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My Silk Road tour – Dunhuang to Turpan
2020-03-31 | China travel Guide
Dunhuang Museum, formerly an Archaeology Office, which is subordinated to Cultural Center of the city, Dunhuang Museum was officially founded in October, 1979. Dunhuang Museum is a comprehensive topography one principally exhibits historic and cultural relics. Now it has collected over 4000 precious cultural relics in the locality.
Mogao Grottoes locates 25 km southeast of Dunhuang City, we drove about 30 minutes to there. As an important strategic location on the Silk Road in the ancient times, Mogao Grottoes was not only a transfer station of east-west trade but also an intersection where oriental and western religions, cultures and knowledge combined.
Singing Sand Mountains Crescent Moon Spring scenic spot, the particular geographic landform around the lake prevents it from being buried in the desert; on the other hand, the underflows beneath it also ensure continuous source for it. Therefore, the lake has never dried up or buried by drifting sands in spite of locating among sand dunes, it is a miracle in the desert. Also, it makes the place more beautiful and romantic, like a drop of tear from heaven.
Dunhuang, one of the most brilliant cultural cities on Silk Road, it is famous in the world for its Mogao Mogao Grottoes and desert, Dunhuang city is just surrounded by Gobi and desert, so Dunhuang is also known as the City of Sands or Shazhou (sandbank) due to its long expanses of sand dunes and golden shiny houses.
The ancient Silk Road of China is a renowned commercial and cultural route opened up some 2000 years ago by the Chinese envoy Zhang Qian of Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD). With the purpose of building friendly relationships among China and other central and western Asian countries as well as some European ones, many Chinese products were taken along with the Silk Road, such as silk, satin, tea, bronze and porcelain; and likewise, plenty of other exotic specialties were brought back- spices, textiles, ivory, perfumes and precious stones from India, and gold, silver, jewels, carpets and wine from Roman. With silk being the major item traded along the route, thus its name of this world famous Silk Road, along which some other medicines, techniques and religions were also exchanged, and in the history, the camels, which is honored as the ship of the desert, are the major vehicles of the Silk Road.
After about an eleven hour bus trip from Zhangye I finally arrived in Dunhuang. Going to Dunhuang is like sailing thru a vast desert. Along the way there is little to see, but an endless sea of sand. It's amazing how the roads are well-paved! Anyways, arriving there at 7:00 PM doesn't seem late as the sun was still far from touching the horizon. With that in mind, after checking-in, I immediately set out to see the city sites. I found a small local restaurant and tried some of the very hearty local noodles, complimented with skewers of large juicy, peppery lamb. The sun sets so late there and it was well past 8:00 PM before the sun finally sank behind the horizon....
