Sep 9, 2012 - A City with Splendid Civilization-Zhenjiang

Zhengjiang, on the southern bank of the Changjiang River in central Jiangsu, faces Yangzhou on the otehr side of the river. Known as the “three-hill scenic spot”, zhenjiang is screened on three sides by the Jinshan, Jiaoshan and Beidu hills. The other faces the turbulent river. Some 60 meters high and 520 meters in circumference. Jinshan Hill was originally an island in the Chang jiang River which became part of the land south of the river. The hill became famous in the Tang Dynasty but long before that during the East Jin Dynasty 1,560...

Jun 29, 2011 - Dunhuang- The Mogao Caves

"Caves of the Thousand Buddhas", have been carved in the San Wei mountain, between the 4th and 14th centuries. Interesting that the french and british came here about 100years ago and bought (stole) practically all the ancient manuscripts that can be seen now... in the Louvre or British Gallery! Dunhuang, "Blazing Beacon" or "City of Sand" is the end of the Great Wall during the Han Emprire and the last stop on the Silk Road before the Lop Desert

Jun 14, 2011 - 14 June - Dunhuang

On Sunday we set off in our air conditioned bus en route for Dunhuang, around 750km away. First night's stop was a huge town called Hami, which does not even rate a mention in Lonely Planet. Nobody spoke a word of English which made it fun trying to find something to eat. Richard and I found a restaurant round the corner from the hotel and had to resort to doing the bird dance around the room to indicate we wanted chicken, then point to food on other tables to get some veggies. The result was a delicious meal of chicken, chillies and...

Jul 9, 2010 - Silk Road -- Dun Huang

We arrived at the Liuyuan train station a little after 8 on Thursday and were met by our guide for Dun Huang. We were told that we could sleep on the 2 hour van ride from Liuyuan to Dun Huang, but it was extremely bumpy, so there was little hope for sleeping. We got to our hotel, rested for a couple hours, and then headed to lunch at a nearby local restaurant. I had delicious roasted vegetables, including eggplant, cauliflower, and "tofu skin" or tried tofu. Everyone else had different local lamb dishes. It was all pretty good. We also...

Aug 14, 2009 - Dunhuang

Pretty good nights sleep under the willow trees no insects a few barking dogs but apart from that OK. Hiro went off by himself to camp under the stars and a couple of others climbed to the watch tower and slept there. Staying two nights ( the Shiguan Gorge Suspending Wall Scenic Area) so no pack up in the morning - Off to Jiayuguan and a tour of the rebuilt fort. Big area with lots to see - some of the area has been rebuilt so again it has a bit of the theme park look and there were even rides in an ultra light available which a couple of...

Jul 12, 2008 - Dunhuang, China

We pulled into the beautiful, brand new Dunhuang train station at 6:30am. To us, this was the beginning of our silk road journey--sand storms and camels. In Dunhuang, we visited the two popular sites, the Mogao Caves and the sand dunes at the edge of the Gobi desert. The Mogao Caves, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Centre, contain ancient buddhist paintings in 700+ caves, of which we were permitted to see only ten. The cave paintings were simply amazing, one of the highlights of our trip so far. The next day we rented bicycles for a ride...

Jul 4, 2008 - Staying One Step Ahead of the Relay in Dunhuang

The highway between Jiaguyuan and Dunhuang was twinned, newly paved, and in excellent condition. There was very little traffic on the road, and despite having to stop for the occasional tollbooth, the bus made very good time and we pulled into the Dunhuang bus station earlier than expected. My first impression of Dunhuang was that it resembles a Canadian prairie town. The street outside the bus station could be mistaken for the main street of any Alberta town. Big blue skies, poplar-lined streets, single storey shops, and a kind of...

May 16, 2008 - Gobi Desert (Dunhuang)

From Lanzhou the train passes some colourful desert hills until the hills and greenery give out and it starts to feel like Central Asia. Gone are the skyscrapers of the cities and instead there are single-storey mud-brick dwellings. Now it feels like the back of beyond. Much better - Chinese cities pall fairly quickly. The train arrived in Dunhuang bang on time at 8 a.m. Dunhuang is an oasis in the desert - there are massive sand dunes just 5 kms away which I shall go and look at later when it cools down a bit. It's not too hot here at...

Nov 1, 2007 - Dunhuang

En ny togreise i Kina, og vi begynner aa se noen likhetspunkter til togturer vi har tatt tidligere. Vi gjenkjenner for eksempel musikken ombord, og Jo mener aa huske at den ikke har forandret seg siden hun begynte sommeren 2006. Hva er dette for noe? Har China Railways bare en CD, som gaar kontinuerlig i alle tog? Holder Kina fremdeles paa med sosialistisk godkjent kunst, dvs. at musikken er kommunistisk propaganda? Er det lenge siden det ble laget ny populaermusikk i Kina? Uansett hva svaret er, saa er musikken drepende kjedelig, plagsom...

Oct 21, 2007 - Dunhuang

A fresh day, Amy took us to the Yulin Grottoes, also known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which is about 2.5 hours from Dunhuang. These were only opened to the public in 1997 and have only had 10,000 visitors since that time. It was really a special privilege to see these, it did, however, cost us an extra $75, but was surely worth it. These caves were originally done at least 1,000 years ago and were painted with frescoes, much of the original paint remains. The buddhas were restored in the 19th century and have a fresher...

Sep 21, 2007 - Dunhuang

I've arrived in Dunhuang and once again it seems like I'm the only foreigner in town. I'm the only person in the dormitory I've booked myself into and in the restaurants. There are two main draws of Dunhuang - the Mogao Caves and their buddist artwork, and the huge sand dunes nearby. The Mogao Caves are my first visit, and despite the expensive entrance fee (180Y - the most expensive entrance fee I've paid in China!) they are just about worth it. I've read that this site is possibly the most important centre of buddist art in the world,...

Aug 28, 2005 - Dunhuang

Hablar de este punto obligatorio en la ancestral ruta de la seda es hablar de las cuevas de Mogao, uno de los conservatorios de arte budista más grandiosos del mundo. De hecho, fue lo único que visité, junto con un par de australianas; resaltan un buda sentado y colorido de ¡35 metros de altura!, y por supuesto sus famosas pinturas murales. Ocurre que no conseguí boleto en tren a Xi'an (punto final de la ruta) así que la última porción del recorrido será una aventura de por sí: saldré en autobús a Jiayuguan mañana temprano, con la esperanza...