Dunhuang on the ancient Silk Route in remote Gansu province is a small city where the Gobi Desert meets oasis. We came here on an overnight train from Urumqi, a journey east of about 1,000 km. We could have caught the train near Turpan but to be sure of getting soft sleeper berths we took a bus to Urumqi where this train originates. We needn't have bothered; for the first time we found ourselves on a train that wasn't full, in fact it was nearly empty. Apparently the direct Urumqi to Dunhuang service is new and this was the first run of the season. We had not just a whole 4-berth compartment to ourselves, we had a whole carriage! It was the best train we've travelled on. The air-conditioning was perfect, the linen was crisp and bright white, and the floor carpet was so clean you could have eaten your duck off it. And there was even a volume control for the normally blaring ceiling speaker. Luxury.We arrived in Dunhuang just before 11am on Sunday morning after an enjoyable journey that was a fitting end to our great five weeks in Xinjiang Province. After checking into the Jia Ri Hotel on Mingshan Lu we went for a stroll around the city centre. I was expecting a dusty forlorn place but Dunhuang is the opposite – it's green, clean, attractive, modern and friendly. And there is a large amount of redevelopment going on. In the early evening we caught a minibus to the southern outskirts of the city to see the monster Mingsha sand dunes that lap at Dunhuang's feet at this point. This range of Gobi Desert dunes drifts and blows over nearly 1,000 square kilometres and the highest dune reaches almost 6,000 feet. That's a lot of loose sand. It was a long, hard, sweaty climb to the top of the dune here (fortunately a lot less than 6,000 feet), and the shadows came out to play for a few moments before the sun dipped below the ridge.
Dunhuang has many hotels and cafes to cater for the tens of thousands of Chinese and western tourists who come here each year. But it's not the mildly interesting Mingsha Dunes that are the attraction. The real tourist magnet in these parts is the fabulous UNESCO-listed Mogao Grottoes (also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves) located at the eastern foothills of the Mingsha Mountains 25km southeast of Dunhuang. These grottoes, totally unassuming from the outside, are one of the world's greatest repositories of Buddhist paintings, sculptures and manuscripts. The first cave was carved into the cliff in 366 AD, and over the following 1,000 years many hundreds more were added along a 1.7km stretch of the canyon wall. Initially they were private shrines constructed by the local well-to-do, and later also became places of Buddhist learning and artistic expression financed by wealthy Silk Road traders. Merchant caravans plying the Silk Route would often detour to call into the grottoes to pray and worship.
At their peak the grottoes housed 18 monasteries, 1,500 or so monks and nuns and many artists, translators and calligraphers. The 500 caves surviving today contain 45,000 square metres of painted murals and 2,400 painted sculptures. Red, green and blue feature strongly in the murals; these colours were derived from precious natural minerals – red from cinnabar, green from malachite and blue from Afghani lapis lazuli. The geology, dry weather, darkness and geographical remoteness have all conspired to protect the grottoes over the eons, with many of the murals remaining amazingly, and genuinely, fresh and bright. In its heyday the grotto system featured ornate timber exteriors and connecting walkways but these have all been claimed by the ravages of time. The section of the cliff wall that houses the caves open for inspection now has been grouted, and concrete walkways have been installed to allow easy access. Not surprisingly, padlocked steel doors have also recently been fitted to the entrance to each cave for security. The result is a strange-looking, utilitarian exterior that belies the treasure trove within.
Around 1,000 AD the area came under siege and the locals gathered up over 50,000 priceless manuscripts and paintings of Buddhist, Uighur, Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian and other origins, dating back as far as 400 AD, and deposited them in a small cave that was then sealed and the entrance hidden. They obviously did a good job, for the cave (now known as Cave No. 17, the “Library Cave”), remained hidden and forgotten for the next 900 hundred years! It was rediscovered in 1900 and soon attracted the hungry eye of roving western archeologists who hauled away more than 20,000 of the items to Europe and elsewhere. This is understandably a sore point with the Chinese today although the Guide makes only polite reference to it during the grottoes tour. We saw ten of the caves today during our tour, so that leaves 490 to go. Even to a non Buddhist and someone only mildly interested in history, this place is amazing in concept and scale, and is a must-see if you are ever in the region. Just don't mention Cave 17 when out walking in downtown Dunhuang!
One of the caves we saw today during our tour contained a towering, painted 85 feet high sculptured Buddha. Contained within a semi-dark cave only a little higher than the Buddha itself, it was an impressive sight. After the group had stared up at it for a few minutes, the Guide suggested that we now move on to another cave to see the Big Buddha! She wasn't joking. We sauntered down to No. 96 and went in. Inside was a 120 feet high sculptured Buddha, believed to represent Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty period who is said to have used Buddhism to consolidate her power.
Unfortunately for tourists, photography is strictly forbidden in the caves and we even had to hand in our camera before beginning the tour, so I can't attach any photos to illustrate what a great place this is. But you can see some images and read more about the grottoes if you wish by clicking on the following links：
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/newsletters/14_2/feature1.html
http://images.google.com/images?imgsz=small%7Cmedium%7Clarge%7Cxlarge&gbv=2&hl=en&newwindow=1&q=dunhuang+grottoes+&btnG=Search+Images
According to our travel guidebook, Dunhuang has a very lively night market just a block away from our hotel. Local specialties include a whole chicken cut up and stir fried with onion and peppers and served in a pool of Vesuvian chilli sauce. Another one is noodles served with donkey meat. We haven't got there yet but it's on our agenda for tomorrow night. We'll probably go for the chicken.
Around 1,000 AD the area came under siege and the locals gathered up over 50,000 priceless manuscripts and paintings of Buddhist, Uighur, Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian and other origins, dating back as far as 400 AD, and deposited them in a small cave that was then sealed and the entrance hidden. They obviously did a good job, for the cave (now known as Cave No. 17, the “Library Cave”), remained hidden and forgotten for the next 900 hundred years! It was rediscovered in 1900 and soon attracted the hungry eye of roving western archeologists who hauled away more than 20,000 of the items to Europe and elsewhere. This is understandably a sore point with the Chinese today although the Guide makes only polite reference to it during the grottoes tour. We saw ten of the caves today during our tour, so that leaves 490 to go. Even to a non Buddhist and someone only mildly interested in history, this place is amazing in concept and scale, and is a must-see if you are ever in the region. Just don't mention Cave 17 when out walking in downtown Dunhuang!
One of the caves we saw today during our tour contained a towering, painted 85 feet high sculptured Buddha. Contained within a semi-dark cave only a little higher than the Buddha itself, it was an impressive sight. After the group had stared up at it for a few minutes, the Guide suggested that we now move on to another cave to see the Big Buddha! She wasn't joking. We sauntered down to No. 96 and went in. Inside was a 120 feet high sculptured Buddha, believed to represent Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty period who is said to have used Buddhism to consolidate her power.
Unfortunately for tourists, photography is strictly forbidden in the caves and we even had to hand in our camera before beginning the tour, so I can't attach any photos to illustrate what a great place this is. But you can see some images and read more about the grottoes if you wish by clicking on the following links：
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/newsletters/14_2/feature1.html
http://images.google.com/images?imgsz=small%7Cmedium%7Clarge%7Cxlarge&gbv=2&hl=en&newwindow=1&q=dunhuang+grottoes+&btnG=Search+Images
According to our travel guidebook, Dunhuang has a very lively night market just a block away from our hotel. Local specialties include a whole chicken cut up and stir fried with onion and peppers and served in a pool of Vesuvian chilli sauce. Another one is noodles served with donkey meat. We haven't got there yet but it's on our agenda for tomorrow night. We'll probably go for the chicken.
