Chine Tours, Silk Road Tours

Dunhuang, on the edge of the Gobi desert was long ago referred to as 'Sha Zhou' (beautiful desert oasis). It was the ancient hub of silk route trade between China and its western neighbors. It was a religious crossroads as well. At that time, it was the most westerly frontier military garrison in China. This green refuge is surrounded by mountainous sand dunes under soaring blue skies.

It is most famous for the Mogao Caves; splendid stone caves filled with carved Buddhist murals, statues and colorful paintings. Also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas they lie on the eastern slope of the Mingsha shan (echoing sands) and some of the openings are up as high as five stories. When Islam arrived in the 10^th century along the Silk Road, the monks left, but the dry air of the region preserved the art. In the early 1900’s when these caves were rediscovered some of the art and manuscripts were carted off to various western museums. There have been several episodes of vandalism over the years but 40 of the almost 500 caves have been restored.

The singing or echoing sands are a natural phenomenon not to be missed. Ride a camel across the Mingsha dunes and see Dunhuang and Crescent Lake spread out below you. Get down from the camel and experience the singing sands underfoot and learn about the legend of the Sleeping Yellow Dragon Prince.