The Study On The Relationship Between Water Environmental Characteristics And Cultural Relics In Yangguan Town, Dunhuang City

Since the Han dynasty, Dunhuang region began to have the exact written records, established its important position in the Chinese and world civilization after formally incorporated into the Han dynasty empire. With the smooth of the Silk Road and the attention of the Han dynasty’s government, Dunhuang developed rapidly. The yangguan relics and the shouchangcheng relics listed in Yangguan town,Dunhuang city were established in the western Han dynasty.The effect of water environment is the most fundamental in numerous environmental impact factors for the protection of cultural sites, especially soil sites. In consequence, studying the relationship between the changes of water environment and the cultural relics can fundamentally grasp the development law of cultural relics and know the role of water environment in the evolution of the cultural relics, which provide more scientific and reasonable measures to protect current cultural relics.The study started the topic research after discussing the historical evolution of Dunhuang region and culture relics and analyzing water environmental characteristics of Yang town. The study time is from 111 BC to now, the time range is more than 2000 years ,which is divided into the Western Han dynasty, Eastern Han dynasty to Sui dynasty, Tang and Song dynasty, modern four research stage; Space range is mainly in two relics - the ancient south lake oasis, due to the incomplete historical data, the space range extends to Dunhuang region, Shule river basin and Hexi area. The study found that the two cultural sites’ location were closely related to the state of the surrounding water environment on the first stage-the Western Han dynasty. The second stage -the Eastern Han dynasty to the Sui dynasty, because of the superior natural condition and little human activity interference to water resources, the culture sites developed similar trend with water environment.The third stage-Tang and Song dynasties, due to the political stability, increasing population and expanding arable land in the early tang dynasty period, many water conservancy facilities were build, Coinciding with the natural conditions of superiority ,the two relics represented value for history. In the late Tang and early Song Dynasties ,bad weather and over-exploited water resources led to the ancient south lake oasis be invaded by sand to the internal contraction, which caused the two relics were sank in the desert. The fourth stage -nowadays, the two site were announced for the provincial cultural relics protection unit and opened as a tourist scenic spot for tourists to visit. the protection of relics should be paid extreme attention, providing a stable water environment for the protection of cultural sites is the research emphasis in this period.Water resource is not only the most precious natural resources, but also the important material foundation and prerequisite of oasis’ formation and stable development in arid areas. Water environment impact factor plays a decisive role in the development and evolution of settlement sites in the arid areas and water environment impact factor can’t be ignored for the research, exploitation and protection of cultural heritages in arid areas. The water environment’s role is studied in the evolution of cultural sites, which provides scientific theory basis for development models of oasis towns in arid areas in the future.