Return to the Dust Puts the Spotlight on This Northwestern Chinese City
On September 7, two months after its release, the film "Return to Dust" achieved a box office revenue of 100 million yuan, staging an impressive comeback. From an overlooked niche art film to a sensational hit, what is the magic behind "Return to Dust"?
The film depicts the daily life of a couple farming on the rural lands of northwest China. Its portrayal of life at the grassroots level is deeply moving, touching countless viewers. What we want to highlight, however, is the film's setting—Zhangye City in Gansu Province, the hometown of director Li Ruijun and the origin of the "Gan" in Gansu's name.
Zhangye, Gansu, is also known as Ganzhou. You may not be familiar with this place, but without Ganzhou, Gansu would not be Gansu. Without Zhangye, there would be no millennium-long prosperity of the Silk Road.
The Danxia landform under the sunset resembles a canvas, silhouetting human figures.
Few cities, like Zhangye in Gansu, have borne the rise and fall, glory and shame of a nation since their inception. Rewind over two thousand years to the Han Dynasty, when the entire nation's focus was on the Hexi region. Without a stable Hexi, the profoundly influential Silk Road might never have emerged.
Without Zhangye, China would have lacked an outstretched arm that has spanned over two thousand years.
Zhangye is most famous for its Danxia landform.
The formation of Zhangye Danxia is closely related to the tectonic movements of the Himalayan Mountains. Various minerals deposited and accumulated, were compressed and uplifted, and after thousands of years of weathering, eventually formed the vast, colorful Danxia landform we see today. It is also recognized by many media outlets as one of "China's most beautiful Danxia landforms."
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However, in 2010, this "most beautiful Danxia" missed the opportunity to join the southern Danxia landforms in applying for World Natural Heritage status. Although this does not diminish the beauty of Zhangye Danxia, it inevitably leaves people feeling it was unfairly treated.
Even more diverse than the colors of Danxia are the natural landscapes found in Zhangye. Here, you can encounter almost every type of natural scenery except the ocean.
The jurisdiction of present-day Zhangye City stretches narrowly from east to west. To the north lies the vast Gobi Desert, while to the south stand the towering Qilian Mountains. The Qilian Mountains are one of the most important mountain ranges in northwest China. Their vertically distributed natural zones add to Zhangye's diversity.
The high mountain forests conserve water sources, providing the fundamental conditions for life to thrive in the arid northwest. Between the Qilian and Yanzhi Mountains lies a vast grassland with lush water and grass, making it an ideal pasture and an early battleground for various forces vying for an important horse-breeding base.
Shandan Luanniao Lake (Shandan Army Horse Ranch).
As the saying goes, "Losing the Qilian Mountains means our livestock will not prosper." For regimes in the era of cold weapons, the Qilian Mountains were a strategic stronghold to be contested at all costs. This was especially true for Central Plains dynasties, which already suffered from a shortage of horses. During the peak of the Tang Dynasty, the Damaying grassland bred up to 70,000 military horses. Today, it is known as the Shandan Army Horse Ranch, the second-largest horse ranch in the world, still supplying the nation with the strongest horses.
Due to its favorable natural conditions, nomadic peoples set foot in the Zhangye region early on, herding horses and sheep here and leaving a profound nomadic imprint. However, this is not Zhangye's only endowment.
The "Book of Han" records: "The Xiongnu call heaven 'Qilian'." For the residents of Zhangye and the entire Hexi region, their survival depends on the "water from heaven."
Qilian Mountain Pasture (southern slope of the Qilian Mountains).
The Qilian Mountains hold vast reserves of glacial resources. Meltwater from snow and ice converges into rivers, creating possibilities for agriculture and human settlement. The Qiyi Glacier, located in Qifeng Tibetan Township of Sunan County, is also the closest accessible glacier to a city in Asia.
The Hei River originates in the Qilian Mountains. It is the largest river in Zhangye and its mother river. The oases and plains along the river laid the foundation for agricultural development, making the emergence of Zhangye as a city possible. The encounter between farming and nomadic civilizations destined Zhangye for an extraordinary role.
Gansu Zhangye Heihe National Wetland Reserve.
Extending the Nation’s Arm – The Name and Mission of Zhangye
"Failing to see the snow atop the Qilian Mountains, one might mistake Ganzhou for Jiangnan." This poetic line was left by Luo Jialun, who once served as president of Tsinghua University, during his visit to Zhangye. In Gansu, a local saying goes: "Golden Zhangye, Silver Wuwei."
Zhangye’s soil is not as fertile as the black earth of Northeast China, nor is its climate as moist and mild as the Jiangnan water towns. Agricultural activities were limited by natural conditions and the technological constraints of traditional farming societies, yet a thriving agricultural civilization still developed here.
Zhangye National Geopark in Gansu features landforms that are both smooth and angular, embodying a gentle yet majestic power.
Beyond this, Zhangye also carries the typical desolate frontier atmosphere of the Northwest. When Chen Zi’ang arrived in Hexi, he wrote: "South of the desert at Xiakou, it straddles the borders of the Middle Kingdom." Xiakou (also known as Xiakou) is located within the territory of Laojun Township in Shandan County. Xiakou controlled the vital passage through Hexi, and its residents throughout history were garrison soldiers and their families. Even the name "Laojun Township" evokes a sense of loyal duty to the nation.
Chen Zi’ang lived during the glorious Tang Dynasty, and the Xiakou he witnessed was filled with heroic fervor. However, when Lin Zexu passed through on his return from Xinjiang during the declining years of the Qing Dynasty, he saw only "a few households in a desolate garrison, like remnants of a chess game," with none of the former might and vigor of the strategic pass.
Walking through Zhangye, one senses that every landscape is alike, yet each is uniquely different.
The fate of Zhangye was determined by one of the most militarily accomplished emperors in Chinese history – Emperor Wu of Han. In 111 BC, the sixth year of the Yuanding era, Emperor Wu ordered the division of Jiuquan Commandery to establish Zhangye Commandery, intending to "sever the arm of the Xiongnu and extend the reach of the Middle Kingdom." Thus, from its inception, Zhangye was entrusted with great responsibilities and high hopes.
At that time, tensions between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu had deepened. Thanks to the policies of rest and recovery implemented by his father and grandfather, Emperor Wu inherited the prosperous era of the "Rule of Wen and Jing," with ample national resources. He aimed to make significant strides in the Northwest to address border threats. One of the Han army’s strategies against the powerful Xiongnu was to capture the Hexi region, severing the Xiongnu’s ties with the Qiang people entrenched in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, while also opening up the Western Regions to facilitate alliances with states there that also opposed the Xiongnu.
Zhangye’s importance in the Han–Xiongnu War lay in its geographical location. The Qilian Mountains have a pass called Biandukou, over 3,500 meters above sea level, which controlled the route between Mongolia and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Zhangye is situated north of Biandukou, and capturing it would cut off the connection between the Xiongnu and the Qiang. From an east-west perspective, Zhangye was also a crucial passage for those traveling to the Western Regions via Yangguan or Yumenguan. In any case, the Han army had to occupy the Zhangye area.
Emperor Wu appointed Huo Qubing as the Cavalry General, leading troops into the Hexi Corridor and launching two Hexi Campaigns that severely defeated the Xiongnu, forcing them to retreat to the northern deserts. The Han Dynasty established the "Four Commanderies of Hexi," securing strategic initiative and beginning the transformation of the Hexi region from pastoral lands into agricultural areas.
The conflict between agricultural and nomadic civilizations runs through almost the entirety of ancient Chinese history. The Chinese nation has never been one that崇尚武力 (glorified war); even *The Art of War* states: "The skilled commander subdues the enemy without fighting." Emperor Wu’s militarism was less about expansion and more about using offense as defense – striking the Xiongnu hard to secure peace. The Four Commanderies of Hexi, including Zhangye, were direct products of this strategy.
The territory of the Western Han Dynasty at its peak resembled a massive dumbbell, and what kept this "dumbbell" from breaking was the narrow Hexi Corridor. The later establishment of the Silk Road also relied on a stable Hexi Corridor.
Traveling through Zhangye, you will often encounter sections of parched, broken earthen walls – remnants of once-strategic towns and contested territories, now left as skeletal ruins. The aridity of the Northwest has preserved these ancient cities, allowing us to witness the沧桑 (vicissitudes) of history. But to the residents of Zhangye, these ruins are traces of their ancestors’ arduous struggle for survival.
By the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Juqu Mengxun, from the Xiongnu-affiliated Lushui Hu tribe, established the Northern Liang in Hexi and made Zhangye its capital. Although Juqu Mengxun was of Xiongnu descent, the Northern Liang regime embraced Han culture, prioritized agriculture, and vigorously promoted Buddhism, leading to an unprecedented cultural flourishing.
During the Western Wei Dynasty, Zhangye was renamed Ganzhou, softening the sense of mission imbued by its original name and instead evoking a feeling of stability and pleasant conditions. However, this positive connotation could not alter the cyclical nature of changing rulers. Every dynasty valued Hexi’s strategic importance and never treated it lightly.
Emperor Yang of Sui once toured Hexi, with Zhangye as the most important stop. Driven by ambition, this emperor ascended the Yanchi Mountains to receive envoys from 27 Western Regions states, basking in a glory unmatched by previous rulers. Historical records describe the grand scene: "Cavalry and carriages crowded together, stretching for tens of *li*, showcasing the splendor of the Middle Kingdom."
After inspecting Hexi, Tang poet Chen Zi’ang submitted a memorial to the court emphatically stating the importance of Hexi for border stability. He specifically highlighted the significance of Ganzhou’s grain supplies for Hexi’s security, asserting that "the fate of Hexi now hangs on Ganzhou." By the late Tang, the dynasty was on its last legs, and the central government quickly lost control of Hexi. The Uighurs rose to power and occupied Ganzhou; their descendants are the Yugur people, who have long resided in Gansu.
Zhangye’s status reached new heights during the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan introduced the provincial system, combining the first characters of Ganzhou and Suzhou (modern-day Jiuquan, Gansu) to name the newly established province – hence the origin of the name Gansu Province. Ganzhou was then the provincial capital of Gansu.
War has always been the most prominent feature in Zhangye's history. During the Qing Dynasty, several military campaigns in the northwest used Ganzhou as a crucial supply base. In the Liberation War, the First Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army advanced from Qinghai into Gansu, broke through the Biandukou Pass, occupied Zhangye, and subsequently liberated Gansu and Xinjiang.
An even greater challenge than political and military impacts has been the natural environment. The people of Zhangye have long struggled between the advances and retreats of desert and oasis, where the battle between despair and hope is a common sight.
Ancient cities of the Han and Tang dynasties were mostly built in the lower reaches of rivers, while later generations often settled in the middle reaches. This led to water shortages downstream, causing cities to be quickly abandoned. As humans retreated, the yellow sand advanced, and the desolation brought by desertification seems to best fit the impression of the northwest captured in the poetic line: "In vast desert, lone smoke rises straight; over long river, the setting sun hangs round." The ruins of Heishui Kingdom in Ganzhou District, Zhangye, are one of the victims of this "serial killer"—the yellow sand. Historical records indicate that this was the site of old Ganzhou, and after the Sui army withdrew, the ancient city was "buried by wind and sand in one night," demonstrating the formidable power of the northwest's sandstorms.
The ruins of Heishui Kingdom, where fragments of pottery jars can still be seen everywhere.
Whether it is war or sandstorms, both can slow Zhangye's progress, but they cannot truly bring it to a halt.
Zhangye's greatest advantage lies in its geographical location. Once conflicts subsided, it quickly became a vital hub on the Silk Road. Grain, silk, jade, fruits, and porcelain were continuously transported along the Silk Road. Even today, Zhangye remains a critical passage for highways and railways leading to Xinjiang and farther into Central Asia.
On the four sides of Zhangye's landmark Bell and Drum Tower, plaques are hung with the inscriptions: East: "Spring Rain in Jin City"; West: "Dawn Moon at Jade Gate"; South: "Clear Snow on Qilian Mountains"; North: "Ancient Pastures of Juyan." These vastly different landscapes from all directions have made Zhangye a cradle of exchange and integration. Iconic figures in the history of Sino-foreign exchanges, such as Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, and Marco Polo, all once visited Zhangye.
Traces of integration are also evident in all aspects of life in Zhangye. Since ancient times, it has been one of the Buddhist centers in the northwest. The Matisi Grottoes, first carved during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, are so large in scale that they rank among the top in Gansu Province, which is also home to the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang and the Maijishan Grottoes of Tianshui.
The people of Zhangye embody the contentment of an agrarian society as well as the boldness of a nomadic culture. They love eating lamb and are devoted to noodles. The dining tables of Zhangye's residents are a product of the exchange between farming and nomadic traditions. Moreover, wheat itself is a foreign crop introduced from the Western Regions.
Zhangye has continuously evolved through openness and integration, gradually becoming what it is today. It is a small city that has shouldered critical missions determining safety and danger, and has also experienced periods of backwardness. Today, this ancient city still "extends its arm to shelter," but not to block—instead, it is for openness.
Map Editor丨Paprika
(JP) Maeda Masana, "A Study of the Historical Geography of Hexi," translated by Chen Junmou.