Everything about Dunhuang totally explained
Dunhuang (also written as 燉煌 till early
Qing Dynasty; ) is a
city in
Jiuquan,
Gansu province,
China. It is sited in an
oasis. A crater on
Mars was named after the city.
History
Dunhuang was made a prefecture in
117 BCE by Emperor
Han Wudi, and was a major point of interchange between China and the outside world during the
Han and
Tang dynasties. Located near the historic junction of the
Northern and Southern
Silk Roads, it was a town of military importance. Its name is mentioned as part of the homeland of the
Yuezhi or "Rouzhi" 月氏 in the
Shiji 史記, but this mention has also been identified with an unrelated toponym,
Dunhong. Edges of the city are threatened with being engulfed by the expansion of the
Kumtag Desert, which is resulting from longstanding
overgrazing of surrounding lands.
Early buddhist monks accessed Dunhuang via the ancient Northern Silk Road, the northernmost route of about 2600 kilometres in length, which connected the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an to the west over the
Wushao Ling Pass to
Wuwei and emerging in
Kashgar. For centuries
Buddhist monks at Dunhuang collected scriptures from the west, and many pilgrims passed through the area, painting murals inside the
Mogao Caves or "Caves of a Thousand Buddhas." A small number of Christian artifacts have also been found in the caves (see
Jesus Sutras), testimony to the wide variety of people who made their way along the silk road. Today, the site is an important tourist attraction and the subject of an ongoing archaeological project. A large number of manuscripts and artifacts retrieved at Dunhuang have been digitized and made publicly available via the
International Dunhuang Project.
Rocked by waves of invasion, Dunhuang has once been independent, as well as being ruled by Chinese, Tibetan, Mongols, and other ethnic groups.
Dunhuang city centre
Dunhuang's city centre is relatively highly developed, including much commercial activity and many hotels. Bookshops and other souvenir shops sell materials relating to the
Caves and the history of the region.
A
night market is held in the city centre, popular with tourists. Many souvenir items are sold, including such typical items as jade, jewelry, scrolls, hangings, small sculptures, and the like. A sizable number of
members of China's ethnic minorities engage in business at these markets. A
Central Asian dessert or sweet is also sold, consisting of a large, sweet
confection made with
nuts and
dried fruit, sliced into the portion desired by the customer.
Nearby attractions
Other neighboring attractions include:
These attractions are essentially part of the same area. The Crescent Lake is within the Sand-Mountain. This lake is apparently an oasis surrounded by the highly sandy area composed of high dunes. The Mingsha Shan is so named for the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes. The area is very popular with tourists, the great majority of them Chinese. A street lined with souvenir stalls leads up to the entrance to the complex. Most tourists ride camels, organized by the complex operators, to reach the sand dunes. Typically the camels are guided by a local camel guide, who include both women and men. At the dunes, a popular activity for tourists is to ride
sleds down the sand slopes, much like
snow-
sledding during winter in temperate zones. Along the side of the Crescent Lake is a
pagoda in traditional
Han Chinese architecture.
Transportation
East of the city, with rides to Urumqi, Lanzhou, Xian, and Beijing. Taxis are available into town. The nearest train station is at Liuyuan, about 2 miles to the North.
Line notes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dunhuang'.
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