This is Chris Bricker, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to Bill Porter – or Red Pine – one of the world’s finest translators of Chinese Poetry and religious texts. For those of you who already know him, and those of you who will get to know him, he prefers to just being your neighbor Bill Porter. Each week, Bill will bring you a series of enticing installments that we’re calling A Journey Along the Silk Road. So sit back and enjoy the journey, every Tuesday at approximately 5:20 and Friday at approximately 12:15. And lose yourself in the mystery of the Silk Road!
(Airdate: February 3, 2025) We’re in Gansu Province and have arrived in Zhangye, where we’ve just checked into the Ganjo Guest House. Of all of the places we’ve stayed on this trip, the Ganjo Guest House was among the worst. For the equivalent of fifteen U.S. Dollars, we got a room that wasn’t as clean as a cattle car on a Chinese freight train.
(Airdate: January 27, 2025) We’re on a stretch of paved highway that runs the length of theGansu Corridor, paralleling the Great Wall. Wuwei is behind us, and before us is the town of Zhangye. The only sign of civilation in between is the town of Shandan, and it’s not much of a sign. Shandan’s only claim to fame is a New Zealander who came there to set up an arts school.
(Airdate: January 21, 2025) When Westerners think of Chinese celebrations, they automatically think of the Lunar New Year, but the Lunar New Year doesn’t begin until two weeks later, with the first full moon. Public celebrations don’t take place until the moon proves once again that it knows how to become round and make things grow. In honor of this event, the Chinese indulge in public displays of likenesses of the moon such as lanterns and round sweet dumplings.
(Airdate: January 14, 2025) When Westerners think of Chinese celebrations, they automatically think of the Lunar New Year, but the Lunar New Year doesn’t begin until two weeks later, with the first full moon. Public celebrations don’t take place until the moon proves once again that it knows how to become round and make things grow. In honor of this event, the Chinese indulge in public displays of likenesses of the moon such as lanterns and round sweet dumplings.
(Airdate: January 7, 2025) We’re just beginning our trip through the narrow strip of land called the Gansu Corridor. From Wuwei the road led west where we encountered our first stretch of the Gobi Desert.
(Airdate: December 31, 2024) We’re in Gansu Province in the town of Wuwei. When it was first laid out over two thousand years ago, Wuwei was the first garrison established by the Chinese along the Silk Road. Back then, it was called Liangzhou. Since then, it has continued to play an important role in the region, and it’s all laid out after a fashion at the Wuwei Museum. One of the museum’s most important pieces is a steely that was unearthed 200 years ago.
(Airdate: December 24, 2024) We’re just outside the town of Wuwei and we’ve reigned in our bicycles by the pagoda named after the translator Kumarajiva. We’ve already heard the story about how Kumarajiva was held captive for seventeen years until he finally reached the capital of Chongan. The emperor had been so impressed the with his abilities as a translator and Buddhist commentator that he ordered ten ladies of the court to sleep with him in hopes of passing on his genius to future generations. When Kumsrsjiva died, we’ll learn how and why his tongue survived the flames of the crematorium, and what became of it.
(Airdate: December 17, 2024) On the way back to the town of Wuwei, we had stopped to gaze at the spire of a pagoda thirty-meters high, named after a Buddhist monk and famed translator named Kumarajiva. We learned last time how the Chinese General Luguang had been sent to subdue the Silk Road Kingdom of Kucha and bring back Kumarajiva. Upon returning to Wuwei, he found a new emperor on the throne, so he refused to return the monk and created his own kingdom with the dusty garrison town of Wuwei as its captal.
(Airdate: December 10, 2024) We’re visiting an underground tomb just north of the garrison town of Wuwei in Gansu Province. That is where China’s famous bronze horse was found in 1969. The tomb itself is not all that noteworthy except that, being it’s the grave of a Han Dynasty general. and there’s a shrine on top of the grave mound in honor of Leigong, the Duke of Thunder. This is where officials came to pray for rain or for victory against the Huns. On our way back we passed a pagoda, whose bells sang in the wind and told us a story.
(Airdate: December 3, 2024) We’re in Gansu Province in the town of Wuwei, visiting the tomb where China’s famous Bronze Horse was discovered in 1969. It’s no coincidence that such a beautiful piece of sculpture was buried here. The horse was the key to military operations on the Silk Road, and it turns out that the Wuwei area is still one of China’s major horse racing centers. The camel may have carried the bulk of merchandise, but the horse carried those who sought to maintain control of the road.
