Famous Landmarks in Dunhuang

Dunhuang is one of the most popular destinations in northwestern China with historical and cultural heritage. Dunhuang is home to Mogao Caves, which houses one of the richest collections of Buddhist art in the world with colorful and vivid murals, sculptures and ancient manuscripts. Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass are two legendary passes of Dunhuang in the Silk Road. Mingsha Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake are the best places to experience the natural beauty of Dunhuang, where you can experience the camel riding and sandboarding. The stunning Mingsha Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake offer dramatic sunrise and sunset views for you. As a vibrant hub where Chinese, Indian, Persian and Central Asian cultures converged, Dunhuang is one of the best places to explore the ancient Silk Road culture.

Famous Landmarks in Dunhuang intrduces the most famous attractions in Dunhuang for your travel planning in China. Top China Travel will help you witness and appreciate these famous Dunhuang landmarks.

Mogao Caves

Mogao Grottoes are located precipice at on the east foot of the Mingsha Hill. First dug in 366 A.D., Mogao Grottoes is one of three noted grottoes in China for its fabulous frescos and statues. And in December 1987the Mogao Grottoes have been included into the Lisr of the World Cultural Heritages by the UNESCO.

The painted clay figures and the murals in Mogao Caves came into being at the same time. The ensuing thousand years witnessed their recreation, perfection as well as absorption of the merits of western ancient arts from India, Greece, and Iran etc on the national basis. It has become a brilliant pearl in the Chinese art treasure troves.

Recommended tour to Mogao Grottoes: 3 Days Dunhuang Elite Tour (Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune)

Yangguan Pass

Yangguan Pass, also known as the Southern Pass, located about 70 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang, was one of the two major western gateways of the Han Dynasty, along with Yumen Pass. Yangguan Pass was named because it is located in the south of Yumen Pass. Yangguan Pass is the earliest customs of China and important gateway of Silk Road.

Covering an area of about 100,000 square meters, Yangguan Pass Museum is one of the largest site museums in northwestern China. At the Yangguan Pass Museum, you can see ancient passes, ancient cities, ancient watchtowers, ancient water sources, ancient roads, ancient walls, ancient tombs and ancient pottery kilns of Han and Tang Dynasties. At the Yangguan Pass Museum, we can know about the prosperity and change of Yangguan Pass and Dunhuang during the Han and Tang dynasties. And many famous poets of past dynasties wrote many famous poetry of Yangguan Pass.

The Yangguan Pass was the important pass on the Southern Way of Silk Road, and the significant gateway connecting Central China and Western Regions. Today, the Yangguan Pass is the vital part of the Silk Road culture, and one of the representative relics of China Great Wall culture.

Recommended tour to Yangguan Pass: 4 Days Dunhuang Explore Tour (Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune, Yardang National Geologic Park, Yumenguan Pass)

Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake

Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune starts from Mogao Grottoes in the east. Mingsha (whistling sands) Hill and Crescent Spring scenic spots are 7 kilometers away from downtown Dunhuang. The dune is with an elegant shape. When people slide down along the slopes, a sound will be heard, hence the name.

Singing Sand Dune (Mingsha Hill) is piled up with sand in five colors of red, yellow, green, black and white. The so-called singing sand does not sing by itself, but creates singing sound when people tread or slide on the surface of the sand.

Crescent Spring is at the northern foot of the Mingsha Hill and is 118 meters from east to west and 25 meters from south to north. The water is fove meters deep. The crescent-like lake is surrounded by the sand but never buried by it.

Recommended tour to Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune：4 Days Experience Dunhuang and Turpan (Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune, Jiaohe Ancient City, Emin Minaret, Karez Well)

Yumen Pass

Yumen Pass, also known as Jade Gate Pass, was a significant military outpost and checkpoint during the Han Dynasty, which is the gateway to the Silk Road, controlling the trade and travel between China and Central Asia. Standing on the Yumen Pass, the image of ancient caravans passing through this desert will come to your mind. The main attractions of Yumen Pass are Site of Yumen Pass, Hecang City and Han Great Wall Site.

At the viewing platform of the Site of Yumenguan Pass, you can overlook the Shule River and the scenery of vast Gobi, and deeply feel the vastness and bleakness. Here, you can follow the direction of the Han flag, as if crossing back to the past.

Hecang City is a munitions warehouse from the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Although the walls partially collapsed, we can still see its grand scale and imagine the grand occasion of hoarding grain and grass and the busy army. Standing in front of the ruins, the scene of Shule River passing through the city seems to tell the glory of this ancient city.

Han Great Wall Site was built with sand and reeds, which still stands after thousands of years of wind and sand erosion. And it is one of the oldest existing Great Walls in China. Walking along the Han Great Wall, you will feel the vicissitudes of time and the wisdom and tenacity of the ancient people.

Yadan National Geopark in Dunhuang

Yadan National Geopark in Dunhuang, Gansu, commonly known as Yadan Ghost City in Dunhuang, is an important part of Dunhuang World Geopark in China. Yadan landform in Dunhuang is the largest, most mature and most ornamental Yadan landform community found in the world so far. Known as one of the three most beautiful Yadan landform in China.

Yadan National Geopark in Dunhuang, Gansu Province is located in the northwest of Yumenguan Pass, 168 kilometers away from Dunhuang city. The Yadan National Geopark scenic spot is divided into north and south areas, which is about 25 kilometers long from east to west and 18 kilometers wide from north to south, with an area of 398 square kilometers. Mainly geological relics formed by wind erosion. The landscapes of Yadan National Geopark are manily wind-eroded rock formations.

At Yadan National Geopark, you can enjoy the magic landscape with various shapes of castle, pagodas, animals and palaces. You can also learn about the formation of Yardang landform here. Yadan National Geopar in Dunhuang offers experience of passionate vehicles, which is suitable for people chasing for adventure and passion.

Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark

Dunhuang Ancient City

Dunhuang Ancient City, located 16 kilometers west of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, is a complete city imitating the architecture of Tang and Song Dynasties, and it is called the museum of ancient architectural art in northwest China. Five streets in Dunhuang Ancient City were built with different regional architectural styles including Dunhuang, Gaochang, Ganzhou, Bianliang and Xingqing(important towns in the northwest during the Tang and Song Dynasties).

The towering buildings, the Buddhist temples, silk shops, wine shops and hotels of the past have different styles and are absolutely exquisite, vividly demonstrating the vitality and desolation of ancient Dunhuang and other Silk Road towns. In history, Dunhuang was once the hub of traffic of China and Central Asia, the gateway on the Silk Road, an international city in foreign exchanges, and a military town in the western regions, occupying important status in the Chinese history.