陌上塵

青海雄踞“世界屋脊”青藏高原的東北部，平均海拔在3 000 米以上，這里長期居住著藏族、回族、蒙古族、土族、撒拉族等多個少數(shù)民族。世界五大宗教—佛教、伊斯蘭教、道教、基督教和天主教—在青海都有傳播。長期以來，多民族文化在歷史變遷中演繹出獨具特色的高原風土人情。

Qinghai Province， with an average elevation of over 3，000meters， is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-TibetPlateau， known as the “Roof of the World.” This region has longbeen home to various ethnic groups， including the Tibetan， Hui，Mongolian， Tu， and Salar minorities. All five major religionsin the world — Buddhism， Islam， Taoism， Christianity， andCatholicism — have a presence and influence in Qinghai.Over the course of history， the local multi-ethnicalcustoms and practices have evolved into a blendof unique plateau cultures.

祭神

Worshipping the Devine

祭祀活動歷來是中華文化重要的組成部分。在青海湖周邊地區(qū)，“祭海神”是每年重要的禮俗活動之一，當?shù)厝艘源藖砥蚯蠛Ｉ癖Ｗo，求得一年人畜平安。通常，大型祭祀開始時，祭臺上會擺放已經屠宰好的牛（兩頭）和綿羊（八只），還會準備十余只活羊和一些糖果、點心、酒、哈達等祭品。當主祭官宣布祭海開始時，人們起立行鞠躬之禮。隨著祭樂響起，主祭人誦讀祭文并進香、進帛等。隨后，祭祀者會將十余只活羊趕入海中，案板上的祭品也都隨之投入海中，以示敬海神。禮畢，參與祭祀的人們開始“祭海盛宴”，并按古老傳統(tǒng)進行“搶宴”，搶的都是提前準備好的手抓牛羊肉和糖果等?！皳屟纭苯Y束后，人們拿著各自所得物品到海神牌位前行禮謝恩，寄托對一年美好生活的期望。

Worshipping activities have always been an integralpart of Chinese culture. Worshipping the Sea Godis one of the most important annual rituals in areasaround Qinghai Lake， with which local people seekprotection for both humans and livestock for the year.Usually， when the grand worship ceremony begins，two slaughtered cows and eight slaughtered sheep areplaced on the altar， accompanied by other offerings，such as candies， snacks， wine， khatas （traditionalTibetan ceremonial scarves）， and over ten live sheep.When the chief priest announces the beginning of theritual， people stand up and bow as a sign of respect forthe Sea God. Ceremonial music is played， while thepriest recites the ritual text， offers incense for the deity，and presents offerings such as silk fabrics. Then， theparticipants drive the live sheep and cast the offerings?on the altar into the sea as a gesture of worship. Whenthe worshipping is completed， participants move on toenjoy their “Sea Worship Feast，” where they follow theold tradition of competing for pre-prepared candiesas well as hand-grabbed beef and mutton. After this，participants bring the items they acquired to the SeaGod shrine， perform rituals to express gratitude， andconvey their hopes for a wonderful year ahead.

除了“祭海神”，每年七月初，土族還會舉行“轉山節(jié)”。當?shù)厝藭埑鲈谒聫R供奉的神靈，扛著大大小小的旗子，敲著鼓、背著經書開始轉山，以求山神保佑一方平安。

In addition to this， the Tu ethnic people celebratethe “Mountain Pilgrimage Festival” each year in earlyJuly. During this event， local residents worship thedeities enshrined in temples. They then carry flags ofvarious sizes and scriptures， and beat drums as theybegin to walk either within or around the mountains，seeking protection of the mountain deities.

茶飲美食

Tea and Cuisines

“一日無茶則滯，三日不飲則疾?！鼻嗪５貐^(qū)牧民的主食以牛羊肉為主，由于食物都偏酸性，人們就通過茶葉的堿性來調節(jié)平衡，解膩化食。他們一般用銅壺或陶瓷罐熬煮茶，以茯茶為主。按照煮茶時加入的佐料，茶分為三種：一是鹽茶。藏族諺語有“茶無鹽，水一樣”的說法。煮茶時加入鹽巴，慢火熬煮成色澤紅褐、滋味醇厚的茶汁。二是酥油茶。煮茶時加入酥油和鹽，相傳是唐朝文成公主嫁到西藏時創(chuàng)制的。酥油是牦牛奶的精華，這種奶香濃郁、色澤金黃的酥油茶深受當?shù)厝讼矏?。三是奶茶。在煮好的茶中加入牦牛奶，攪勻后燒開即可。此外，稍微講究一點的人在煮茶時還會加入生姜、荊芥，味道會更加地道。

In Qinghai， there’s a saying that goes， “A day without tea leads to stagnantdigestion， while three days without tea can make one ill.” This is because theprimary meat sources for the pastoralists are beef and mutton， which tend tobe acidic， and to counterbalance the acidity， locals turn to tea， known for itsalkaline properties. Apart from restoring balance in the body， tea drinkingalso alleviates the greasy feeling and promotes digestion. Traditionally，Qinghai people brew Fu Tea， a type of dark tea， using copper or ceramicpots. Depending on the ingredients added， tea in Qinghai can becategorized into three main types. The first variety is salted tea， and thereis a saying among the local Tibetan people that goes， “Tea without salt is asplain as water.” Therefore， during the gentle brewing process， salt is added，resulting in a richly flavored tea with a reddish-brown hue. The second typeis yak butter tea， where yak butter （the essence of yak milk） and salt areadded while brewing the tea. Legend has it that this tea-brewing method wasinvented by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she married theTibetan king. Known for its creamy buttery aroma and golden hue， the yakbutter tea is deeply cherished by the residents. The third variety is milk tea，where people add yak milk into brewed tea， and blend and boil the mixture.For those with a more discerning palate， traditional ingredients like ginger andSchizonepeta tenuifolia are added to enhance the flavor.

青海還有很多特色的美食。主食里面就有炒青稞磨成的面粉，當?shù)厝朔Q之為“郭日勒”。牧民早上喜歡喝“豆瑪”，就是在碗底放少許糌粑，再加奶豆腐和酥油，與茶一起沖泡而成。節(jié)日或招待客人時用“德色”或“托日”?！暗律笔怯纱竺罪埣犹牵贊惨匀诨说乃钟投龀傻娘?；“托日”是熟面加酥油、糖、核桃仁、葡萄干、奶豆腐及調味品，然后混合在一起做成方塊形的食物，最后在食物的四角及中央放上紅棗。這些也是本地人招待貴客的美食。

In Qinghai， there are many special local delicacies. One unique staple is guorile，made from roasted highland barley flour. Locals also enjoy douma， a drink whereroasted barley dough is placed at the bottom of a bowl， topped with milk tofu and yakbutter， and brewed with tea. During festivals or when hosting guests， they prepare deseor tuori. Dese consists of sweetened rice drenched in melted butter， while tuori is a cubeshapedtreat made from cooked flour mixed with butter， sugar， walnuts， raisins， milk tofu， andseasonings， garnished with red dates at the corners and center. These are the culinary delightsQinghai residents offer to their special guests.

塔爾寺“三絕”

“Three Wonders” of Ta’er Monastery

青海民間藝術的頂流要數(shù)塔爾寺“三絕”了。塔爾寺位于青海湟中縣，是當?shù)夭貍鞣鸾讨械牡谝淮笏略?。塔爾寺以酥油花、壁畫和堆繡聞名于世，號稱“三絕”。其中酥油花是一種用酥油來塑型象物的特殊技藝，能制作出各種佛像、人物、山水、亭臺樓閣、飛禽走獸、花卉樹木等藝術精品。酥油花的制作分為“扎骨架”“做胚胎”“敷塑”“裝盤”四道工序。由于酥油花在25℃時就會融化，所以只能在室溫0℃左右的房間內制作。每年農歷正月十五，寺內的酥油花展覽都會吸引眾多的游人及信徒前去參觀、膜拜。塔爾寺壁畫屬喇嘛教宗教畫系，其顏料提取自當?shù)厥|礦物，色澤鮮艷，經久不變。畫面上展示的有佛經故事、神話故事、姻緣故事、釋迦牟尼生平故事等，壁畫人物形象立體感強，層次分明，栩栩如生，令人嘆為觀止。塔爾寺的堆繡藝術，就是在布幔上用各色布塊（綢緞）粘貼、堆砌大小佛像，并在周圍點綴各種花卉圖案，是塔爾寺獨有的一種地方民族工藝。堆繡題材豐富，包括人物、山水、花卉等。

The most representative of Qinghai folk art isthe “Three Wonders” of Ta’er Monastery. Located inHuangzhong County， Qinghai Province， Ta’er Monasteryis the largest local Tibetan Buddhist monastery and isrenowned for the “Three Wonders”： butter sculptures，murals， and piled embroidery. The people of Qinghaidemonstrate a unique skill in crafting intricate yakbutter sculptures， ranging from Buddhas and figuresto landscapes， pavilions and towers， animals and birds，trees and flowers， among others. The production ofbutter sculptures involves four steps： creating theframework， sculpting the structure， carving andcoloring， and installing the sculpture on the board. Asyak butter begins to melt at around 25°C， these wonderfulworks of art can only be completed in environmentswith temperatures near 0°C. Each year， on the 15th dayof the first lunar month， a butter sculpture exhibition at?the monastery becomes a magnet for countlesstourists and devoted pilgrims alike. The muralsat Ta’er Monastery， part of the Tibetan Buddhisttradition， use pigments from locally sourcedminerals for vivid， enduring colors. They depictBuddhist scriptures， myths， fateful encounters，and the life of Siddhartha Gautama. Thecharacters in these murals are painted with strongthree-dimensional qualities， clear layers， and alifelike appearance that leaves viewers in awe.The piled embroidery art is a local craftsmanshipunique to the monastery. Typically， silk fabricpieces of various colors are layered and stitchedonto the base fabric to create Buddha statuesof different sizes， adorned with floral patterns.The subject matter of piled embroidery is rich，including figures， landscapes， and flowers.

藏醫(yī)藥浴

Tibetan Medicinal Bath

作為中華醫(yī)藥學的重要組成部分，“藏醫(yī)藥浴法”是青海當?shù)貥O具特色的防治疾病方式之一。藥浴主要以五種藏草藥為基本方，并隨癥加藥，也稱為“五味甘露浴”。這五種草藥分別是刺柏、杜鵑、白野蒿、藏麻黃和水柏枝。通常是將身體浸泡于藥物熬煮的水汁中，通過皮膚吸收或發(fā)汗，達到散寒祛風、活血化瘀和燥濕止癢等目的。

The Tibetan Medicinal Bath is a distinctive methodof disease prevention and treatment in Qinghai，representing a significant part of traditional Chinesemedicine. Such baths primarily utilize a base formulaconsisting of five Tibetan herbal plants （Juniperusformosana， Rhododendron simsii， white Artemisia，Tibetan ephedra， and Germany Falsetamarisk），earning it the name “Bath in Five-Flavored Sweet Dew.”Additional herbs are added to cater to special needs.People usually soak in the herbal solution， allowingabsorption through the skin or promoting sweating，with the goals of dispelling cold and wind， enhancingblood circulation to remove blood stasis， and relievingdampness and itching.

當然，除了“五味甘露浴”，藏醫(yī)傳統(tǒng)療法還有涂擦、木棍療法、放血、火灸、冷熱敷法、拔罐等特色治療方式。

There are also other unique Tibetan medicinaltreatment methods， such as smearing and rubbingtherapy， stick-tapping therapy， bloodletting， firemoxibustion， cold and heat compress， and cupping.

玉樹卓舞

Yushu Zhuo Dance

玉樹卓舞又稱“鍋莊舞”。玉樹藏族自治州一帶的傳統(tǒng)“玉樹卓舞”歷史悠久、種類繁多。題材大多以對家鄉(xiāng)、自然風光的歌頌為主，完整的演出分為序舞、正部和尾聲三部分。由于舞蹈服裝的袖子很長，表演時舞者主要通過甩袖來表現(xiàn)。這種舞蹈常常有幾十人甚至上百人共同參與，甩起來的袖子隨著舞蹈動作變化多樣，場面宏大氣派。

Yushu Zhuo Dance， also known as the “GuozhuangDance，” is a traditional dance in Yushu City， TibetanAutonomous Prefecture， featuring various forms thatcelebrate homeland and the beauty of nature. A fullperformance includes a prelude， the main dance， and afinale. Usually， dozens or even over a hundred dancersparticipate in this performance， expressing themselvesby sweeping the long sleeves of their costumes inharmony with the dance moves， creating a grand andmagnificent vibe.

生活在“世界屋脊”青藏高原上的各少數(shù)民族，彼此的文化都在歷史長河中相互滲透，形成了特色鮮明的青海民俗。他們傳承著歷史，也在草原歌舞、藏戲、摔跤和賽馬等活動中走向現(xiàn)代，為雪域高原的多彩生活增添了一抹別樣風情。

The diverse cultures of ethnic minorities living onthe Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have interwoven throughouthistory， giving rise to distinct traditions in Qinghai.These ethnic groups preserve their historical heritagesand， at the same time， embrace modernity throughactivities such as grassland singing and dancing， Tibetanopera singing， wrestling， and horse racing. They add aunique flavor to the vibrant life on the snowy plateau.