Driving through Dunhuang City – Gansu, China
Dunhuang City (敦煌市) is a county-level city located in northwestern Gansu Province, Western China, on the edge of the Gobi Desert.
Sachu (Dunhuang) was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for the nearby Mogao Caves (莫高窟) 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang.
Dunhuang commands a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern Silk Route and the main road leading from India via Lhasa to Mongolia and southern Siberia.
It also controls the entrance to the narrow Hexi Corridor, which leads straight to the heart of the north Chinese plains and the ancient capitals of Chang’an (today known as Xi’an, 西安市) and Luoyang (洛阳市).
The city is situated in an oasis containing Crescent Lake and Mingsha Shan (鳴沙山, meaning “Singing-Sand Mountain”), named after the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes, the singing sand phenomenon.
There is evidence of habitation in the area as early as 2,000 BC, possibly by people recorded as the Qiang in Chinese history.
Video Source: Gansu 4K HDR – Dunhuang City the oasis in the vast Gobi Desert – China Scenic Drive from Walk China 行走中国 on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
