Dunhuang

After breakfast we drive from Liuyuan to the city of Dunhuang. Dunhuang lies at the western end of the Gansu Corridor, called "Hexi Zoulang". The name Dunhuang originally meant "prospering, flourishing" -- a hint that Dunhuang must once have been an important city. Its position at the intersection of two trade routes was what made Dunhuang flourish. The coming and going of horse and camel caravans carried new thoughts, ideas, arts and sciences to the East and West.

We will visit the "Mogao" grottoes. It is said that in the fourth century a Buddhist monk had a vision of 1000 Buddhas, and began to carve grottoes into the sandstone cliff and fill them with Buddhist images. They were abandoned and forgotten in around the 11th century until archaeologists arrived to carry away huge quantities of manuscripts, textiles and other art objects. However Mogao remains a brilliant trove of statues and wall paintings from the 4th to 10th centuries.

In the afternoon you can stroll through the city and visit the bazaar and the museum to get a picture of the former importance of Dunhuang.

We will then drive to the Crescent Lake and Echoing-Sand Mountain (Mingsha Shan). Crescent Lake is a lake in the oasis near the city Dunhuang. Rumor has it that there is a lake monster living in this lake.

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. Along the side of the Crescent Lake is a pagoda in traditional Han Chinese architecture.