The Great Dunhuang


The Great Dunhuang is a Chinese television series based on the history of the oasis city of Dunhuang, which lies on the ancient Silk Road. With a Buddhist sutra printed in gold lettering as the plot device, the series retells the rise, fall, and rebirth of Dunhuang in three parts, each covering a different period in Chinese history: the Western Xia, the late Qing dynasty, and the Republican era. The series was first broadcast in mainland China on CCTV from 31 October to 25 November 2006.

Synopsis

The original version did not have titles for the three parts. The Japanese DVD version, however, gave the following titles: Part One, "Western Xia Invades", Part Two, "Foreign Countries Get Involved", and Part Three, "Hidden Treasures Are Recovered".

Part One (episodes 1–12)

Part One is set in the 11th century during the Song dynasty. After the Kingdom of Khotan is conquered by the Kara-Khanid Khanate, the Khotan princess Meiduo flees to Dunhuang to join her elder sister, Zhenniang. Along the way, she meets Li Yuanhao, the ambitious ruler of Western Xia. Li, who has been eyeing Dunhuang for a long time, plans to make use of the princess to seize control of the city. He sends his general Wangrong to escort Meiduo to Dunhuang and pass a message to Cao Shunde, the governor of Dunhuang appointed by the Song government. Wangrong, speaking on Li's behalf, requests permission for the Western Xia army to pass through Dunhuang so that they can help Meiduo take revenge by attacking the Kara-Khanid Khanate. In truth, Li is plotting to take over Dunhuang once his army enters the city.
Li and Cao used to be rivals a decade ago because both of them fell in love with the same woman, Zhenniang, who eventually married Cao. Cao sees Li's ruse and secretly sends a messenger to seek reinforcements from the Song government. The Song government is unable to assist as they are at war with the Liao dynasty, so they send Fang Tianyou, an artist from the Hanlin Academy, to Dunhuang to resolve the crisis. Fang brings with him a Buddhist sutra printed in gold lettering in hopes that the presence of the sutra in Dunhuang will increase the sanctity of the city and make Western Xia think twice about invasion.
In Dunhuang, Fang meets Meiduo and they fall in love with each other at first sight. However, Wangrong also has feelings for Meiduo and he uses his lord's influence to coerce Cao to agree to let him marry Meiduo. Concurrently, Li requests to borrow the Buddhist sutra for a few days but is rejected by Cao. Li then sends his forces to occupy Guazhou, a strategic town in Dunhuang, and says that Guazhou will be the bride price for the marriage between Wangrong and Meiduo.
Cao and Fang discuss plans to counter Li's aggressive advances. Fang proposes forming alliances with other kingdoms in the region against Western Xia. However, their offers are rejected by those kingdoms as they fear Western Xia's military might, and Dunhuang becomes even more isolated. Eventually, it is clear that the only way to ensure peace between Dunhuang and Western Xia is for Meiduo to marry Wangrong. However, on her wedding night, Meiduo escapes and goes to find Fang. Wangrong is angered when Meiduo is nowhere to be found, so he leads his troops to attack Dunhuang. Cao's subordinates, already displeased with Cao for being indecisive in standing up to Western Xia, turn against Cao and kill him in the ensuing battle. Dunhuang ultimately falls to Western Xia. Zhenniang commits suicide by throwing herself into a fire after making Li promise her that he will not massacre the city's population.
Wangrong's search for Meiduo leads him to the Mogao Caves, where he starts ravaging the sacred grounds and slaughtering innocents. Meiduo realises that there is no escape and she leaps off a cliff to prevent Wangrong from harming Fang. Fang wanders around aimlessly in the vast desert, holding a piece of the Buddhist sutra. He encounters a sandstorm. When the dust clears, only the sutra is left. In the far distance, Wangrong, maddened by his grief over Meiduo's death, rides towards the horizon, tightly hugging Meiduo's dead body in his arms.

Part Two (episodes 13–30)

Part Two is set around the turn of the 20th century towards the end of the Qing dynasty. Qin Wenming, an official from the Ministry of Works, is commissioned by the imperial court to find jade in Dunhuang. He disappears mysteriously and leaves behind no traces. His lover, Chunxia, suffers from depression and becomes insane.
Qin's twin brother, Qin Wenyu, travels to Dunhuang in search of his brother but finds himself caught in a deceptive plot. He is determined to unravel the mystery behind his brother's disappearance and decides to remain there. At the same time, he relies on Magistrate Yan of Dunhuang for help. He also befriends Feng Dagang, a camel trader, and Wang Youxiang, a craftsman, and Wang's daughter Xinghua. He encounters a female bandit chief, Honglian, and his brother's lover Chunxia, who recovers after mistaking him for his missing brother. With assistance from his companions, Qin makes a startling discovery that the clue to his brother's disappearance lies in a piece of a Buddhist sutra that his brother had left behind for him. He concludes that the sutra is an ancient artefact from Dunhuang and believes that there is something hidden in the oasis city.
In the meantime, two British explorers, Baker and John, arrive in Dunhuang to hunt for treasure. The magistrate denies them permission to carry out their activities. An earthquake occurs and the Buddhist manuscripts concealed in the Mogao Caves are revealed. A greedy priest, after being bribed by Baker and John, allows them to steal the manuscripts, which are regarded as national treasure, and escape from Dunhuang. Qin is steadfast in his belief that the manuscripts be retrieved so he urges the magistrate to send his men to arrest the thieves. Just then, they receive news that the Eight-Nation Alliance has occupied Beijing, and the Qing government has agreed to peace talks. The magistrate switches sides and becomes friendly towards the British explorers, even allowing them to leave with the treasure.
Qin is disappointed with the magistrate's decision so he decides to take matters into his own hands. While bringing his friends with him in pursuit of Baker and John, they fall into an ambush laid by the magistrate and his men, who intend to capture Honglian and claim the bounty on her head. Chunxia sacrifices herself to save Honglian; Qin, Honglian, Feng and their companions are killed by the magistrate's men. The national treasure from Dunhuang falls into the hands of Baker and John.

Part Three (episodes 31–46)

Part Three is set in 1936 during the Republican era just before the Second Sino-Japanese War. Liang Moyan, a painter, and his wife Su Qingping, a sculptor, want to fulfil their dream of restoring the ancient city of Dunhuang. However, their task is not going to be easy as there are various opposing factors at hand: Dunhuang is in ruins due to a long history of tomb-raiding and desecration; the couple run into trouble with bandits; the local residents are indifferent towards the idea of reviving Dunhuang; foreigners have also set their sights on the city; the local government is inept and keeps shoving responsibilities around.
Liang and Su are unwilling to give up on their quest and they start preserving artefacts and rebuilding Dunhuang. With their sheer determination and sincerity, they move many people and even succeed in influencing younger generations to continue their work. However, the couple also sacrifice themselves in their fight against grave robbers and plunderers.
Chiba Sanrō, a young artist from Japan who has a fervent interest in Dunhuang, travels to the oasis city. He has received a secret order from the Japanese military to find the Buddhist sutra printed in gold lettering. Despite his passion for art, he has been strongly influenced by his militarist background and he harbours prejudiced views against the Chinese people. During his encounters with Liang and Su, his soul experiences an unprecedented shock and baptism. The personal struggles and reflections he went through eventually prompt him to overcome his hostility towards the Chinese and make a fresh start in life.
The stories of Liang, Su and Chiba tell us that Dunhuang's heritage truly belongs to those who know how to appreciate and preserve it.

Cast

Part One

  • Tang Guoqiang as Li Yuanhao
  • Chen Hao as Meiduo
  • Huang Haibing as Fang Tianyou
  • Ren Tianye as Wangrong
  • Liao Jingsheng as Cao Shunde
  • Deng Ying as Zhenniang
  • Zhang Guangzheng as Wuchen
  • Liu Dagang as Ashena
  • Lu Yong as Zhang Yingshou
  • Xue Haowen as Luo Zan

Part Two

  • Wan Hongjie as Qin Wenyu
  • Tao Feifei as Chunxia
  • Shang Tiantong as Honglian
  • Gao Lancun as Magistrate Yan
  • Shi Xiaoman as Jiang Xiaoci
  • Su Tingshi as Priest Wang
  • Li Zhi as Liu Dakui
  • Dania as John
  • Mohammed as Baker
  • Luo Xuwu as Feng Dagang
  • Wei Deshan as Wang Youxiang
  • Chen Baojia as Master Zhao
  • Wu Jiayi as Ma Quande
  • Hu Xiaoting as Xinghua
  • Sun Di as Choudan
  • Wang Xuanyin as Shuimei
  • Zhang Tielin as a Qing governor

Part Three

  • Wei Zi as Liang Moyan
  • Li Jianqun as Su Qingping
  • Xia Fan as Chiba Sanrō
  • Yvonne Yung as Hongliu
  • Wang Huichun as Chen Yizhong
  • Zhang Qiuge as Dou Heizi
  • Lu Jun as Lu Jingru
  • Wang Jun as Takeno
  • Chang Chuan as Tang Liancheng
  • Liu Peiqing as He Fugui
  • Liu Sha as Li Yaqin
  • Ma Jing as Yanzi
  • Wang Lanwu as Sun Shichang
  • Ding Haifeng as Miyamoto