Two thousand years ago, the
threads of commerce were established and the Silk Road
connected Xi'an to the Middle East and Europe, opening China
for the first time to the Western world. It was in 138 BC that
the Han emperor Wudi sent an emissary westward, not for trade,
but to seek allies to defend China against the Huns. From that
time until the 14th century, caravans carrying spices, fruits,
and all manner of goods from the West routinely crossed the
deserts in search of silk, transforming forever China's
frontier towns into cosmopolitan trading centres.
Modern day Marco Polos may follow the path of these ancient
caravans all the way from
 Xi'an,
in China's interior, to Kashgar near the former Soviet border
(the present border of the republics of Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan). Numerous tour companies offer various Silk Road
Tours that include one or more of the major cities (Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong) and then venture out across
western China, where the majority of people still follow a way
of life largely unchanged since the days of early traders.
Tours along the Silk Road pass through areas where 12 of
China's 56 ethnic minorities still live. Unlike the caravans
of the past however, today you can travel in comfort by air,
train and motor coach.
The City of Xi'an
Lanzhou
An important desert oasis along the Silk Road, Lanzhou houses
two Buddhist grottoes, the Bingling Temple Caves and Maijishan
Grottoes. You can see artifacts and cultural relics of the
Silk Road dating back to 1066 BC displsyed in the Provincial
Museum. Other attractions include Labrang Lamasery and Five-spring Mountain.
Jiayuguan Pass
Jiayuguan Pass, the west end of the Great Wall, is located at
the foot of JiaYu Mountain. This city is home to a magnificent
castle with a tower and two three-story gates at the East and
West. Also near Jiuquan are the Bell and Drum towers, built in
343 AD, and the Wei Jin Tombs, containing 1,600 year-old
murals that pre-date those at Dunhuang.
Dunhuang
Dunhuang, with its lush green fields and mountainous rolling
sand dunes, is one of China's most historic destinations along
the Silk Road. Located about 1½ hours northwest of
Lanzhou by air, Dunhuang served as a rest stop for traders and
as the gateway through which Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity
entered China.
Dunhuang is the home of superb Buddhist art at the nearby
Mogao Grottoes. There are 492 caves house ancient paintings
and sculptures. Among them is the famous Flying Horse of Gansu,
which has been adopted as the symbol of China tourism. A monk
named Yue Zun began the Mogao carvings in 366 AD, and his
followers created more than 1000 statues over the course of
1000 years. Nearly half of the original carvings survive
today. Other attractions include the Ruins of Yumenguan Pass
and the Yueya (Crescent Moon) Spring.
Jiuquan
Jiuquan is an important city on the ancient Silk Road. The
city has a long history of producing luminous wine glasses,
called jade cups.
Urumqi
This city is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region in China's far Northwest. Vast deserts, an ancient
glacier, a huge open-air bazaar, and the colourful dress of its
13 indigenous nationalities transform Urumqi into an exotic,
far removed world. Only 116 kilometres away, Heavenly Lake (Tianchi)
offers a vast expanse of placid water, 1,801 metres above sea
level. The lake is surrounded by steep green pastures, virgin
conifer forests and snowy mountain peaks.
Turpan
An oasis 180 kilometres southeast of Urumqi, Turpan is accessible
only by rail or road. Turpan presents a myriad of colourful
faces and ethnic backgrounds. The Uygur and Hui peoples
 comprise
most of the town's predominantly Moslem population. Turpan is
best known for its grapes and honeydew melons, but is also
rich in historical relics bearing evidence to the importance
of the area's links to the Silk Road. Places of interest
include the Sugong Mosque (also known as the lmin Pagoda or
Suleiman's Minaret), the Thousand-Buddha Caves of the Flaming
Mountains, and the Gaochang Ancient City and Jiaohe Ancient
City, ruins of a once-prosperous, strategically important
garrison town between the 1st century BC and the 14th century
AD.
Kashgar
Kashgar is located at the junction of the south and north routes of the
Silk Road. Then, after crossing the Pamirs Plateau, the
northern route led travellers of old to Persia and thence on
to Europe, while the southern route led to ancient India. Main points of
interest in Kashgar include the Tomb of Apak Hoja, Big Bazaar.
Other tourist cities along the Silk Road include Hami, Korla,
Hotan and Kuqa.
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