敦煌：沙漠里为什么有城市

他坐在飞机上，看着下面。

He sat on the plane and looked down.

下面的地方很大，人很少，水也很少。

The place below is huge, with few people and little water.

他想：我可以在这里做什么？

He thought: What can I do here?

飞机来到敦煌，他先喝了一大杯水。

When the plane arrived in Dunhuang, he drank a large glass of water first.

天气很热，他又喝了一杯。

It was hot and he had another drink.

他看见一个敦煌人，就说：我想看敦煌，也想知道人为什么住在这里。

When he saw a Dunhuang man, he said: I want to see Dunhuang, and I also want to know why people live here.

敦煌人说：先去看水。

Dunhuang people say: Go see the water first.

游客觉得很有意思。

Tourists find it very interesting.

他来一个水很少的地方，朋友却叫他先去看水。

He came to a place with little water, but his friend asked him to see the water first.

这个水在哪里？

Where is this water?

飞机下面有很多沙，水很少，他心里有一个问题：这样的地方怎么会有城市？

There was a lot of sand and little water under the plane, and he had a question in his mind: How could there be a city in such a place?

走出机场以后，他先去鸣沙山和月牙泉。

After leaving the airport, he first went to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring.

鸣沙山有很多沙丘，风会慢慢改变它们的样子。

There are many sand dunes in Mingsha Mountain, and the wind will slowly change their shape.

游客开始爬山，很快就觉得累了。

Tourists start climbing the mountain and soon feel tired.

脚走进细沙里，每一步都会向后一点，走起来比普通的路难。

When your feet walk into the fine sand, you will move back a little with each step, making walking harder than the ordinary path.

他停下来喝水，再慢慢向上走。

He stopped to drink water and then slowly walked up.

到了高处，他突然看见沙中间有一片水。

When he reached a high place, he suddenly saw a piece of water in the middle of the sand.

那就是月牙泉，一个样子像弯月的小湖。

That is Crescent Moon Spring, a small lake that looks like a crescent moon.

四周都是沙，泉水却一直留在这里。

There is sand all around, but the spring water has always stayed here.

游客坐下来休息，也找到了问题的第一个答案。

The visitor sat down to rest and also found the first answer to the question.

他在水旁边又喝了一杯水。

He drank another glass of water next to it.

天气很热，走路很累，水很重要。

The weather is hot, walking is tiring, and water is important.

有水，他今天可以在这里休息。

There is water and he can rest here today.

有水，他明天可以继续旅游。

With water, he can continue traveling tomorrow.

很多人都要喝水，很多人的马也要喝水。

Many people need to drink water, and many people's horses also need to drink water.

游客现在更清楚了，他在飞机上看见的水很少，可是这一片水可以帮助很多人。

The tourist now knows better that the water he saw on the plane was very little, but this piece of water can help many people.

他看着水，休息了十分钟，然后准备回到城市吃晚饭。

He looked at the water and rested for ten minutes before getting ready to return to the city for dinner.

有水，人可以喝水、吃饭和生活，城市才能留在沙漠旁边。

With water, people can drink, eat and live, and cities can stay next to the desert.

很久以前，走远路的人也需要在敦煌休息。

A long time ago, people who traveled long distances also needed to rest in Dunhuang.

他们没有飞机和火车，只能走路、骑马，或者坐在动物拉的车上。

They did not have planes or trains, so they could only walk, ride horses, or ride in carts pulled by animals.

他们带着丝绸、茶和别的东西，在中国和其他国家之间来往。

They traveled between China and other countries carrying silk, tea and other items.

这些路今天叫丝绸之路。

These roads are called the Silk Road today.

走路的人来到敦煌，可以找水、吃饭、睡觉，第二天再继续走。

When walkers come to Dunhuang, they can find water, eat, sleep, and continue walking the next day.

他们也带来了不同的语言、音乐和故事。

They also brought different languages, music and stories with them.

晚上，游客回到城市，走进沙州夜市。

In the evening, tourists return to the city and walk into the Shazhou Night Market.

夜市里有水果、烤肉和很多面食，和白天安静的沙山很不一样。

There are fruits, barbecues and a lot of pasta in the night market, which is very different from the quiet Shashan during the day.

他点了一碗敦煌黄面。

He ordered a bowl of Dunhuang yellow noodles.

敦煌人长期用小麦做面，今天还能吃到很多不同的面条。

Dunhuang people have been using wheat to make noodles for a long time, and today you can still eat many different kinds of noodles.

第二天，游客坐车去莫高窟。

The next day, tourists took a bus to Mogao Grottoes.

莫高窟离城市大约二十五公里，很多洞窟开在沙漠旁边的山崖上。

The Mogao Grottoes are about 25 kilometers away from the city. Many caves are opened on the cliffs next to the desert.

窟，就是人从山里做出来的房间。

A cave is a room made by people from the mountains.

从公元四世纪开始，人们在这里画壁画，也做佛像。

Starting from the fourth century AD, people painted murals and made Buddhist statues here.

游客走进洞窟，看到的内容非常多。

When tourists enter the cave, they see a lot.

画里有佛教故事，也有衣服、乐器、跳舞、种地和吃饭的人。

There are Buddhist stories in the paintings, as well as clothes, musical instruments, people dancing, farming and eating.

这些小地方让很久以前的生活重新出现在眼前。

These little places make life long ago come alive again.

丝绸之路上的人经过敦煌，有人留下钱，请画师在洞窟里画画。

People on the Silk Road passed through Dunhuang, and some people left money and asked painters to paint in the caves.

不同地方的人来到这里，也把自己熟悉的衣服、音乐和画法带来。

People from different places come here and bring their familiar clothes, music and painting techniques.

很多年以后，他们离开了，墙上的画还在。

Many years later, they left, but the paintings on the wall were still there.

游客从莫高窟出来，又看见外面的沙漠。

Tourists came out of Mogao Grottoes and saw the desert outside again.

第一天，他在月牙泉明白水为什么能留下一个城市。

On the first day at Crescent Moon Spring, he understood why water can leave a city behind.

第二天，他在莫高窟看见经过这座城市的人留下了什么。

The next day, he was at the Mogao Grottoes and saw what people passing through the city had left behind.

敦煌有沙山、泉水和好吃的面，也保存了许多旅行者的故事。

Dunhuang has sand mountains, springs and delicious noodles, and it also preserves many travelers’ stories.

如果你去敦煌，你会先到沙山找水，还是先去洞窟里看画？

If you go to Dunhuang, will you go to the sand mountains first to find water, or go to the caves to see the paintings first?