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Dunhuang

敦煌城市指南 - 国航官网


Asia

Dunhuang, China

China’s “Wild Wild West” beckons.

Dunhuang is a relaxed town in northwest China’s Gansu province. It used to be an important pit stop for traders and Buddhist pilgrims on the famed ancient Silk Road blazed through the Gobi desert 2000 years ago. The road brought together the Chinese, Central Asian and Indian influences and made Dunhuang a unique place in China’s Buddhist history.

Getting around

  • Mogao Caves

    Almost 500 caves of Buddhist sculptures and iconography tell Buddhist stories and depict drastic social transformations in a span of 1,500 years, reflecting the power of devout Buddhist worship and divine inspiration. As years became decades and decades centuries, this genuine treasure trove of Buddhist art persisted in the Gobi Desert. Today, it still stands, silhouetted against towering yellow sand dunes, whispering a mysterious past.

  • Singing Sand Mountain, Crescent Lake

    Camel trains negotiate the sandy tidal waves; those dips and ascents can cast a spell on even the most jaded traveler. Listen to the pleasant, uninterrupted sound produced when fine sands roll down the slopes of sand dunes. Stroll along that strange body of water in desert, waiting for glorious sunrise and sunset.

  • Yumenguan

    It was the northern pass on the ancient Silk Road, connecting Central Asia and the Han heartland.

  • Yangguan

    It was the southern pass on the ancient Silk Road and a frontier defense outpost of the Han dynasty.

  • Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark

    The 398-square-kilometer park, commonly known as Yadan Ghost Town, is a huge collection of grotesquely shaped rocks. Different names have been given to the rocks sculpted by the elements, like “Mongolian Tent”, “Camel”, “Stone Bird”, “Peacock” and “The Golden Lion Welcoming His Guests”.



  • Shazhou Night Market

    The night market is the best place where you can please your palates with authentic, mouthwatering foods of China's far-flung western regions. Have your favorites washed down with the local distinctive apricot peel water.