Chapter 57 Chapter 56: The Ancient Songs Are Still Beautiful—Some Things Related to Karez in Turpan, Xinjiang

Few people in the world do not know Turpan. Turpan is the hottest place in China, where there is a flaming mountain that seems to be burning all year round.The large red flames have not been extinguished for thousands of years.It is said that Tang Seng went to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures and passed by the Flame Mountain. The fire was so great that Tang Seng couldn't get through.In desperation, Sun Wukong made a trick to get Princess Iron Fan's fan, and then put out the fire, and Tang Seng passed a big difficulty.This legend seems unreliable now, at least the fire is still burning.Otherwise, Turpan would not be so hot until now.At the hottest time, it can reach over 50°C. Walking in Turpan is like walking into a stove, as if it will be cooked immediately.If you want to eat eggs, you don’t need to cook them in a pot, just bury them in the sand, and after ten minutes, you can peel them and eat them; if you want to eat pancakes, the noodles are reconciled, thinned, put them on the slate, and after a while, they will be baked It has a burnt yellow color, and when you take a bite, it is crispy and fragrant.

Turpan is also the lowest place in China.There is a lake in the middle of the basin, called Aydin Lake.The word Aiding means moonlight in Uighur.The lake is about 40 kilometers long from east to west and 8 kilometers wide from north to south.The water is not too deep, on average, the water depth is less than one meter.The water level also changes a lot, depending on the season, there will be more or less water in the lake.When it is hot in summer, the bottom of the lake will be exposed in many places, and large crystallized salt crusts will be seen.These salts are white and transparent, like moonlight.It is also for this reason that people named it Aydin Lake.If it's just about the lake, it's nothing special.However, when you know that its lake level is 154 meters lower than sea level, you will definitely look at it differently.In this world, there is only one place lower than it.That is the Dead Sea in Jordan, which is 392 meters below sea level.

There is also a ditch in Turpan, called Grape Ditch, which is eight kilometers long from north to south, only 600 meters from east to west, and up to 2 kilometers wide.A stream, clear and clean, twists and turns, flows through the bottom of the ditch without stopping.Except for a few weeds and trees in the ditch, the main thing growing in the ditch is grapes.Grapes are found in many places, and it is not surprising that grapes grow in ditches.But it is rare to see so many grapes growing in one ditch.And the grapes that grow will be so sweet, which is not found anywhere else.There is a song sung by Guan Mucun called "The Grapes in Turpan Are Ripe". The grapes sung in the song are the grapes in Grape Valley.There are too many grapes to eat, and they will be dried into raisins, which are also a must, and are sold everywhere.As early as more than 2,000 years ago, Zhang Qian came here to visit Grape Valley and found that the grapes were delicious, so he introduced them to the mainland, and since then there have been grapes elsewhere.It's just that although there are grapes elsewhere, they can't compare with the grapes in Turpan.

There are two other cities in Turpan, one is Jiaohe Ancient City and the other is Gaochang Ancient City.Although no one lived in the two cities, tens of thousands of people came and went every day.Not only locals, but also foreigners, including people from all over the world.The ancient city of Jiaohe is located 10 kilometers west of Turpan, and the ancient city of Gaochang is 40 kilometers southeast of Turpan.There was Jiaohe first, and Gaochang later, with a difference of about six or seven hundred years.The buildings in the ancient city are not made of stone barriers or bricks, but are almost all made of yellow mud and loess.It is really a miracle that the two earthen cities have survived the wind and rain in the long river of history without collapsing, collapsing, or breaking. They have stood upright for more than 2,000 years and still show their strength.And its value is even more incomparable to today's city walls with countless buildings.Through its thick and mottled earth walls and criss-crossing roads, it is not difficult to see the long history of Chinese civilization, the splendor of the Silk Road, and the fusion and creation of people of all ethnic groups.

There is also an ancient tomb group in Turpan, called the Astana ancient tomb group.Turpan is dry, and the corpses are buried in the soil, so they will not rot easily, including the things buried with them.Over the years, as many as 10,000 pieces of mummies and cultural relics have been excavated from the ancient tombs, which have been like a museum, showing people a history of Gaochang civilization.From the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the footsteps of each stage of history, how they walked, have left clear marks.Saw these ancient tombs, including the artifacts unearthed from them.You will find that the Central Plains people have become the masters of this land in a very early age. The daily life of the Gaochang people, including the implementation of various political, economic and military systems, is no different from that of the Central Plains in the Tang Dynasty.This shows that Turpan has been an inalienable part of the motherland's territory since ancient times.

There are still many things worth talking about in Turpan. If you want to talk about each piece, I don't know how long it will take to finish. Yes, as Chinese, many of us may not be unfamiliar with Turpan.But I think, even if you know a lot about Turpan, there are still some things that you are not familiar with.Because the land of Turpan contains too many, too many mysteries.For example, Karez, I don’t think you will know and be familiar with it. Today, I won’t talk about other things in Turpan. I will just tell you about Karez and some things related to Karez. However, before talking about Karez, I would like to tell you some boring figures and some geographical knowledge.You have to know these numbers and knowledge.Because, only when you know these numbers and knowledge, you will understand why there is Karez in this place.

Located in the center of the Eurasian continent, the Turpan Basin is a typical closed inland basin in the eastern part of the Tianshan Mountains.Because it is far away from the ocean, surrounded by high mountains, and the basin is narrow and low-lying, it is difficult for humid air to enter, the rainfall is very small, and the evaporation is very large, so the climate is extremely hot, and it has been called "Fire State" since ancient times. According to the statistics of the seven years from 1952 to 1958, the average rainfall for many years is only 19.5 mm, the maximum is 42.4 mm, and the minimum is 5.2 mm. The average evaporation for many years is 3608.2 mm; The average is 33.6°C, and the coldest month is -9.8°C on average.The highest temperature in the year is 47.6°C, and it reached 48°C in July 1953, and the highest surface temperature can reach 75°C.

This basin is windy all the year round, and the maximum wind force is generally 7-8. In 1961, there was a gale disaster in Turpan that had never been seen in 50 years. There were only 56 strong winds above magnitude 8 in the whole year. For a long time, the fields were destroyed, the trees were damaged, and the beautiful oasis was suddenly catastrophe. The tragedy was shocking. The terrain of this basin has a great difference in height difference, and the terrain is steep. The surrounding mountains are mostly formed by the Hercynian movement at the end of the Paleozoic Era. The rock formations are hard and have many fissures, which is conducive to the formation of fissure water. The Bogda Mountain in the north generally has an altitude of 3500-4000 The main peak is as high as 5,445 meters, and the highest peak of the Kara Wucheng Mountain in the west is over 4,000 meters, all of which are glaciers covered with snow for thousands of years.The Jueluotage Mountain in the south is 600-500 meters above sea level, with low foothills, no snow, and little precipitation. It is an extremely arid denuded mountain.In the southeast is the Kumtag Sand Mountain. The sand is accumulated on the bedrock of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic as high as 300-500 meters. It is extremely arid and barren.In the middle of the basin, there is the Huoyanshan [Astentag] fold belt, which is composed of a series of anticline structures with an axial direction of NWW-SEE. It is 500-600 meters above sea level, more than 90 kilometers long from east to west, and north-south. A hilly area with a width of 6-9 kilometers.The Huoyan Mountain divides the basin into two parts, the north and the south. Aiding Lake in the center of the basin is extremely low-lying, with an altitude of -154 meters at the bottom of the lake, which is one of the lowest lands in the world.Due to the asymmetry of the heights of the mountains around the basin and the extremely low-lying center of the basin, and most of the thick Quaternary sediments accumulated in front of the mountains, a sloping plain from north to south is formed.The slope of the ground gradually becomes gentle from north to south.

The climatic conditions of this basin are extremely arid, with relatively little surface runoff.In the north of the basin, the Tianshan water system fed by ice, snow and rainfall flows into the basin in the form of dozens of valley rivers.The main rivers are arranged in order from east to west.The total annual runoff is only 665 million cubic meters.The characteristics of these rivers are not only small flow rate and great disparity between flood and dry season, but after exiting the mountain pass, most of these rivers infiltrate into the ground because the riverbed passes through the Gobi gravel zone, replenishing the runoff of groundwater.However, because the anticline structure of the Flame Mountain in the middle of the basin is mostly argillaceous shale, the water permeability is extremely poor, which plays the role of an underground dam and prevents groundwater from flowing into the basin from the south. A series of spring ditches have been formed in all the gaps of the Flame Mountain.The spring flow is very rich, with a total annual runoff of 354 million cubic meters.After these springs flowed out of the Flame Mountain, they infiltrated into the ground again and again, replenishing the underground runoff in the southern basin of the Flame Mountain, and finally drained into the Aydin Lake in the center of the basin.

According to the above figures, in Turpan, the amount of available spring water far exceeds the amount of surface runoff.As for the source of groundwater recharge, in addition to riverbed seepage, there is also recharge from Paleozoic rock formation fissure water in the Tianshan Mountains, so the groundwater resources in the Turpan Basin are relatively abundant.This, together with the geological features of the steep ground slope, constitutes the natural possibility of using these groundwaters in a unique way. Water conservancy is the lifeblood of agriculture.In an agricultural society, a group of people can only survive by agriculture.Agriculture depends on water if it is to survive.If people in Turpan want to survive, they must draw out the spring water hidden in the ground, bring it into the farmland, and bring it into their homes. Therefore, the story of Karez has to happen.

Walking on the fire-like land of Turpan, you will see some bumps protruding slightly from the ground on the slope that extends slowly downward.If you look carefully, you will find that these soil bags are arranged very regularly, from the slope to the downhill, and there will be one about 20 meters away.Go forward, walk up to the soil bag, and you will see a hole in the middle of the soil bag.The size of the hole is mostly about 1 meter, but the depth can be very different.Contrary to the slope, the more you go up the slope, the deeper the hole will be, and the further you go down the slope, the shallower the hole will be.The depth can reach more than ten meters, and the shallow place is less than one meter.No matter how deep or shallow the hole is, if you look down from the hole, you will see water.Crouching down and poking his head into the hole, a gust of coolness hits his face immediately, dispelling the dry heat all over his body.The water is even more pure, like a mirror, reflecting the faces of people looking at it. No matter what kind of hole, as long as there is water, it is no longer a hole.No matter where a hole is dug down, if water is dug out, it will become a well. If it is a well, there will be water.It is a well, and the water in the ground can be taken out.But the well in this place is different.Looking down the well, I saw water, but it was not easy to get it out.There are no pulleys, ropes and buckets for water intake at the wellhead.Seeing water, but not using it, seeing water, but not drinking it.Wells are dug for water.If the water in the well is not used, the existence of the well is meaningless. If you stand in front of such a well in Turpan and look at the water in the well, it is too hot, and you want to take a handful of water, wash your face, and cool off, but you cannot reach it; you are too thirsty, and you want to bow your head to drink, but you can’t get away If it is too far away to touch the water surface, you must not worry, let alone complain that the person who dug the well was too stupid and forgot to install the equipment for lifting water.You just have to be a little patient and follow the dug well from high to low.Walk for a while, not too far, and you will see a piece of green. In the green, there are many trees, willows, poplars, and fruit trees.Willows are like umbrellas, blocking the direct sun.The fruit of the fruit tree hangs above the head, and you can pick one or a bunch of them when you reach out.In the green, there are many crops.In the crops, there are corn and wheat. When they are ripe, they become food and can satisfy hunger.In the crops, there is also cotton. Cotton cannot be eaten, but white flowers will bloom.These flowers can be plucked and spun into thread and woven into cloth to keep out the cold.In addition to trees and crops, there will be houses in this green.There are men, women, old people and children in the house.Of course, there will be cattle and sheep, donkeys, dogs and chickens. A place, like a person, cannot decide what it will look like.Everyone wants to wear green clothes.But if there is no water, no matter what you think, it will only be a piece of withered yellow, nothing can grow from the soil except poverty, and although people are not vegetation, they can’t leave the water, just like fish, without water. Can't live.Therefore, from ancient times to the present, when people choose to live, they will definitely be close to the water.Faced with this piece of green, nature can't help but look around, looking for a river, or a lake, or a reservoir.After searching for a long time, I found nothing.I had no choice but to walk into this piece of green with doubts to find out. Before you entered the green, a dog ran out, seeing that you were a stranger, and yelling that you would not be allowed to enter.The dog was not allowed to enter, but the owner was hospitable. He came out, stopped the dog, stretched out his arms, and invited guests from afar to come in and sit down.The owner is Dili Mulati, a strong Uighur man.Before you can sit still, with a wave of your hand, his wife Ayina Khan will bring up various fruits and fried fruits, put them in front of you and invite you to eat.Knowing that you must be thirsty after walking for a long time under the scorching sun, I will also bring you freshly made hot milk tea in time.After chatting, I know that this family is living a very prosperous life.You don’t have to worry about food and clothing, and you can save some money a year.To be able to live such a good life in such a desert, without hard work, hard work alone is not enough.Regardless of other things, at least there must be water.With so much land, so many livestock, and such a family, water alone is not enough, there must be a lot of water. Where does the water come from?I asked the master.The master took me to see the water.He walked to a bag of earth, pointed to the hole dug, and told me that this is a well, and there is water in the well.I said, how can I use the water in the well.The master said, look at the water in the well.I saw that the water in this well was not like the water in other wells. It was dead and still.The water in this well is alive and flowing.The master said that the water in the wells flows down the slope, one well flows into another well, and one well after another flows down, forming a river underground. I still don't understand how the underground river flows to the ground, how to drink and water it.I asked the master, but the master didn't say anything, but took me to see it.Go from a high place to a low place, or walk along the dirt bag.Walking to the last bump, there is still a well, but this well is shallower than the one we walked through.After passing this well, and walking forward for more than ten meters, there was no well, but a piece of green grass appeared.Pushing aside the grass and walking in, I saw another hole.It's just that the hole does not extend downwards, but is located in the cross section of the soil slope.It's like knocking down a standing well and letting it lie down.When the standing well was laid down, the water inside would flow out naturally.The water flowing out of the culvert generally does not flow directly into the open channel.At the junction of the culvert and the open channel, there will be a small dam to store water. The water flowing out of the cave will rush to the open channel with a rush after staying in the small laodam for a while.It was like hiding in the dark underground for too long, and suddenly seeing the sun, I couldn't help but get excited and sang a cheerful song.The river flowed through the courtyard, and the hostess washed clothes, washed rice and vegetables by the water, and the children splashed and played with each other, one pushing the other into the water. Instead of getting angry, they smiled and took a bath in the water.The life of the family, because of the flowing water, suddenly became lively.In the courtyard, the running water will not stay for long.They heard the calls of the trees and crops, like a lover's date, and they almost couldn't wait to pounce on those thirsty lives. The owner Dili Mulati said that it is these wells that have allowed our family, for several generations, to survive here, not only survived, but also lived well.It is impossible to imagine how we would live here without these wells.He also said that in Turpan, there are tens of thousands of people living in this way like him.How important it is, only those who live with it will know.Dili Mulati told me that this kind of well saved his life.He said that once he went to the Gobi Desert to collect firewood, he encountered a strong wind and sand, lost his way, and the sun was like a fire, roasting him.And he ran out of water.After thinking about it, he will definitely not survive.Just when he was in despair, he saw a small dirt bag, ran over and saw a hole, looked again, and saw the water in the hole.He ignored everything and slid down the cave wall.Not only did I drink water, but I also escaped the heat.And, relying on the guidance of the shafts lined up one after another, they returned home smoothly. This kind of well is so amazing, I want to know more about it and write it down in words.Dili Mulati is very supportive of my plan, saying that you write it out, write it out quickly, and let more people know how good this kind of well is.I understand Dili Mulati's mood, just like a person has a treasure that he wants many people to see and appreciate.Dili Mulati said that if you want to really understand this kind of well, you have to go to the well. Going to the well is impossible, or at least difficult, for many wells.But it is not only possible to walk into this kind of well, but it is not difficult at all.The hole at the water outlet is more than half the height of a person.As long as you bend your waist, you can walk in.At the bottom of the cave, there is a canal in which water flows, and there are canal ridges on both sides.Stepping on the canal ridge, you can go forward.The further you go in, the heavier the coolness, the less light, and the blurred ditches.I couldn't help slowing down my pace, fearing that my foot would miss and fall into the ditch.Don't worry though, the darkness will pass soon.Walk for a while, at most 30 meters, and you will see bright lights flashing in front of you.The bright light was very weak at first, but as it got closer, the bright light became stronger.In a short while, you will walk into the light.At this time, raise your head and look up, and you will see a round shaft.Through the shaft, you can see the blue sky and white clouds. Going forward, the same scene keeps appearing.Dili Mulati said that if you go to the top, to the top well, you can see at least 300 such wells.Do the math, each well is 30 meters apart, 100 wells is 3000 meters. 300 wells is 9000 meters.In other words, this small underground flowing river is at least about 9 kilometers long. 9 kilometers long river, not too long.But when I tell you that there used to be more than 1,400 such rivers in Turpan, and the total length is 5,000 kilometers long, can you still say that this river is not a long river?If we think about it again, the 5,000-kilometer long river was not formed by floods or landslides, but was completely dug down by two hands, shovel by shovel, and transported out by baskets of soil. Do you think there is any other huge project that can be compared with it?If we say that there were three major projects in ancient China, the first two projects are the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.Another project should be this long underground river. The name of this long underground river is Karez. On this day, in the magical Turpan, in a small green farmyard, a Uighur man named Dili Mulati made me repeat the words Karez repeatedly. Yes, Karez is a river hidden in the ground, like blood vessels under the skin.Without this blood vessel, blood cannot enter the body, and a person cannot live and must die.With Karez, no matter how venomous the sun is or how hot the wind and sand are, life in the desert will still be nourished.As each village prospers and develops, generations of people will thrive.Just knowing this did not satisfy my curiosity, but aroused a stronger desire for knowledge. I would like to know in what dynasty and who dug the first Karez well?Why is it called Karez?I also want to know how the fate of Karez has changed in the long river of history?As an ancient project, what role did it play?And in today's technological modernization, what will the actual situation he faces be like? I originally planned to take a look at Turpan and leave to go elsewhere, but Karez made me change my mind.So I stayed, in order to understand and know more about Karez. In the very early history books of China, there are records related to Karez. Sheng Hongzhi's "Jingzhou Ji" records: "There is Li Village in the north of Sui County, there is a heavy mountain in the south of the village, and there is a cave at the foot of the mountain. According to legend, there are two layers of moats in the west of the forest where the dragon was born, and there is a surrounding one hectare and 20 mu of land. , there are nine wells in the middle, Shennong is cultivated, and the nine wells are self-permeable. It is also said: if one well is drawn, the water in all the wells will move, that is, it will be used as the Shennong Society, and it will be shrine every year." Well, which has the same structure as the Karez Well, which is connected to the underground culvert.Shennong is a legendary figure in the invention of agriculture and medicine in our country. If Chuanjing is connected with him, it can be seen that his age is long. "Zhuangzi Tiandi" also mentioned the water diversion method similar to Karez: "Zigong traveled south to Chu, turned to Jin, passed Hanyin, and saw a person of ten feet. He will dig a tunnel for the garden, enter the well, and hold the urn to irrigate. However, I used a lot of force, but I saw little merit. Zigong said: "There is a weapon here, and I can soak a hundred fields a day. I use little force but see a lot of merit. Master, don't you want it?" Zi Gong introduced to him at that time The gardener replied, "I don't know, I'm ashamed to do it." He was afraid of using ingenious tools and messing up his mind, so he insisted on digging tunnels to fetch water according to the ancient method.It can be seen that digging tunnels to fetch water was an ancient technology in the Spring and Autumn Period, and when this technology was applied to areas with large slopes, it could be dug into embankment wells. "Xunzi Zhenglun" also said: "The frog in Kanjing cannot be compared with the joy of the East China Sea." The name of Kanjing officially appeared in the pre-Qin classics.People believe that the Persian underground canal started in 800 BC, but they did not seriously examine the records about Kanjing in Chinese historical records, which is not without suspicion of bias.Although these records do not specify the specific formation time of Kanjing, they fully show that the cultural background of Kanjing has a long history. Karez well in Turpan is an artesian irrigation system composed of underground canals, shafts, outlet dams, diversion canals and other projects.Utilizing the characteristics of the terrain, through the underground culvert, the underground subsurface flow with a depth of tens of meters or even hundreds of meters is led to the agricultural area or residential area.The person who first explained the origin of Karez in Turpan was Tao Baolian in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.In the book "Xin Mao Shi Xing Ji", he described the Kaner well in the west of Lianmuqin in Shanshan, saying: "There are many small round mounds in the west, and there are many hopefuls, all of which are Kaner. Those who are Kaner come out of the spring from the foot of the mountain. Make sewers to divert water, set wells every few steps, run down through wooden troughs, and cover up with sand and stones, fearing that it will be congested by flying sand. This method is very ancient, and it has been practiced in the Western Regions for a long time." Tao Baolian wrote in "Hanshu Biography of the Western Regions": "The big well has six canals, and the springs gushes out from the bottom of the Bailongdui Dongtu Mountain." He believes that this is the specific application of the well canal method in the Western Regions. "Dajing Six" should be six Kaner wells, which are connected together to form a spring, which gushes out at the foot of Bailongdui Dongtu Mountain.Karez wells mostly lead the subsurface flow from high and far distances to the farmland through underground culverts, and their engineering is consistent with the principle of wells and canals.This shows that the mature drilling technology has already been applied in the folk. Some Western scholars have given another explanation for the origin of Karez in Turpan.French Pelliot thought it was similar to Persia's underground waterway, and suspected that this method came from Persia.Wang Guoweit wrote "A Study of Wells and Canals in the Western Regions" to identify it.He said that in "Historical Records Hequshu", the historical fact that Luoshui was used for more than ten miles to the east of Shangyan Mountain was recorded in 109 BC.At this time, the well canal method was quite popular in China. Wang Guowei then deduced from the "Dajingze in the fifteen miles north of the state" mentioned in "Shazhou Tujing" that "in the Han Dynasty, the well canal may have reached Longdui from the north of Dunhuang City. The Han Dynasty was in Shanshan, Cheshi Tuntian, This method is also used.” It is entirely reasonable for the soldiers of the Han Dynasty to build Karez wells in Cheshi [Turpan], a place suitable for irrigation with wells and canals. Regarding the assertion that the Karez technology in Turpan was introduced into the old Chinese law by the soldiers of the Han Dynasty, no one has been able to provide sufficient evidence to the contrary. "Research on Wells and Canals in the Western Regions" is quite convincing. In his article "Comment on Wang Guowei's Suicide Notes", Pelliot also had to admit that there were canal wells like Kaner in Xi'an at the end of the 2nd century BC, but he also said that " It seems too early to say that it is a purely Han invention.”Pelliot's doubts were obviously due to his ignorance of the ancient tradition of digging tunnels to draw water in China before the Spring and Autumn Period. Wang Guowei deduced that the Han Dynasty used the method of wells and canals when they were in Shanshan and Cheshi garrisoned fields.This can also be found in Turpan today.In the 1950s, the ancient Karez ruins were discovered.At that time, the Yanghai Reservoir was built in the northwest of Lukeqin, Shanshan County. After storing water for the first year, it was discovered after a few months that water leaked far downstream, causing a breach.It was found that there were three abandoned Karez wells buried under the reservoir. It took a lot of work to backfill and store water again, and a breach occurred. There are still many Karez wells in the depths.Similar situations happened in Turpan Shengjinkou, Huoyanshan and other places. These places were the main areas of the Han and Tang military settlements. The abandoned Karer wells had been covered with deep alluvium, and they were also relics of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The term Kanerjing is very similar to the "Kanjing" in "Zhuangzi Qiushui". The word "Kanjing" is often seen in classics. "Beginners" divides wells into patios, Kan wells, etc. It can be seen that "Kan well" has long been an official member of the well family.Kanerjing in Chinese is a word composed of an open syllable and a closed syllable. It is easy to turn it into Karez, and when translated into Uyghur, it will naturally embed an "er" syllable.From this point of view, it is very likely that the Uighur Kanerjing came directly from the Chinese transliteration of "Kanjing". In the Jin and Tang Dynasties, there was a kind of flax well, which was vividly described in poems, such as Li Qunyu's "Walking to Water", which says: "A piece of cold jade walks through the autumn spring, leading to smoke from the mouth of the Shenluo Cave. The sound of the undercurrent for ten miles is constant, and there are gurgling streams above the heads of pedestrians." In 1990, a document unearthed in Turpan included the statement of "Huma Jingqu", which is the evidence of Karez.There are many records in the documents of the Tang Dynasty about "Huma Well" and "Huma Well Canal".One of the paragraphs reads: "The Huma Well Canal is five miles west of the city, the east is wild, the west is south, the south is north, and Zhang Atao is in the north." "It means that the Huma Well Canal is five miles west of the city from east to south, and those acres are in the southern part of the farming area. On the edge, its east, west, and south sides are wasteland. Judging from the fact that most of these plots are not adjacent to each other, the area irrigated by this flax well is very large. If this flax well is a vertical well, even if the water source is sufficient However, it is impossible to satisfy the water use of these fields by artificial and animal power. From this, it can be inferred that this flax well must be an irrigation water system composed of multiple vertical wells, hidden canals and open canals, that is to say, only the It is reasonable to understand the "Humajing Canal" in the above documents as a Karez well in the northwest of Gaochang City. The existence of Karez in Turpan in the Tang Dynasty can also be found in other documents and ancient relics.In the ancient city of Jiaohe, there is an underground passage dug about 3 meters below the ground and more than 30 meters long, which has been well preserved so far. Although it is still impossible to determine the reason for its construction, the excavation technology of this kind of passage is similar to that of the Karez Well Project.Uyghur Minup, former director of the Xinjiang Water Conservancy Department, said in the article "Research on Xinjiang Karer Wells": "There is an ancient residential site at the west dam of Shengjinkou Reservoir in Turpan today. Two pottery pots and one were dug out near the reservoir. The pottery bowl was identified as a cultural relic of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. There is also a Karez well with a length of 100 meters. The exit is only 30 meters away from the ruins of ancient residents. A section has collapsed into an open channel. It is certain that there must have been a Karez well in this area from the Wei, Jin to Sui and Tang Dynasties." Although the various records about Karez in historical materials are not completely consistent, they can at least show that the irrigation method of Karez has a long history and is a valuable asset in Chinese civilization. Everything in the world, no matter how big or small, has a beginning.Karez, a long underground river, no matter how long it is, will have a source.There is only one truth about who dug the first well and how it was dug.But history is often like this. When many things started, no one cared, let alone recorded.Especially the details.It was not until one day that this matter became of great significance that later generations wanted to figure out its ins and outs.But the truth has been lost in the long river of time, and it is difficult to find any way to find it. It can only be guessed by inference. Since it is a conjecture, it cannot be just one. One guess is that the first Karez was not dug in Turpan, but was dug somewhere in the pass.As early as in the Han Dynasty, there is a record: "Kan'er, wrapped around the spring from the foot of the mountain, used it as a gutter to divert water..." It is said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty at that time sent troops to attack Wusun, and the troops marched into the Gobi. There was no water. And the warriors are going to die of thirst.The general organized soldiers to dig six deep wells at the foot of Nantu Mountain in the Bailongdui Desert at the same time, and adopted the Guanzhong method of drawing water from wells and canals to connect the six deep wells to obtain spring water like a river, saving thousands of soldiers from thirst. The troops recovered their combat effectiveness, rushed to Wusun cavalry together, and won a big victory.After the war, some soldiers stayed in the Western Regions, and at the same time they also left behind the Guan Zhong's method of drawing water from wells and canals.There is another statement that can prove this conjecture, that is, when the Western Han Dynasty attacked Dawan, the local people did not know how to dig wells.In various documents before the Yuan Dynasty, there is no record of Karez.It was not until Liu Yu of the Yuan Dynasty, more than 700 years ago, that "Jingqu" was written in "The Story of the Western Envoy", indicating that there had been "jingqu" in the interior for a long time, but at this time, there was no such thing as a well in the Western Regions. water diversion project.In addition, the names of the old Karez wells and the tools used to dig Karez wells are mostly named in Chinese.Some Karez names, such as Qianshengguikan, Ximenkan, Dongmenkan, Dachangshuikan, etc., are the names given by the Han people.There are also tools for digging wells, such as single reels and horse reels, which are also used by Han people.In recent years, copper hookahs have also been found in some Karez wells. These things seem to indicate that the earliest Karez wells were dug out by Han Chinese who came to the Western Regions from the inland.However, this statement was continuously questioned later. The main reason is that the use and purpose of the "wells" in Guanzhong, including the specific excavation methods, are very different from the Karez wells in Turpan.This difference negates the conjecture that the Guanzhong "jingqu" spread westward.In addition, the names of those wells, the excavation tools and the unearthed copper hookahs can only indicate that the Han Chinese participated in the excavation of the Kaner Well, but nothing else.However, this kind of counter-evidence is not strong enough, so the statement that the Karez in Turpan was introduced from the interior is still quite credible. Another conjecture is that the Karez in Turpan was introduced from abroad.This statement was mainly made by a group of foreign scholars studying the Western Regions.The American Huntington said in his book that he came to Xinjiang in 1906 and called Burke and Mullah in Shanshan to "hear" about the Karez.They told him that Karez was introduced from Iran in 1780.The news of Huntington spread, and immediately got the approval of a group of Western scholars.There are two reasons for their approval. One is that the karez in Central Asia are very similar in structure and excavation methods.The second is that Karez is called Kanerzi in the area of ​​Kokand, and the pronunciation is very close.The person who introduced it was probably Skandar Yunus of Kokand, because he built a big brick tower in Turpan in 1780.At that time, Xinjiang did have close contacts with Kokand in Central Asia. Many businessmen lived in Xinjiang, and the government also had an agency in Kashgar.Including Agubo, who later invaded Xinjiang, also came from Kokand.There are various indications that it is not without historical basis that Karez was introduced from Kokand.Even individual domestic scholars support this conjecture.However, its correctness has also been questioned.More scholars believe that it is impossible for Karez to be introduced from Kokand.One is that up to now, there has never been any document about the introduction of Karez in Xinjiang from Central Asia at home and abroad.If Karez was indeed introduced from Kokand, such an important event should at least be documented in the source country.If it is a non-governmental behavior, it will be clearly recorded in official and folk documents in the place where it was introduced.However, there is no convincing thing about Karez in Xinjiang from Kanerzi East in Central Asia, except for a "hearing" by the American Huntington and some foreign scholars' echoes.Where did the Karez wells in Turpan come from? This is a major academic issue, and no conclusions can be drawn arbitrarily, and it must be able to withstand research.It also seems unreasonable to say that the name of Karez is not Chinese or Uighur, but Persian.The Uyghurs have used many languages ​​in history. After converting to Islam, they switched to the Uyghur language based on the Arabic alphabet. It still belongs to the Turkic language family, but it has incorporated a considerable number of Arabic and Persian words.Because Xinjiang is a multi-ethnic area, the languages ​​and characters of various ethnic groups are integrated and influenced each other.There are quite a few words in Uyghur, which are directly taken from Chinese.Such as soybeans, tea, cold noodles, etc., are all direct transliterations in Uyghur, forming distinct Chinese loanwords.通过这些词语的形成，不难看出民族之间的紧密联系。 “坎儿井”一词，也体现出了这一点。维族词语的“坎儿”，意思是暗流，与汉族的“井”合在了一起，就有了“坎儿井”的叫法。由此看来，只凭名称断定坎儿井由波斯传入是不足为信的。因为，完全还存在着另一种可能，那就是波斯地区的坎儿井，是从吐鲁番传过去的。这也不是没有可能的。丝绸之路上商旅不断，他们看到了坎儿井后，觉得这种引水灌溉的方法，也一样适应同样少雨干旱的中亚，就把它带回到了家乡，使得波斯一带从此也有了坎儿井。 说坎儿井从内地传入，或说坎儿井是从波斯传入，都是一种说法，一种猜想。可信也可不信。不信的人，就有了第三种猜想。这猜想其实不用多说，你也一定能猜得出来，那就是坎儿井这项人类历史上独有的伟大的水利工程是由新疆的劳动人民自己创造发明的。 20世纪80年代，新疆考古工作者在吐鲁番所辖的托克逊县克尔碱镇发现了一幅岩画。岩画是2300年前生活这里的人们所画。画面上刻有一条水系。水系有井和泉及渠道组成，其配置形式与坎儿井极为相似。考古专家们认为新疆先民们留下的这个实物证据，证实了早在新疆的远古时代就有了坎儿井。也许会有人问，不是说新疆坎儿井产生于18世纪80年代，怎么会在2300年前就有坎儿井呢？看起来有些矛盾，其实想一下，也并不矛盾。或许事实上新疆先民们于2300年前，就在吐鲁番这个特殊的自然环境中创造了坎儿井。但在以后的社会巨变中，比如说战争瘟疫等大灾大难的出现，让它在历史长河的波浪中，一度被淹没了，中断了，失传了。直到18世纪80年代，这里的人们重新创造出了坎儿井。或者说，坎儿井2000多年以来，就一直在吐鲁番地区存在着，只是由于我们的能力所限，有关的文字记载和文物实证暂时还没有找到而已。许多事情，我们不知道，并不等于它没有。许多历史秘密的发现，就是开始于人们大胆的猜想。而说吐鲁番的坎儿井在2000多年前就有了，已经有岩画作证，不再是猜想。也就是说，坎儿井确实是吐鲁番的劳动人民共同的创造，既不是从内地传入，更不是从波斯传入。而一直在吐鲁番地区流传的一个民间传说，也可以从另一个方面证明坎儿井自创的起源。说在许多年以前，有一户人家的两兄弟出去放羊。在大戈壁突然遇到大风，风大得把太阳刮得没有了，把地上的沙子刮得飞了起来，把比磨盘一样大的石头刮得滚了起来。两兄弟和他们的羊群，被大风刮得只能跟随着大风乱跑，想停都停不下来，想躲也没有地方躲，直到大风不刮了，他们才停了下来。只是这时候到了什么地方，他们已经搞不清楚了。只能凭感觉，就赶着羊群往家走。可是在大戈壁滩上走了两天两夜，也还是看不到家的影子。而这个时候，他们和羊群都已经渴得走不动了，累得走不动了。兄弟俩知道如果没有水，他们和羊群都不可能活着走出戈壁了。于是他们开始四处找寻泉水。是哥哥突然发现了前面的一个断崖下有一丛芦苇长得十分茂盛，弟弟说能长芦苇的地方下面一定有水，我们往下挖，一定能挖出水来。于是兄弟俩就不顾一切地挖了起来，坚硬锋利的刀子挖断了，结满了厚茧的双手挖出了血，就在他们觉得快要坚持不住打算要放弃时，一股泉水从沙土里涌了出来。兄弟俩和羊群靠着这股泉水重新恢复了体力，最终走出了骄阳如火的大戈壁滩。兄弟俩回到村子里，把他们经历的事情说给了乡亲们。从此以后，村子里的人就按他们说的，去找寻可能藏着泉水的地方往下挖，挖出了泉水后，就把泉水引进村子和农田，用来饮用和灌溉。时间长了，就在当地形成了习俗。一些地方的维吾尔族百姓直到现在还会过清泉节。到了这一天，为了保证泉水畅涌，就会去清理掉堵塞泉流的淤泥。为了清淤方便，人们就会在泉水的源头打一口竖井，清淤的人可以直接下到井底清除淤泥。民间把这种只有一个竖井的坎儿井，叫单坎儿。可以说，它就是后来坎儿井的雏形。 对坎儿井源流的三种猜想，我有些相信第一种猜想，但我更相信第三种猜想。虽然要证实这种猜想，还需要更多的文物和文字记载，但要找出理由并不难。我以为坎儿井这样的水利工程的出现，首先是和某种自然环境有关。在吐鲁番这样一个地方，要想不断地开发出农田并能不断地收获到庄稼，在那个生产力极其落后的年代，必须找到一种既可行又有效的引水灌溉方式。在当地的自然条件上，由于干旱少雨，地面水源缺乏，人们要生产生活就不得不重视开发利用地下水。同时，当地的地下水因有高山补给，所以储量丰富。地面坡度又陡，有利于修建坎儿井工程，开采出丰富的地下水源，自流灌溉农田和解决人畜饮用。在当时的生产发展上，由于在政治、经济和军事上的要求，以及当时东西方文化的传播，迫使人们必须进一步设法增大地下水的开采量，扩大灌溉面积来满足农业生产发展的需要。因而对引泉结构必须进行改良，采取挖洞延伸以增大其出水量。这样就逐步形成了雏形的坎儿井取水方式。在当时，尽管经济技术条件水平很低，但坎儿井工程的结构形式可使工程的土方量大为减少，且施工设备极为简单，操作技术又易为当地群众所掌握，故坎儿井的取水方式在当时的经济技术条件下是比较理想的形式。我想当时的劳动人民一定有过各种尝试和摸索，不知经历过多少次失败后，才渐渐地发现了坎儿井所具有的独特性能。坎儿井是严酷的生存环境逼出来的，是劳动人民无可奈何的选择，因为它比一般的引水方式，不管是在资金上还是体力上，都要付出更多更大的的成本。别的地方的人，没有这个迫切性，没有去创造坎儿井的强大动力。只有吐鲁番的劳动人民，为了生存的需要，不得不去找寻和发现，不得不承受挖掘的失败及艰辛和劳累。所以说，坎儿井只能大部分在吐鲁番地区出现，并使它在漫长的历史中，不断发展完善，最终形成较大的规模，作为人类勇敢顽强与大自然抗争的一个奇迹而载入中华文明的史册。 在吐鲁番我见到了一位老人。他不住在城里，他住在城市郊区的农庄里。我去见他，只有一个原因，那就是因为他是个坎匠，挖了一辈子的坎儿井了。 我见到他时，他正坐在院子的葡萄架下喝着茶。一道流水从他的身边流过。这几天，我在吐鲁番采访，对坎儿井已经有些了解。一看那流水的清亮度，我就知道这是从坎儿井里流出的水。听我说明了来意，老人问我是不是真的有兴趣听他的故事。我告诉他，不光是我有兴趣听，还有许多人都有兴趣听，并告诉他国家要出一本关于中国水利故事的书，我要写一篇关于坎儿井的文章登在上面。听说他讲的话可以写进书里，让许多人听到，老人这才让我坐到了他的身边，给我倒了一杯茶。他说：我叫艾斯海尔，今年75岁了。从15岁就跟着爷爷去挖坎儿井，挖了60年坎儿井了。可以说，是个老坎匠了。要说别的事情，我可说不出什么。可给你说挖坎儿井的事，我可以说三天三夜也说不完。你要是真想听，那你就不要走了，就住下来，和我住在一起，听我慢慢给你说。 Where to start?好吧，就先从怎么选井址说起吧。你看到了，山那么高，戈壁那么大，不能随便找个地方，就去挖井。那么干，十有八九会白干。汗流了，力气掏出来了，挖出的只是一个洞，什么用都没有，是一件让人很恼火的事。要想不白干，就得选好地方，得事先就判断出地下面有水，才能动工，才能朝下挖。这个工序，也叫选泉流。 选泉流，先朝山上看，看山上的雪。这里的山很高，一年四季山上都有雪。光有雪不行，还要看雪是多还是少。山上的积雪叫雪帽，雪帽越大，说明积雪越多，积雪多了，化掉的水就多。雪水流下来，渗到地下面，就成了泉水。一般来说，山上的积雪多，山脚下的泉水也就多。可泉水藏在地下，看不见，凭什么断定呢？这也不难办。在山脚下找，看什么地方长着草，长得草越多越密越高，说明它的下面就会有水，很可能有很多的水。 断定下面有水了，就先挖一个三四米深的井。这叫试井，试着看看下面是不是有水。光有水还不行，水太少了，就不值得挖，得形成暗流才行。如果看到了暗流，可以说初步试探成功了。但还要继续试探。要在这个口井的上游大约20米远的地方，再打一口井，比这口井更深一点。如果继续发现暗流，就再往上游移动20米，再打一口井。如果这口井也同样发现了暗流，那么，就可以说，这个坎儿井的位置算是选对了，就可以放开手脚去挖了。和上面说过的方法一样，还要朝坡上挖，一直挖，挖到竖井里的泉水流量达到了要求，就可以不往山坡上挖了。 不往山坡上挖了，就转过头，朝坡下挖，朝盆地下边的村庄挖。还是二三十米一个，不管多远，就这么一直挖下去。如果离村庄近，可能挖几十个竖井就行了。如果离得远了，那就要花力气了，很可能挖几百个竖井都不够。 挖坎儿井，先挖竖井。竖井一般是长方形，东西长0.8米、南北长0.6米。相对来说，竖井要好挖些，不过，井口太小，人多没用，下不去。一次只能一个人挖，可以三个人轮着挖。光挖竖井，也得用去好几天工夫。挖好了竖井，就开始挖暗渠了。暗渠一般宽为0.8米、高约1.5米，上为拱形。暗渠不好挖。坎儿井能不能挖成，主要是看暗渠挖得怎么样。 挖掘的工具是一把短把子的镢头、一把短把子的坎土曼和两只柳条筐。把子一定要短，太长了，没法用。太短了也不行，太短了使不上劲。一般有40公分就差不多了。柳条筐也是有要求的，为了方便在井里使用，要求不能高过25公分。挖掘暗渠时，在竖井东西向的中线上，要插一盏铁制油灯，坎匠背对着油灯，要一直对着自己的影子挖，这样就不会偏离方向。就可以和下一个竖井连上了。暗渠底部的渠深，不用太深，以土筐的筐沿为标准，只要泉流能淹没筐沿就行了。 挖坎儿井时，一班是三个人。一个在竖井上边。竖井井口搭个木架子，有辘轳可以上下吊运土筐。在竖井口的人，负责把土筐吊上来，把挖出来的倒掉，再把土筐放到井下。再有一个人，是在井中负责运土，用坎土曼把土装进筐子里，再挂到辘轳上。还有一个人，这个人的活，比较起来技术性更强些，也更重要些。他直接拿镢头挖，暗渠的大小、方向全由他管。他要是干不好，就会影响到暗渠是不是好用，是不是结实牢固。这个人是三个人的头，另外两个人要听他的。一开始挖坎儿井的人，是干不了这个活的。这是个技术活，光有力气不行，要经过学习、经过锻炼才行。一开始，我也不行，也是跟在师傅后面，看师傅怎么挖，记在心上。整整跟了三年，才干得像个样子了。 挖坎儿井，是所有活里最累的一个活。家里条件好的，有些钱的，都不会去干。我家穷，想吃口饱饭、有衣服穿，就得去干这个活。苦是苦，累是累，可给的工钱也会多一些。那时，有一个说法，叫好男不去挖坎儿，好女不去嫁坎儿。挖坎儿井，不光是累，是苦。长年在井下面，见不到阳光，里边又潮又湿，还直不起腰。几乎关节上都会落下一些病。现在，只要天一阴，我的腰和腿就会酸疼。还有我的眼睛，也不好用了，老是红肿，流眼泪，这也是挖坎儿井搞的。在井下干活，点着油灯，冒出的烟，把眼睛给熏坏了。挖坎儿井，不但会得病，还有的人把命都丢了。我有一个伙伴，和我可好了。那天我们一起去挖一个井。我俩在暗渠里挖，他的技术也好，和我不分上下。我俩就轮着挖。我挖了一会儿，他说他来挖，我就让给他了。我去运土。我站在竖井下面，刚把一筐土吊上去，就听到“轰”的一声，发生了塌方。整个暗渠塌了下来，把他给砸进去了。等我们把他扒出来，已经没有气了。 不说这个了，干什么都不好干。我们这些人，是不怕苦不怕累，也不怕死的。不吃苦，不得福，天上不会掉肉饼子，这个道理，我是懂的。所以，苦一点，累一点，没有啥。不过，有时，也会生气，不高兴。有一次，挖一个坎儿井，挖到了一半，不能再往下挖了。不是主人不让我们挖了，也不是我们不想挖了。是土层结构有了问题。比如说，沙性太强，土质太松散，一挖就发生坍塌。没有办法，只能停下，宣布作废。主人白掏钱了，恼火，坎匠白掏劲了，也恼火。我们把这种井叫“白坎儿”。后来这个词语流行开了，新疆人都能听懂，说什么人或什么东西不行、没有用、是废物，就说是“白坎儿”。 好多人不愿意当坎匠，可我愿意当。什么事，干上了，干久了，就会喜欢上它了，就和它有感情了。再说了，因为坎儿井，在我们这里，实在很重要。不管是富人还是穷人，都离不开坎儿井。坎儿井挖好了以后，也要经常去清除淤泥，才能让坎儿井清水长流。这么一来，坎匠一年到头，不管什么时候都有活干。有时还会不够用，一个坎匠，好几家都抢着要用。这么一抢，坎匠的地位就高了。坎匠不管给谁家干活，都要招待好。差不多每天都会有肉吃。一是想让坎匠吃好了，好有力气干活；二是怕坎匠吃不好，不高兴，不好好干不说，使个坏，还会把坎儿井搞坏了。不过，坎匠不会这么干的。他们总是想把活干好，人活着，要有个好名声。坎匠的名声，就活在坎儿井的流水里。 不管干什么，干好了，都会得到好报。挖坎儿井也一样。给一家人挖坎儿井，这家人有个姑娘，天天给我们送饭。送完饭后，她不马上走，会坐在那里看我们干活，还和我们聊天。那一年，我21岁，看见姑娘脸就红，心就乱跳。一看到姑娘远远提着饭菜走过来，我就激动得不行。我用辘轳从井口往上提土，姑娘就帮我一起提土。我问她是不是喜欢挖坎儿井。她说我觉得挖坎儿井的人很了不起。她说这个话时，脸红了。我知道这是个机会千万不能错过，于是我就在她的脸上亲了一下。她不好意思地跑开了，可她围在头上的红纱巾却飘到了地上。我拿起了红纱巾捂在了胸口。直到了一年后我才还给了她。其实我是不想还给她的，可是不还给她不行了，因为她说如果不把红纱巾还给她，她就不会嫁给我。当然啊，后来，她不但嫁给了我，还跟我生了十个孩子。 好了，不说我的爱情故事了。我知道，你是想了解坎儿井的事。不过，我的爱情故事，也是和坎儿井有点关系的。你看，坎儿井就是这么好，坎儿井流到什么地方，什么地方就会有许多新的生命长出来。我知道，现在已经有许多人不用坎儿井了，国家花了很多钱，把自来水通到了各家各户，地里的庄稼要浇灌了，可以用抽水机抽水了，用喷灌机喷出雨。还修了一些水库，用起水来方便多了。老百姓再也不会像过去那样，只能靠坎儿井活着了。可对我来说，还是不能离开坎儿井，坎儿井里流出的水，不但很清，还很甜，别的水比不上。我现在如果觉得身体不舒服了，不用去医院看医生，只要喝一碗坎儿井里的水就好了。 在我们这个地方，已经有许多年没有人再挖出新的坎儿井了。原来的坎儿井因为没有人维修，也有好多不再有流水了。坎匠这个活，也是很少有人会再干了。就算你会干，也不会有什么人来找你干了。不过，那些挖坎儿井用的工具，我可是一件都没有丢。没有事时，我会经常拿出来，把镢头和坎土曼上的锈迹擦掉。我一个人也会在太阳不太强烈的黄昏时，走到戈壁滩上，走到我挖出的坎儿井前，看到那些已经断流的坎儿井里堆满了土，心里有一种说不出的难受，真想跳下去把那些泥土清理出来，让坎儿井重新发出流水的欢唱声。坎儿井每年春天都要疏浚，冬天过后泥土变松便会塌方，那就要及时疏浚，否则就如一个人的血管淤塞一样，一个个庄园便会干枯而消失。可我真的年纪大了，手脚已经不听使唤了，心有余而力不足啊！你不是政府派来了解情况的人吗？你不是要写文章吗？你能不能把我的话写出来，让政府知道一个老坎匠心里的想的啥？其实也没有想啥，我就是想着坎儿井是我们的宝啊，我们得爱护它呀，不能把它丢了。 为了证明坎儿井是个宝，老人带着我参观了他的庄园。坎儿井流到老人家的庄园的时候就变成明渠了，但它依然带着天山雪水的寒气。尽管太阳像火一样，烤得土地发烫，流水却有些冰的冷意。它们围绕着白杨的树根静静地流淌着，让树下的绿荫充满了凉爽。老人指着放在树下水边的一些羊肉还有瓜果蔬菜，告诉我，已经放在水边好几天了，还是那么新鲜，一点也不会变质。说着，老人拿过一个西瓜，杀开了让我吃。我一吃真的又冰又甜，真是和放在冰箱里的西瓜没有两样。老人又指着不远处的葡萄庄园说，他有5亩葡萄庄园，里边种着15种葡萄，每年可以给一家人带来上万元的收入。老人还说，至少还有40户人家就靠着眼前的这个坎儿井过日子呢！ 听了艾斯海尔老人以上的讲叙，让我明白了一个坎儿井是怎么挖出来的。不过，1500多条坎儿井，长约5000公里的地下长河的挖掘，决不是一个或者说上千个艾斯海尔可以完成的。在这漫长的历史中，一定还有一些杰出的人物发挥过更大的作用。带着这个想法，我在一个宁静的深夜，打开一本厚厚的史书。果然，我看到了两个让我身心震撼的名字。 一个名字是林则徐，另一个名字是左宗棠。 1842年，一个叫林则徐的花甲老人来到了新疆。说到林则徐大家没有不知道的，他的故事可以说家喻户晓、无人不知。不过，大家知道的多半是他在广东虎门把外国人鸦片烧掉的事，很少有人知道他来到新疆以后干了什么事，更不会知道他和坎儿井之间有什么关系。其实作为一个民族的大英雄，林则徐在新疆的所作所为，是他伟大人生中不可忽略的一部分。 本来作为朝廷大臣的林则徐是不可能有机会来到新疆的。但他在1840年干了一件惊天动地的大事。他一把火把洋人的鸦片烧掉了。早就对鸦片痛恨得不行的老百姓，齐声为他叫好。但却给皇帝带来了麻烦。一直在中国横行霸道的洋人从来没有人敢这样对待他们，于是就趁机对清政府发难，直接动用起了坚船利炮，发动了一场可耻的鸦片战争。腐败的清政府觉得打不过洋人，就不敢打了，就朝洋人举起了白旗。洋人提出了许多不平等的条件，皇帝都一一接受了。其中有一条就是要处罚林则徐。 当时对犯错的大臣的处罚，要么是直接把头砍掉，要么就是革去官职，遣戍边疆。林则徐去禁洋人的烟，也是奉了朝廷旨令才去办的。再说了，林则徐一直是个忠臣，皇帝心里是明白的。砍林则徐的头，不管是于情于理都不能那么做。不能砍头，那只能是遣戍了。就是这么做，皇帝还是觉得对不住林则徐，派人前去把林则徐找来，对他说了心里话。知道皇帝把他流放新疆，是没有办法的选择，也是为了大清江山的安危。一向深明大义的他，朝着皇帝三叩头后，满怀对国家的忠诚离开了京城，走向了塞外。 一队人马押着林则徐走在茫茫的大戈壁滩上，那些初次出塞的官兵被这亘古的荒凉吓坏了，出现了惊恐不安的神情，有的甚至走着走着不肯走了。只有林则徐面对这辽阔的疆土充满了自豪，并告诉随行的人员，因为有了塞外的这块土地，中华才可以称之为大中华。还说，别看眼前这戈壁滩上没有人烟，终有一日会变成江南一样的鱼米乡。林则徐这么说，并不是没有根据的浪漫的想象。这些年作为朝廷重臣，组织和领导了多个地方农业的振兴和发展，对土地不但有着深厚的感情，更有着如何开发利用的一整套办法。 英雄永远都是英雄，不管在什么地方，都不会甘于平庸。忠臣永远都是忠臣，不管经受多大的磨难和委屈，都不会改变为国家奉献一切的信念。穿越了整个东西新疆的林则徐，在经过了差不多半年的行程后，于这一年的春天来到了伊犁。不顾路途的劳累，林则徐到达当日，就去了拜见了当时的伊犁将军布彦泰。将军向来对林则徐充满敬佩，尽管他遭到贬谪却并没改变在他心目中的位置。将军向林则徐保证会让他在伊犁受到各方面的关照，并请林则徐有什么要求提出来，他一定会尽力满足。林则徐听完大笑起来，说他来找将军，不是为了寻求关照和保护。他来找将军，是让将军给他找事干的。虽然没有官位，可作为大清子民，他仍然愿意为大清的繁荣和安危出力。 当时朝廷为了加强伊犁地区对沙皇的防守力量，增加了当地的驻军。但驻军多了就得想办法解决军粮的问题。其中一个重要的措施就是扩大在伊犁的屯田，并计划在一个叫阿齐乌苏的地方开垦大片的荒地。这个计划已经制定有一段日子了，但是一直因为水源不足迟迟不能实施。布彦泰将军知道林则徐在治水方面是个专家，又看他决心要为朝廷出力，就不由得心中一喜，恳切地提出希望林则徐能参加