Introduction of Dunhuang

With a history spanning more than 2,000 years, Dunhuang has long served as a vital gateway between China and the West. Strategically located at the crossroads of Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the city played a crucial role along the ancient Silk Road. Throughout Chinese history, successive dynasties strengthened Dunhuang’s frontier defenses, while the city flourished as an important center of trade, cultural exchange, and religious activity.

Dunhuang is best known for the world-famous Mogao Grottoes, also known as the “Thousand Buddha Grottoes,” situated on the cliffs at the foot of Mingsha Mountain (Echoing Sand Mountain). As one of China’s most significant Buddhist sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mogao Grottoes contain one of the world’s finest collections of Buddhist murals, sculptures, and manuscripts, created over a period spanning more than 1,000 years and ten successive dynasties. Together with the spectacular desert landscapes, singing sand dunes, and nearby Crescent Lake, Dunhuang offers visitors an extraordinary journey into the history, art, and cultural heritage of the ancient Silk Road.

Main attractions in Dunhuang

Mogao Grottoes: 

The Mogao Grottoes (Mogao Ku) also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, constitute one of the three major Buddhist grotto sites in China, situated 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang city on cliffs in the eastern Singing Sand Mountains. The caves contain Buddhist sculpture and frescoes from ten dynasties ending with the Tang.

After the Tang Dynasty, the heyday of Dunhuang Mogao Buddhist art, the local economy around Dunhuang went into decline and production of Buddhist art lessened dramatically.  Despite the ravages of time, the winds and sand, 492 caves still exist. These caves contain thousands of square meters of frescoes, created with layers of cement and clay and then painted. The various dynasties each feature different styles and themes, and there is great deal of variety in the content of the frescoes, although themes typically revolve around Buddha images. The Mogao Buddhist sculptures were generally constructed with terracotta and then covered with a carvable plaster surface that is painted after being carved. Cave number 17 is particularly famous for its hoard of Buddhist scriptures and artwork.

Mingsha Mountain:

Situated 5 km south of Dunhuang, the Mingsha (Singing Sand Dunes) Mountain is celebrated for the sound of the moving sand. It is 800 square kilometers in size, stretching 40 km from east to west and 20 km from south to the north. The main peak is 1,715 meters above sea level. Its ridges and peaks are known to be as sharp as a knife. Stepping on the sand may change its shape temporarily, but the sand always returns its original shape the next day. Walking on the sand, one can also hear a sound that could be as light as bamboo instrument or as heavy as thunderous drums.

Crescent Spring (Yueyaquan) :

Within the Mingsha Mountain lies the Crescent Spring (Yueyaquan). It is so named because of its shape as a crescent. At various times in history, it was once called Sand Well, Yao-Quan (Medicine Spring), or Wo Wa Pool. It received its current name in the Qing Dynasty (1644 –1911). The Crescent Spring has an average depth of 3.2 meters. The water is sweet and crystal clear. The sand never gets into spring, and the water is never muddy or dry up.

Yumen Pass:

The Yumen Pass, 101 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang, was once one of two critical defensive passes protecting Dunhuang from invasion from the West about two thousand years ago. At that time, anyone in China wishing to take the Silk Road west (or east into China through Dunhuang) had to pass through this spot. Today, there are two gates at the western and northern sides of the pass built with yellow clay. Owing to severe erosion, some parts of the walls have collapsed, forming huge holes.

Climate in Dunhuang