銅奔馬，是一匹三足凌空、一足踏在鳥背，呈飛奔狀的駿馬， 又稱“ 馬踏飛燕”。作為“ 中國(guó)旅游”的標(biāo)志，它的圖片出現(xiàn)在中國(guó)大大小小的機(jī)場(chǎng)、火車站和旅游景點(diǎn)， 很多中外朋友對(duì)它都不陌生。在它背后，又有著怎樣的故事呢？

The Bronze Galloping Horse， also known as theGalloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow， is a bronzesculpture depicting a running horse with three hoovesin mid-air and one hoof stepping on the back of a flyingswallow. As the symbol of “China Tourism，’’ its imageappears in airports， train stations， and tourist attractionsacross China， and it is well known to many Chinese andforeigners. But do you know the story behind this iconicimage？

這匹舉世聞名的“馬”為青銅器，東漢時(shí)期所制，長(zhǎng)45 厘米，高34.5 厘米，寬13.1 厘米，重7.3千克，1969年出土于甘肅省武威市雷臺(tái)漢墓。它造型奔放，構(gòu)思巧妙，工藝精湛，是我國(guó)青銅藝術(shù)中的罕見杰作。

This world-renowned “horse” is a bronzeartifact from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Itmeasures 45 centimeters in length， 34.5centimeters in height， 13.1 centimeters in width，and weighs 7.3 kilograms. It was unearthed in1969 from the Han Tomb at Leitai in Wuwei City，Gansu Province. Its vigorous posture， ingeniousdesign， and exquisite craftsmanship make it a raremasterpiece in Chinese bronze art.

銅奔馬的造型設(shè)計(jì)采用了寫實(shí)的藝術(shù)手法，馬的整體呈凌空疾馳狀，三足騰空，右后蹄踏一飛鳥，飛鳥回首驚顧間，駿馬身影已超閃而過，口、眼、鼻均張開，鬃毛和尾絲后揚(yáng)，馬兒奔騰的嘶鳴和風(fēng)嘯聲仿佛就在耳邊，充滿靈動(dòng)之感。二者速度的對(duì)比展現(xiàn)出奔馬的神速，故銅奔馬有了“馬踏飛燕”“馬超龍雀”等別稱。

The design of the BronzeGalloping Horse adopts a realisticartistic approach. The horseappears to be gallopingt hrough the a i r，with three hoovesraised， and its righthind hoof stepping on aflying bird. As the bird turns its head insurprise， the spirited horse has already flashedby. The mouth， eyes， and nose of the horse areall open， with its mane and tail flowing behind，as if you could hear the horse’s thunderousneigh and the whistling wind， brimming withvitality. By contrasting the speeds of the twocreatures， it portrays the horse’s swiftness， hencethe alternative names like “Galloping HorseTreading on a Flying Swallow” and “HorseOverpowering the Phoenix.”

經(jīng)考證，這匹馬呈現(xiàn)的特殊步伐，是當(dāng)時(shí)河西特種良馬經(jīng)訓(xùn)練后特有的奔跑方式。相傳漢武帝時(shí)期，出于戰(zhàn)備與交通的需要，人們從西域引進(jìn)良種馬，令其與西北當(dāng)?shù)仳E馬交配，培育出一種新型馬——“河西特種良馬”。其特點(diǎn)是軀體適中、肌肉健壯、性格堅(jiān)毅、吃苦耐勞，體現(xiàn)了力量與速度的完美結(jié)合。銅奔馬的形象被專家們一致認(rèn)定為河西特種良馬的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)范式，代表外來文化與本土文化的完美融合，后來也因此被當(dāng)作絲綢之路的象征。

According to research， the unique gait presentedby this horse is a result of the special training of thefine horses from Hexi Corridor during that time. Itis said that during the reign of Emperor Wu of theHan Dynasty， for military and transportation needs，fine horses were imported from the Western Regions1and crossbred with local horses in the northwest toproduce a new type of horse called the “Hexi SpecialBreed.” These horses were characterized by moderatebuild， strong muscles， and resilient temperament —a perfect combination of strength and speed. Theappearance of the Bronze Galloping Horse has beenunanimously recognized by experts as the standardof the Hexi Special Breed， symbolizing the perfectintegration of foreign and local cultures and laterbecoming a symbol of the Silk Road.

當(dāng)時(shí)，與這樣一匹俊逸不凡、卓絕千古的銅奔馬一同出土的文物共有231件，其中銅制器物171件，銅奔馬是最出眾的一件藝術(shù)品。

At the time of its excavation， along with thisextraordinary Bronze Galloping Horse， a total of 231cultural relics were unearthed， including 171 bronzeartifacts. The bronze galloping horse stands out as themost outstanding piece of art among them.

1971年，著名歷史學(xué)家郭沫若先生到蘭州參觀甘肅省博物館?？吹竭@件國(guó)寶級(jí)文物時(shí)，他對(duì)其無可挑剔的形體姿態(tài)和完美的平衡感驚嘆不已，由衷發(fā)出“天馬行空，獨(dú)來獨(dú)往，就是拿到世界上去，都是一流的藝術(shù)珍品”的感慨。不久，在郭老的建議下，銅奔馬在故宮博物院舉辦的全國(guó)文物展上亮相，引起社會(huì)的廣泛關(guān)注。此后，銅奔馬作為我國(guó)悠久歷史文化的代表性文物，先后赴法國(guó)、英國(guó)、日本、美國(guó)等12個(gè)國(guó)家巡回展出，并作為“海報(bào)文物”名揚(yáng)世界。1983年，銅奔馬被國(guó)家旅游局確定為“中國(guó)旅游”標(biāo)志。它就像一位文化使者，向全世界傳播中國(guó)文化，弘揚(yáng)民族精神。

In 1971， the renowned historian Guo Moruovisited the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou.Upon seeing this national treasure， he was amazedby its impeccable posture and perfect balance，exclaiming， “Soaring like a celestial steed， it is atop-notch artistic treasure！” Soon after， at Guo’ssuggestion， the Bronze Galloping Horse made itsappearance at the National Cultural Relics Exhibitionheld at the Palace Museum， attracting widespreadattention from society. Since then， as a representativecultural relic of China’s profound history and culture，the Bronze Galloping Horse has toured 12 countriesincluding France， Britain， Japan， and the UnitedStates， gaining worldwide fame as an iconic piece. In1983， the Bronze Galloping Horse was designated asthe symbol of “China Tourism” by the then NationalTourism Administration. Now it serves as a culturalambassador， promoting Chinese culture and theenterprising spirit to the world.

自銅奔馬出土至今，全世界鑒賞、研究、評(píng)說它的文化浪潮從未停止過，許多相關(guān)的學(xué)術(shù)問題仍在爭(zhēng)論中，比如銅奔馬的年代、命名、功用、馬種等，但它的美，來自奔馬颯爽矯健的英姿和風(fēng)馳電掣的神韻，來自足踏飛鳥的絕妙構(gòu)想，來自卓絕的鑄造工藝，來自凌空遨游、義無反顧的磅礴氣勢(shì)，激勵(lì)著世人勇往直前、積極進(jìn)取。

Since its excavation， the global craze ofappreciation， research， and commentary for theBronze Galloping Horse has never ceased. Manyrelated academic questions are still under debate，such as the exact age， naming， function， and breedof the horse it depicts. However， its beauty emanatesfrom the vigorous and agile posture of the gallopinghorse， the ingenious inspiration of treading on aflying bird， the outstanding casting craftsmanship，and the unwavering spirit of soaring through the air，inspiring people to always forge ahead and strive forprogress.