Sand

At the end of 2022, a documentary with only four episodes went online, "Dunhuang and Venice: Above Desert and Sea". Perhaps Marco Polo's visit to China is the only positive encounter between Dunhuang (敦煌) and Venice in history. They reunited with a new look in this documentary. From east to west, from sand to sea, the Silk Road conveys the most wonderful exchange of materials, culture and people.   East Meets West In 1271, Marco Polo set out from Venice for a long journey and crossed 6,400 kilometers of sand and sea. In his travelogue, he noted down a place called sandbank, which was Dunhuang. In the long river of history, the two seemingly completely irrelevant cities have more connections because of the Silk Road. For example, the cotton weaving of Persia appeared in Dunhuang Tang Dynasty documents and also appeared beside the governor of Venice. The pattern of lotus appeared in the Mogao Grottoes and also in the gorgeous clothes of the Madonna. Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan is not only the profoundest sky in Dunhuang frescoes but also the purest blue in Titian's works. Many traders may not travel the entire length of the Silk Road, but one short…