Dunhuang 敦煌

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Commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, first carved in 366 AD (Jianyuan Year 2 of Former Qin) when monk Le Zun saw golden light over Mingsha Mountain; built over a millennium across more than ten dynasties—Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Sui-Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Yuan—with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and painted sculptures 200…

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Located on both banks of the Yulin River valley in Guazhou County, named for the elm groves along the river; part of the Dunhuang grotto art system together with the Mogao Grottoes, known as their "sister grottoes"

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Named for its location west of the Mogao Grottoes on cliffs beside the Dang River; Northern Wei caves carved as early as or contemporaneous with the Mogao Grottoes still survive, with more than 20 caves and niches remaining

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A specialized exhibition hall facing the Mogao Grottoes across the river, housing full-scale replicas of several representative caves (including classic caves not open to visitors) and displaying manuscripts and artifacts unearthed at Mogao

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A millennia-old wonder of sand and spring coexisting — a crescent-shaped spring lake at the foot of Mingsha Mountain, embraced by surrounding dunes yet "the sand never encroaches on the spring"; recorded in Han and Tang documents, and in the Qing dynasty "Yuequan Xiaoché (Clear Dawn at Crescent Spring)" was listed among the Eight Scenic Sights of Dunhuang

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A night market in central Dunhuang, named after ancient Shazhou, open from dusk until late at night

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A strategic gateway on the southern route of the Silk Road, established as a pass under Emperor Wu of Han; Wang Wei's verse "I urge you to drink one more cup of wine — west of Yang Pass you'll meet no old friends" made it immortal

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Gateway to the Silk Road's northern route; the pass was established under Emperor Wu of Han and named for the Hetian (Khotan) jade from the Western Regions that traveled through here. The lines "Why should the Qiang flute lament the willows? Spring wind never crosses Yumen Pass" have been recited to this day

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Official postal relay site set up by the Han and Tang empires east of Dunhuang Commandery; the 1990-1992 excavation unearthed more than 23,000 Han wooden slips, making it one of the earliest and best-preserved relay-station sites discovered to date, inscribed in 2014 as a site segment of the World Heritage "Silk Roads"

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Leiyin Temple stands at the foot of Mingsha Mountain (Singing Sand Dunes) beside Crescent Moon Spring; rebuilt after 1989, it borrowed the "Thunder Sound" name from Journey to the West to become a Silk Road-themed Buddhist temple

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The Danghe River runs through Dunhuang; its lit-up riverside is where locals go for night runs and night views

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A walk-through live-action show directed by Wang Chaoge: audiences move through the theater watching scenes along the way, "brushing past" historical figures such as Silk Road caravans, Mogao Grottoes painters, and Wang Yuanlu; many visitors call it the most moving part of a trip to Dunhuang