'Pass'ing on Silk Road rituals

Using immersive experiences and new technology, visitors to historical trade gateway get a taste of the past, Deng Zhangyu reports in Jiayuguan, Gansu.

Dressed in a dragon-patterned garment, self-styled "pass chief" Li Sen is busy issuing guanzhao — an ancient travel permit similar to today's passport — to visitors at the Jiayuguan Pass in Jiayuguan, Gansu province. The guanzhao gives visitors a role-play experience that replicates a passing ritual dating back hundreds of years.

As tourists announce their hometowns and names, Li recites the corresponding hometowns' historical names, uses a brush to write the ancient name on the simulated passport, and stamps it with a seal he engraved. The ritual activity is so popular that long queues form in front of the gate at the Jiayuguan Pass almost every day.

"I hope the guanzhao ritual bridges the gap between visitors and the heritage, particularly the culture and stories of the ancient pass," says Li, who has played the role of "pass chief" for over a decade.

Roughly a 15-minute drive from the city of Jiayuguan, the ancient pass built in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) served as a vital military stronghold and a crucial gateway for trade and cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road. Foreign merchants and envoys from Central and Western Asia entering China, and Chinese merchants traveling west needed the guanzhao issued by local authorities to pass through checkpoints along the route.

To perfect his role, Li has handwritten and memorized more than 1,000 ancient city names and crafted various versions of the guanzhao on printed paper, woodblocks and scrolls since 2012. He even grows a beard and commissions a tailored general's armor, fully immersing himself in the character.

In addition to serving as the pass chief, Li also creates videos related to Jiayuguan Pass' culture and history and uploads them to online platforms. He currently has over 400,000 followers on Douyin, China's TikTok. He hopes that more people will learn about Jiayuguan through his work, visit it in person, experience its history, and learn about its culture.