Gansu Impressions: Watch 'Hexi Corridor' and Visit the Ancient City of Liqian

Gansu Impressions: Watch 'Hexi Corridor' ❤️ and Visit the Ancient City of Liqian If you missed the popular attractions in Jinchang from the last issue, hurry up and check it out. Today, I want to single out the ancient city of Liqian in Jinchang to talk about. The ancient city of Liqian, a mysterious millennium-old city, is located in Yongchang County, Jinchang City, Gansu Province, at an altitude of 2,400 meters and dates back more than 2,000 years. It was first established during the Western Han Dynasty and was an important city and military fortress. The existence of the Liqian ruins proves that descendants of ancient Romans once lived here. The architecture of the ancient city mainly features a blend of Etruscan architectural techniques, ancient Greek architectural techniques, and Han Dynasty architectural styles. However, due to historical changes, sand erosion, and human destruction, it has not been preserved intact. Liqian became well-known due to the hypothesis proposed by the Oxford University Sinology professor D. D. Leslie regarding the historical relationship between the Han Dynasty and Rome—the mystery of the disappearance of the First Roman Legion. He believed that in 53 BC, when Crassus led seven Roman legions to a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Parthian army in the Battle of Carrhae, Crassus's eldest son did not die in battle but instead led more than 6,000 men of the First Legion to break through the defense line and never returned to Rome, their fate unknown. It is speculated that they may have eventually settled in Liqian Village, Yongchang County, Gansu Province, China. In Chinese history, ancient Rome is called Liqian, hence the Romans were also known as the Liqian people. Today, in the ancient city of Liqian, there is a Buddhist holy site with a blend of Chinese and Western elements—Jinshan Temple. From a distance, it looks like a magnificent Christian church, but it is actually a Buddhist holy site with the sound of chanting. Highlight, highlight!!! If you want an immersive travel experience, after wandering around the ancient city of Liqian, you can stay at Jinshan Temple at night. Get up at two or three in the morning, put on a robe, and join the monks in the temple for morning prayers, seeking your long-lost original intention amidst the chants of Amitabha. Although it will be tiring, it is a unique experience! After the morning prayers, you may encounter the surprise of a morning mist clearing or a heavy snowfall in October! Then, have a quiet breakfast with someone who shares your destiny. Many people come here to practice Buddhism, some for a long stay, others for a short one. In any case, Buddha guides those with destiny, and here the soul feels at peace, no longer troubled, and those twisted things can be soothed. Time flies, and more than two thousand years have passed with the wind. The Liqian County, which was once specially established for the ancient Romans, has now become ruins amidst the vicissitudes of history, and those Liqian people who came from afar and died in a foreign land have also gradually become little known in the splendid Chinese civilization. All that remains are their descendants, who, with the unique traits created by their ancestors' genes, tell the world a legendary story full of twists and turns in the long river of history.