Dunhuang, known as Shazhou in ancient times, is one of China's famous historical and cultural cities and lies at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, connecting it with Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With the Qilian Mountains, the Taklimakan Desert, and the Beisai (north area beyond the Great Wall) and Sanwei mountains to the south, west, and east respectively, Dunhuang is an oasis surrounded by mountains, deserts, and the Gobi desert in the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, accounting for 4.5 percent of the land area with an average altitude of 1,100 meters.
As one of the four cities west of the Han River in ancient times, Dunhuang was established as a prefecture in the sixth year (111BC) of Emperor Yuan Ding’s reign in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) and was once called Sanwei or Guazhou. The ancient town used to be an important stopover point on the Silk Road. Dunhuang is the starting point of all three routes to Xinjiang. From the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Dunhuang was a metropolis and the communication center of politics, economy, and culture between the East and the West.
With a long history and a splendid culture, Duhuang contains the best works representing different historical periods. There are a great many of places of interest and scenic spots, 241 of which are famous ones such as the relics of the grottos, the group of tombs, the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, the ancient city, the beacon fair, and the relay stations. The world-famous places are the Mogao Grottos, the Yumenguan Pass, the ruins of the Yangguan Pass, the Wuwa Pond, the Sanwei Mountain, the Ringing-Sand Hill, the Crescent-Moon Pool, and the many grotto carvings and murals. The Ringing-Sand Area is especially one of China's key tourist attractions.
In 1986, the State Council proclaimed Dunhuang a Chinese historical and cultural city, and a year later, UNESCO put the Mogao Grottos on its list of world natural and cultural heritages. It was approved as an excellent tourist city of China in 1998.
The melted snow water moistens the fertile land, and the forest prevents sand and wind. With so much natural convenience, Dunhuang has good harvests of various kinds of fruits. With marvelous desert scenery and prestigious relics, Dunhuang is the homeland of the flying Apsaras (a goddess) mural masterpiece and is a land of fertility and miracles.
Dunhuang and the Silk Road
Two thousand years ago, Zhang Qian (explorer and Imperial envoy) in the Han Dynasty, the pioneer of the Silk Road, explored the marvelous road to the countries west of China, paving the way for exchanges between China and Central Asia and Europe.
In an effort to guarantee the trade on the Silk Road, the Han Government set up Zhangye, Jiuquan, Wuwei, and Dunhuang along the Silk Road as towns to keep the road smooth. From then on, the Silk Road witnessed the boom of commerce and trade between Chinese and foreign emissaries and merchants, while Dunhuang became a big city of international trade.
In theSui Dynasty (581-618), Emperor Yang Di held a pageant party and invited leaders from 27 countries west of China to the party, which considerably boosted the trade on the Silk Road.
