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| Brief Introduction of Dunhuang |
| The oasis town of Dunhuang lay
at a crucial junction of the Silk Road, that ancient braid of
caravan trails stretching for more than 7,000 kilometers from
China to the Mediterranean, which served as a highway not just
for merchandise, but also for ideas - religious, cultural and
artistic. By the 4th century AD, the Silk Road had brought Dunhuang
both commercial prosperity and a growing Buddhist community.
Some 25 kilometers to its south-east, at the edge of the MingshaShan
or Dunes of the Singing Sands, lay a river bed bordered by a
long cliff. It was here, in the year 366 AD, that a local monk
set about carving out a cave for solitary meditation. Over the
next thousand years, hundreds of similar caves were cut into
the same rock face - to become not bare monastic cells but richly
endowed and adorned shrines. The site began to decline in the
12th century, and slipped into virtual obscurity until the early
years of the 20th century. Some 492 decorated caves remain to
this day. |
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| Dunhuang Sightseeing Highlights |
 [Mogao
Grottoes / Mogao Cave]
The Mogao Grottoes located at 25km southeast of Dunhuang, at
the edge of the Gobi desert in north-west China, are filled
with one of the most extensive and exquisite collections of
Buddhist paintings and sculptures in the world. Every surface
of the walls and ceilings is covered with painted clay stucco,
some 45,000 square metres in all: graceful acrobats of the sky
scatter flowers and garlands, while dancers and musicians celebrate
the beauties of the Buddhist Pure Lands; row upon row of miniature
images of the Buddha, subtly varied in coloring or dress, adorn
virtually every cave, and give the site its popular name of
the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. The Dunhuang caves remain
one of the most perfectly preserved of the world's great religious
sanctuaries. |
[Jiayuguan]
Jiayuguan Pass, 7km northwest of Jiayuguan City in Gansu, Jiayuguan
Pass is the last fortress at the west end of the Ming Great
Wall. South of the pass soar the snow-clad Qilian Mountains;
and north of it loom the Black Mountains, laden with layers
and layers of dark rocks. The Jiayuguan Pass was first built
in 1372 during the Ming Dynasty. It is so named becauce it is
situated on the west slope of the Jiayu Mountain. |
[Yumenguan]
Yumenguan lies about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Dunhuang. Its name came from the fact that jade from Hotan in Xinjiang entered Central China through this pass. |
[Yangguan]
Yangguan lies 75 kilometres (47 miles) southwest of Dunhuang but consists of only the ruins of a high beacon tower. It's named Yangguan because it borders the southern part of Yumenguan Pass. |
[The overhanging
Great Wall]
Lying seven kilometers northwest of Jiayuanguan, the Overhanging
Great Wall, to some extent, is more interesting than the fort.
he wall is believed to have been constructed in 1540. From the
upper tower high on a ridge (quite steep), you can be rewarded
by a sweeping view of the Gobi desert, the oasis of Jiayuguan
city and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. |
[The Hecang Fortress]
Hidden in the Gobi Desert twenty kilometers from Yumenguan Pass at the west, was originally the important quartermaster depot. |
[Crescent Moon Lake]
It is 6 kilometers (3.73 miles) south of the center of Dunhuang,
near the Dunes of Singing Sands, and is said to be the point
where the oasis meets the desert. Crescent Moon Lake is a natural
spring fed pond measuring about 240 meters from east to west,
and 50 meters from north to south. Today it has an average depth
of about 2.4 meters, although in past times all of the dimensions
of the lake were larger. In all of the years the desert has
never filled up the lake. This was maybe due to the pattern
of the winds, or maybe magic or the gods. |
[Dunes of the
Singing Sands]
Located 6 kilometers south of Dunhuang city, Dunes of the
Singing Sands (Mingshashan) offers best picture-book desert
scenery. The dune, surrounded by rolling ridges and precipitous
cliffs, reaches a relative height of 250 meters. You can get
to the top by riding camels, bicycles or hire a taxi. A wonderful
view across the rolling desert sands towards the oasis comes
to your sight after reach the top. When sliding down along
the sands, it will make sound of "rumbling sands"
or the sound of thunder or a drum-roll as the wind sweeps
across the sands.
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Map of Dunhuang |
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| Dunhuang City
Map |
Provincal
Regional Map |
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