides of the restaurants door， there was a Chinese couplet. Its interior furnished simply， and was full of vitality. A piece of smiling-face sculpture， a string of red and green peppers， unknown dried flowers and Chinese calligraphy “Long” were randomly arranged. The guests come and go endlessly. Most of the dishes are kimchi of South Korean， and the staple food is a big bowl of noodles. Before then， I thought that the bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles is dominating the world. However， this bowl is like a small basin， and it is not appropriate to be called as a bowl.

After finishing the meal， we said goodbye to Mr. Li Dongxian， and then hurried for the tomb King Shengde， which is located in the south of Gyeongju. On both sides of the road， the nearby view is farmland， and the distant view is mountains covered with gorgeous autumn clothing， views full of poetry， Buddhism， and past times， only the traces of urbanization removed neatly.

The host of the tomb of King Shengde is the 38th King---Jin Jingxin （785 ～ 798） in Silla. In Silla， most of kings surname is Kim since the 13th king. It is said that the ancestor of Kim in Gyeongju was born in Gyerim. People say that one day Hogong heard a cock crowing in a piece of woods and when he approached it， he saw a golden box hanging on the branches. He immediately reported the news to the emperor and the emperor found a child with surname Kim was in the box. He then named him Kim Alji， and the wood was correspondingly called Gyerim. Gyerim was an important place for later dynasties and now it is a tourist attraction.

When King Shengde was in power， he implemented a special policy to select talents. When he died， there was water in the tomb， and the coffin had to be hanged， so the tomb is also called “Hanging Tomb”， whose scale is greater than the tomb of Xingde King. The soft grass in the middle extends to the gate of the tomb， and on both sides there are pines， Huabiao stone， civil and military Wengzhong statues， stone lions， etc. On the stone outside the gate， there are still twelve gods， escorting around the tomb. The twelve gods， introduced from China in the period of uniting Silla， record time and orientation， and at first they were made of clay and buried in tombs， and then slowly became the patron saint of the tomb. It is also the main content of carving on sunny side of pagoda， stone lamp and other Buddhist art.

The square tomb， adjacent to the tomb of King Shengde ， is located in the west of Dade Mountain. The master of the tomb has not been proven. It is very close to the tomb of Shengde King， and maybe that he was an outstanding civil servant or military commander who was allowed to be buried near the king.

The National Gyeongju Museum

National Gyeongju Museum，consisting of archaeological museum， art museum， the wild goose duck pool pavilion and outdoor exhibition hall， is the second high-level museum in Korea only inferior to the National Seoul Museum. The museum adjoins to the Royal Tomb Group， the Observatory， and Gyeongju Moon City. It was set up in 1945 as a branch of the South Koreas National Museum and in 1975 it became the National Gyeongju Museum. It mainly displayed all kinds of cultural heritage from prehistoric times， ancient Silla， Kaya cultural circle to the era of uniting Silla.

When we arrived， many primary and middle school students in Gyeongju were studying in the front of the stone statues guided by their teachers. The students were naive， laughing and saying， adding a lot of vitality to the heavy and rich atmosphere of history.

Our first visiting aim was the bell of King Shengde . The bell was made of bronze， 3.36 meters high， and it weighs 23 tons. It was said that， when the bell was casted， a nine year old girl died as sacrifice， and when the bell was finished， it sounded like Amy， similar to the sound of “Mum” in Korean， so the bell was named as Amy bell. On the outside of the bell， there are the statues of Fly Apsaras and inscriptions， and the appearance and structure of the Fly Apsaras are almost the same as those in Dunhuang Cave， while the obvious different part is their gestures： the Apsaras in Duhuang are dancing freely while those in Korea are kneeling，which indicates that Sengde Kings desire for going to the Elysian Fields was so strong and sincere.

During the visit， Zheng Shouyi， a cultural scholar， representative of South Korean Cultural Exchanging Institute， and professor of Korea Dankook University went for an inspection in Gyeongju from Seoul. Professor Zheng has lived in China for more than 30 years， and understands Chinese， so it was very convenient for our communication. We had a happy visit and made timely discussions.

The cultural exhibitions that the archaeological museum exhibit can trace the history of Gyeongju back to the Stone Age of 5.4 to 5.6 ten thousand years ago. There are many representative relics there， which continue the ancient history and culture， and move forward with the waves of the long river of human civilization. In 57 BC， Silla was established， gradually merger some small kingdoms， and then it walked into the boom period in an all-round way. Chinese advocates jade，while Silla people worships gold， and so Silla is known as the “golden state”. The golden crown， golden crown cap， butterfly-shape accessories and waistbands， unearthed from No.98 Ancient Tomb， embody the extraordinary wisdom and excellent skills of Silla people. Among the ornaments that matched with the plastrons， necklaces and pendants， there is a kind of fishlike hook-shaped objects that are called“Crooked fish”，“Crooked jade” or “Hook jade” in South Korea.

Gold vessels， Glass lamps and Hook jades unearthed from Cheonmachong seem to tell us a historical story about the communication between the Maritime Silk Road and the whole world.

According to the introduction of Professor Zheng Shouyi， there are a lot of archaeological sites displaying the frequent communication via sea route between the Korean peninsula and the south sea coast， including some living linguistic fossils. About one hundred years ago， American missionary Homer Herbert raised the issues. However， his issues did not attract the attention of academic fields. Shortly before， Professor Zheng and other scholars went to the southern India and Sri Lanka， and they found that there are more than 500 Korean and Tamil words bearing the same pronunciation and meaning， which is by no means an incidental coincidence.

Among these exhibits， besides the twelve earthly branches stone statues， there are many bronze weights， wax stone statues， stone statues， clay sculptures， bronze statues， and all the statues have an animal head as Chinese shuxiang. Some statues are delicate or luxuriant， some simple or vivid， some simple and concise， which all express the ancient Silla peoples aesthetic tastes and the attitudes toward life.

In the hall of Buddhist arts， all kinds of exhibits present the inclusiveness of Korean ethnic culture and the prosperity of Buddhist art. The Silla roofing tiles made in the period of the Three Kingdoms are also unique， and they have many types of decorative designs. The lotus pattern is not identical in the expression forms and carving techniques. The face lines unearthed in Gyeongju are quiet and smiling， which reminded us of the bodybuilding sculptures in Greek and Roman. There are also familiar lines that are common in Dunhuang murals.

In the second display hall of Buddhist art， most of the exhibits are gold and copper statues， stone statues， cliff statues， eleven-side Avalokitesvara statue， fortification stelae， and many other stelae. The techniques of stone carving arts are simple and skilled， warm and elegant， implicative but not overcautious. They form a powerful array of stone carving arts， which reveals Silla peoples aesthetic ability and glorious achievements， and also indicates the reasons why that dynasty was powerful and prosperous.

We stood before every piece for a long time， unwilling to leave. Unconsciously， the closing hour was coming. Going out of the exhibition hall， the night was quite cold. Walking on the quiet road， my heart was full of pleasure， and the admiration for South Korean peoples respects for culture. Under the sun， what is more significant than united and fighting for a common goal？

The Tenacity of the Mountain and the Broadness of the Sea

The first two days were spent learning the people， visiting the museums and in this way I had a perceptual knowledge about the situation of Korean peninsula and its communication with the world through land and sea. The pieces of information got through reading became fresh and alive in their homeland.

It was a precious transnational fieldwork.

On October 30th， “International Academic Conference of Marine Silk Road” was held in Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju.

Mr. Zhu Luorong（Vice executive governor of North Gyeongsang）， Mr. Jin Rihuan（Chief director of the silk road business department of North Gyeongsang）， professor Li Dajun（Space environment engineering department in Han Dong university）， Mr. Jin Huilin（Chief director of expedition team of the silk road business department of North Gyeongsang）， Mr. Jin Dongcheng（Director of East Sea institute）， and Mr. PeiKui （one of architecture experts） attended the meeting， and about 150 university professors and students were present.

Mr Zhu Luorong exchanged business cards with me and politely said： “I am a descendant of Zhu Xi.”

The academic meeting began on time， which has four parts： the opening， the speech of policy， keynote address and the comprehensive discussion.

The academic conference was organized very rigorously， and linked close in every detail. The scholars strictly abided by the time when they made a speech， and Ms Tian Youzhen meticulously made the translation. With her help， I learned the rough content of south Korean scholars report， such as Prehistoric Cultural Exchange between Korea and Japan from the Cultural Relics， the Communication Port of the Marine Silk Road （professor Hong XiJun of southeast Asia institute in South Korea）， Marine Trade between Zhang Baogao and Asia （professor Li Youzhen）， the Maritime Silk Road and the East Sea： History and Future （Pei Guicheng in university of Lingnan Dokdo Institute）， India and Central Asia in the Eyes of Hui Chao， The Significance of Promoting the History of the Marine Silk Road， The Maritime Activities and Trade of Zhang Baogao Ship Group， the Recover Case through Zhang Baogas Original Ship， The Proposal Aiming to Ensure the Safety of Marine Silk Road Adventure， Studying the Expedition Route of Marine Silk Road According to the Ancient Climate and Ocean Currents， the Flexible Use of Marine Science on the Marine Silk Road Exploration， etc.

In spite of Ms Tian Youzhens professionalism， she still cannot keep pace with the speed of scholars speaking. But I still learned some new knowledge about historical cultural exchange and got a lot of inspiration. For example， according to Marine Trade between Zhang Baogao and Asia （Professor Li Youzhen）， I first knew about the general who made a significant contribution to the maritime trade.

Zhang Baogao， born in 790 in Silla， liked martial arts and was good at swimming. In the year of 807， he joined Wuning Army of Tang Dynasty with his friend Tang Jiawu， and after many victories， he was promoted as a young general in 819. In 824， he established Fa Hua Temple in Red Mountain， Shandong. Every Mid-autumn festival， Silla people there would gather in the temple， singing and dancing， to celebrate the festival， and then Red Mountain Fa Hua Temple became the culture activity center and station for Silla people to visit Tang Dynasty. A famous Japanese Buddhist monk， on his way to seek Buddhist scriptures in China， was helped by the local officials， residents and monks in Fa Hua Temple for three times， and with their help， he went to Wutai Mountain， Changan and other places. After the Monk returned to Japan， he let his disciples build Fa Hua Temple to show his affection to Red Mountain people. He also compiled Records on the Way to Tang， which made the Red Mountain Fa Hua Temple famous at home and abroad.

In 828， Zhang Baogao returned to Silla， got the kings approval， set up the base camp in Qinghai Town， recruited 10，000 islanders as soldiers， and swept away many strands of Japanese pirates. He also organized large fleets to make sea transportation and commercial trade with China and Japan， and a system of commerce that connecting many place of China， Japan， and Silla was established. The number of Silla people who went to China to do business， to study， to work and to reside increased rapidly， and there were more than ten Silla villages only in the area of Red Mountain. There were many Silla yards providing services for Silla people on their journey through Shandong.

Another important historical figure who was mentioned many times by the scholars is a Silla monk Hui Chao， born in the year of 700 or so. In his youth， he went to five India states to visit the sacred lands， and he successively reached East India， Central India， South India， West India， North India， and then returned to Changan through Persia， Afghanistan， Pamir， Kashgar， Qiuci and Yanqi， and he wrote the book Records of the Journey to Five Indian Kingdoms， which recorded the countries， regions and states he visited from China to ancient India， including the geography of northwest China， the religions， the spread situation of Buddhism， the people and customs there， etc. The book was composed of three volumes， but it has been lost. Hui Lin kept some of the contents in his book. In 1908， Paul Pelliot discovered a volume excerpted by a person of Tang Dynasty in Dunhuang， attaching three Chinese poems. After the discovery of the fragments， scholars paid much attention to it， and many researches have been done.

When the humanities scholars finished their lectures， the scholars of natural science made speeches. They demonstrated the ship performance， their displacement， and some serious questions as “how to deal with pirates” were discussed. The humanists hoped to drive the sailing ship of Silla era， which would be more real and meaningful， while the scientists thought that the safety should be put in the first position.

The rich cultural accumulation of Korean peninsula is indicated by those Wengzhong， sculptures， decoratives，fittings， and buildings that perfectily combined the vitality with the art. For the first time， I came into deep contact with the Marine Silk Road， which is undoubtedly a gluttonous feast to me. A nation， no matter how much is its population and land area， as long as she can create a culture that is conducive to human， it is strong. Strong mind and strong culture make a real and eternal strong nation.

（ Translated by Gao Meimei ）