The Great Dunhuang

This film (drama)Also known as大敦煌，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2006Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating8.2(For reference only)。

The Great Dunhuang Story OutlineThe Great Dunhuang adopts the creative form of three historical stages: the Song Dynasty, the late Qing Dynasty, and the Republic of China, using the fate of a golden Tang Sutra as a thread to reflect the formation, development, glory, decline, and rebirth of Dunhuang over a millennium.The Great Dunhuang structures its narrative around three mysterious and legendary stories of "treasure hunting, treasure stealing, and treasure guarding," showcasing the splendor, tribulations, and rebirth of Dunhuang culture.Director Chen Jialin's metaphor: the first part is a stunningly beautiful maiden; the second part is a frail young woman severely ravaged; the third part is a strong woman who has matured to enlightenment.The Great Dunhuang is a legendary historical drama, a beautifully tragic artistic epic.(First Part) SynopsisDuring the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the state of Yutian was destroyed by the Dazhi army, and the little princess Meiduo escaped to Dunhuang under the protection of a monk from Yutian to seek her sister Zhenniang. On the way, she encounters Li Yuanhao, the king of the Western Xia, who aims to dominate the Western Regions. Li Yuanhao has been eyeing Dunhuang for a long time and orders his general Wang Rong to escort Meiduo to Dunhuang under the pretense of seeking revenge for Yutian, leading Cao Shunde, the leader of the Gu义 army guarding Dunhuang, into a dilemma.Ten years ago, Li Yuanhao had pursued Cao Shunde's wife, Zhenniang, but Zhenniang married Cao Shunde instead, making Cao and Li rivals. Li Yuanhao's request to borrow a route clearly hints at his ulterior motives; Cao Shunde fears a loan without repayment and feels the situation is critical, so he secretly asks the court for help. Unfortunately, the Northern Song is currently at war with the Khitan and has no time to manage Western Region affairs, only dispatching the court painter Fang Tianyou to escort a golden Tang Sutra to Dunhuang in the hope of using the scriptures to further cement Dunhuang's status as a Buddhist capital, deterring Li Yuanhao from acting rashly.The suave Fang Tianyou arrives in Dunhuang, where his flamboyant personality and outstanding talent captivate Meiduo at first sight, while Meiduo's noble temperament and stunning beauty also attract Fang Tianyou. Unexpectedly, the naturally straightforward Wang Rong also falls for Meiduo and approaches Cao Shunde with a marriage proposal on Li Yuanhao's behalf. While the marriage discussion is pending, Li Yuanhao requests to temporarily borrow the golden Tang Sutra for worship. After Cao Shunde politely declines, Li Yuanhao suddenly sends troops to Guazhou, swiftly capturing this crucial stronghold controlled by the Uygur army, which maintains Dunhuang's lifeline, and then informs Cao Shunde that Guazhou will serve as Wang Rong's bride price for marrying Meiduo. The situation in Dunhuang quickly becomes precarious.To deal with Li Yuanhao's threat, after failing to obtain help from the court, Cao Shunde and Fang Tianyou decide to ally with various factions in the Western Regions to resist Li Yuanhao. To their surprise, due to Li Yuanhao's overwhelming power, the various factions hesitate to ally with Dunhuang, leaving Dunhuang isolated and in a desperate situation. The marriage alliance between Meiduo and Wang Rong becomes an unavoidable choice, and hiding the golden Tang Sutra and thousands of scriptures becomes urgent.To gain time to excavate the scripture cave, Meiduo reluctantly agrees to marry the man she does not love, Wang Rong, but on their wedding night, she can no longer suppress her longing for Fang Tianyou and flees. Wang Rong frantically searches for Meiduo to no avail and, in anger, leads his army to attack Dunhuang.Cao Shunde's constant tolerance of Li Yuanhao's provocations leads to disappointment among his subordinates, who then turn against him. Consequently, Dunhuang collapses without a fight, and Cao Shunde is killed by his own officers. To save the people of Dunhuang from suffering, Zhenniang courageously leaves the city to meet Li Yuanhao, and after receiving his promise not to slaughter the city, she calmly jumps into the fire to commit self-immolation.Wang Rong arrives at the Mogao Caves searching for Meiduo, and in a fit of rage, he unleashes violence in this sacred Buddhist site. At that moment, Meiduo is sealing the last scripture cave with Fang Tianyou. Knowing there’s no way to escape, Meiduo leaps off a cliff to protect Fang Tianyou…In the vast desert, Fang Tianyou stumbles forward holding a scroll depicting the scripture cave, unfortunately falling into quicksand. After a gust of wind passes, the desert falls silent, as if nothing had happened.The sky sways the scroll higher and higher.In the distance, the deranged Wang Rong rides in with Meiduo's corpse, moving deeper into the desert, gradually fading away.(Second Part) SynopsisIn the late Qing Dynasty, Qin Wenming, an official in the Ministry of Works, was sent to Dunhuang to collect jade, only to mysteriously disappear without a trace. His lover, Chunxia, then went mad.Qin Wenming's twin brother, Qin Wenyu, rushes to Dunhuang to search for his brother but finds himself entangled in a convoluted conspiracy. He stays alone in the desert, determined to uncover the mystery of his brother's death. During this time, he relies on his classmate County Magistrate Yan and befriends the camel driver Dagang, and connects with craftsman Wang Youxiang and the apricot blossom father-daughter duo, peeling back the layers of the mystery.In the meantime, he has several chance encounters with the local "bandit" leader, Honglian. Miraculously, Chunxia regains her sanity after seeing him. With the help of two women, Qin Wenyu is astonished to discover the secret of Qin Wenming's death, hidden within half a Buddhist scripture left for himself.Knowledgeable about cultural relics, Qin Wenyu identifies the scripture as an ancient relic from Dunhuang, firmly believing that the rumors of treasures in Dunhuang are not groundless.At this time, British explorers Baker and John arrive in Dunhuang seeking treasure, only to be firmly rejected by Yan. Just then, a landslide occurs, and the century-old scripture caves suddenly reappear. Greedy Daoist Wang foolishly allows Baker and others to recklessly loot the national treasure. Qin Wenyu inherits his brother's will and urges Yan to pursue treasures in the desert. However, news arrives that the Eight-Nation Alliance has invaded Beijing, and the Qing court is humiliatedly pleading. Yan's attitude shifts from rejection to obsequiousness towards foreigners. He colludes with Baker and others, letting the treasure-hunting explorers leave the country with gifts.Despairing of the authorities, Qin Wenyu decides to "seek help from the wild" as a last resort. Together with "Flying Sky King" Honglian and others who take on the mission of guarding the treasures, they pursue the treasure but fall into an ambush by the imperial army. Seizing the opportunity, Yan captures Honglian in exchange for rewards. Chunxia bravely rescues Honglian, sacrifices herself willingly, while Qin Wenyu, Honglian, Dagang, and others also fall to the weapons of government soldiers...The "Flying Sky King" persists. A batch of extremely precious Dunhuang artifacts has already fallen into the hands of Baker and John. The hoofprints in the rolling yellow sand leave evidence of these robbers' crimes...(Third Part) SynopsisIn 1936, a year before the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance. Against the backdrop of an impending storm, the painter Liang Moyan and his wife, the sculptor Su Qingping, embark on a long journey westward to fulfill their dreams of Dunhuang.However, this road is completely different from what they imagined. Before reaching Dunhuang, they experience the harsh reality behind the beautiful and desolate scenery of Northwest China, including kidnappings by bandits, treachery from thieves, confrontations with Japanese invaders, and the indifference of uninformed crowds, along with the corruption and pushing of the Nationalist government.The Liang couple originally came to seek nourishment, but witnessing the ruin and destruction of Dunhuang's murals, Liang Moyan's artistic conscience prompts him to make a significant decision to convert from artist to protector. With his wife's understanding and support, they win over the local people through wisdom and sincerity, influencing many young people, and engage in fierce battles against treasure hunters and plunderers, ultimately paying with their lives.Liang Moyan has an "infatuation" with Dunhuang; he embodies both childlike innocence and elder wisdom. After deeply exploring the techniques of Dunhuang murals, he comes to understand Dunhuang's spirit. Ultimately, he puts aside personal interests, writing a brilliant poem of the Western Regions with his life. His wife, Su Qingping, played an irreplaceable role in this process. She possesses not only the delicate tenderness characteristic of women but also a commendable resilience and responsibility deep within her character. Initially, her support can be seen as stemming from love for her husband, but later she embraces a clearer understanding and burden of righteousness. To a great extent, she is his shadow, and he is her mirror. They share a single heart, walking in each other’s footsteps. Their love, born from arduous struggles, is precious and heart-wrenching due to their parting. Later, though Liang Moyan falls, Su Qingping continues to depict in peace, reminding us that Dunhuang's cause has successors.Sanye Chiba, a young painter from Japan, embarks on a journey to pursue his dream of Dunhuang, carrying a secret mission—to find the whereabouts of the golden Tang Sutra for the Japanese military. He possesses the talent and passion of an artistic youth but is also marked by the influence of militarism, harboring prejudices against the Chinese people. Through interactions and clashes with Liang Moyan and his wife, his soul undergoes unprecedented shocks and baptism. Through painful struggles and reflections, human nature triumphs over hostility, allowing him to complete the writing of his character.In this battlefield without gunfire, more people engage in the fight: those sand-clearing volunteers, the "Flying Tiger Kings" silently guarding the Dunhuang treasury, as well as unnamed heroes from the market, even former bandit leaders who later come to understand righteousness. Their collective image, alongside Liang Moyan and his wife, forms a splendid mural of the times.Their stories tell people that plunder is merely temporary occupation, not true possession. The culture of Dunhuang belongs to those who genuinely understand how to protect and respect it; it belongs to the nation and the world...