Coordinates:
40°06′N,
94°39′E Dunhuang (Chinese: 敦煌,
also written as 燉煌 till early Qing Dynasty; pinyin:
Dūnhuáng) is a city in Jiuquan,
Gansu province, China. It
is sited in an oasis. It has a population of 100,000.
Dunhuang was made a prefecture in 117 BCE by Emperor Han
Wudi, and was a major point of interchange between China and the outside world during the Han and Tang dynasties. Located near the historic junction of the
northern and southern Silk Roads, it was a town of military importance. Its name is mentioned
as part of the homeland of the Yuezhi or "Rouzhi" 月氏 in the Shiji 史記, but this mention has also been identified with an unrelated toponym,
Dunhong.
For centuries Buddhist monks at Dunhuang collected scriptures from the west, and many
pilgrims passed through the area, painting murals inside the Mogao Caves or "Caves of a
Thousand Buddhas." A small number of Christian artifacts have also been found in the caves (see Jesus Sutras), testimony to the wide variety of people who made their way along the silk road. Today, the
site is an important tourist attraction and the subject of an ongoing archaeological project. A large number of manuscripts and
artifacts retrieved at Dunhuang have been digitized and made publicly available via the International
Dunhuang Project.
Sand dunes on the edge of Dunhuang
The Mingsha Shan dune overlooking Dunhuang
Rocked by waves of invasion, Dunhuang has previously been independent, as well as being ruled by both China and Tibet.
Dunhuang's city centre is relatively highly developed, including much commercial activity and many hotels. Bookshops and other
souvenir shops sell materials relating to the Caves and the history of the region. A
night market is held in the city centre, popular with tourists. Many souvenir items are
sold, including such typical items as jade, jewelry, scrolls, hangings, small sculptures, and the like. A sizable number of
members of China's ethnic minorities engage in business at these markets. A
Central Asian dessert or sweet is also sold, consisting of a large, sweet confection made with nuts and dried
fruit, sliced into the portion desired by the customer.
Other neighboring attractions include:
These attractions are essentially part of the same area. The Crescent Lake is within the Sand-Mountain. This lake is
apparently an oasis surrounded by the highly sandy area composed of high dunes. The Mingsha Shan is so named for the sound of the
wind whipping off the dunes. The area is very popular with tourists, the great majority of them Chinese. A street lined with
souvenir stalls leads up to the entrance to the complex. Most tourists ride camels, organized by the complex operators, to reach
the sand dunes. Typically the camels are guided by a local camel guide, who include both women and men. At the dunes, a popular
activity for tourists is to ride sleds down the sand slopes, much like snow-sledding during winter in temperate zones. Along the side of the Crescent
Lake is a pagoda in traditional Han Chinese architecture.
A crater on Mars was named after the city. Also, a Chinese instrument factory in
Shanghai is named after it. It sells guzhengs,
pipas, and many other traditional Chinese instruments.
Transportation
There is an airport (code DNH) abou 13km (8 miles) East of the city, with flights to Urumqi, Lanzhou, Xian, and Beijing. Taxis
are available into town. The nearest train station is at Liuyuan, about 128km (79.5 miles) to the North. Busses run from Dunhuang
to Liuyuan, Xining, Xian, Hami, Turpan, Urumqi, Golmud and beyond.
References
- Baumer, Christoph. 2000. Southern Silk Road: In the Footsteps of Sir Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin. White Orchid Books.
Bangkok.
- Beal, Samuel. 1884. Si-Yu-Ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World, by Hiuen Tsiang. 2 vols. Trans. by Samuel Beal.
London. Reprint: Delhi. Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 1969.
- Beal, Samuel. 1911. The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang by the Shaman Hwui Li, with an Introduction containing an account of the
Works of I-Tsing. Trans. by Samuel Beal. London. 1911. Reprint: Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. 1973.
- Hill, John E. 2003. "Annotated Translation of the Chapter on the Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu." 2nd
Draft Edition.[1]
- Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese
Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. [2]
- Hulsewé, A. F. P. and Loewe, M. A. N. 1979. China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated
translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty. E. J. Brill, Leiden.
- Legge, James. Trans. and ed. 1886. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: being an account by the Chinese monk Fâ-hsien of his
travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Reprint: Dover Publications, New York.
1965.
- Stein, Aurel M. 1907. Ancient Khotan: Detailed report of archaeological
explorations in Chinese Turkestan, 2 vols. Clarendon Press. Oxford. [3]
- Stein, Aurel M. 1921. Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia
and westernmost China, 5 vols. London & Oxford. Clarendon Press. Reprint: Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass. 1980. [4]
- Watson, Burton (1993). Records of the Grand Historian of China. Han Dynasty II. (Revised Edition). New York, Columbia
University Press. ISBN 0-231-08167-7
- Watters, Thomas (1904-1905). On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India. London. Royal Asiatic Society. Reprint: 1973.
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