Silk Road · Hexi Corridor

🌟 Dunhuang: The Pearl of the Silk Road in the Millennia-old Yellow Sands! 📜 The Past and Present of Dunhuang When sunlight shines on the golden grains of Mingsha Mountain, this land seems to tell stories spanning two thousand years. Dunhuang, the gateway to the Western Regions, was an important node in Zhang Qian’s "opening of the Western Regions" and a strategic site in Huo Qubing’s brilliant "Wolf Ju Xu" campaign. During Emperor Wu of Han’s reign, Zhang Qian made two missions to the Western Regions, opening the Silk Road that connected East and West, with Dunhuang as the throat of this commercial artery. Standing atop Mingsha Mountain and looking into the distance, you can almost hear the camel bells of merchants and see the figures of envoys coming and going through the wind and sand. 🏜️ A Marvel Where History and Nature Intertwine 1️⃣ Yangguan Ruins Story: The place immortalized in Wang Wei’s poem "I urge you to drink another cup of wine; west of Yangguan, there are no old friends." This Han dynasty pass witnessed countless farewells and reunions of merchants and travelers. Standing among the ruins, the broken walls in the yellow sand vividly bring to life that era of clashing swords and horses. Fun fact: Locals say that ancient copper coins and pottery shards can occasionally be found in the sand dunes near Yangguan. 2️⃣ Mogao Caves Artistic Wonder: A World Cultural Heritage site with 735 caves and 45,000 square meters of murals. Excavated since the Sixteen Kingdoms period and continuously expanded over a thousand years, it is a comprehensive encyclopedia of ancient Chinese art. The Dunhuang Research Academy guides told us that the blue pigment in the murals comes from lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, a tangible proof of Silk Road trade. 3️⃣ Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Natural Wonder: This magical pair, where "the sand does not fill the spring, and the spring never dries," has existed side by side for a thousand years. Legend has it that Han dynasty soldiers camped here when a sudden fierce wind blew at night, burying the entire camp in sand. At dawn, the sand dunes mysteriously emitted sounds, hence the name Mingsha Mountain. Crescent Lake was the watering spot for Huo Qubing’s cavalry, a spring dug by soldiers for easy access to water. 🌄 When the first ray of morning sunlight grazes the curves of the sand dunes, standing on the viewing platform overlooking this vast wilderness, I suddenly understand why the ancients called Dunhuang "Dun," meaning great; and "Huang," meaning magnificent. Beneath these yellow sands lie countless heroic stories, and every stone on the Gobi Desert is engraved with memories of the Silk Road. Walking along the ancient city walls of Dunhuang, it feels as if Zhang Qian’s envoy team is setting off from here, and the sound of Huo Qubing’s cavalry’s hooves echoes across the desert.