Modern Travelers on the Ancient Silk Road (1): From Xi’an to Dunhuang
丝路行旅—从西安至敦煌)
7 min read
The ancient Silk Road was not a single road, but a network of trade routes connecting China with Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe. Our Silk Road journey traced the Chinese section of this network, traveling westward from Xi’an (西安) through Lanzhou (兰州), Jiayuguan (嘉峪关), Dunhuang (敦煌), Ürümqi (乌鲁木齐), and finally Kashgar (喀什)—all compelling travel destinations. Today, modern high-speed rail from Xi’an reaches as far as Ürümqi in Xinjiang Province (新疆), largely following this historic route.
Xi’an
Chang’an (长安; modern-day Xi’an) served as the imperial capital for many dynasties, from the Western Zhou (西周, 1046–771 BCE) to the Tang Dynasty (唐朝, 618–907 CE). At the height of Silk Road trade, Tang Chang’an was the most vibrant and cosmopolitan commercial center of its time. Merchants, diplomats, and scholars arrived from across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. The city was a center for the arts, literature, and Buddhism, as well as a major trading hub for silk, tea, porcelain, and other luxury goods. Through the Silk Road, thousands of foreigners—Persians, Arabs, Indians, Turks, Uyghurs, and Jews—came to Chang’an, making it arguably the most cosmopolitan city in the world. People gathered there to exchange news, enjoy food, and take part in entertainment.
Thanks to its long history and rich culture, today’s visitors to Xi’an will find numerous cultural and historical sites. After centuries of warfare, the original 36-kilometer-long Chang’an city wall was destroyed. The existing 14-kilometer wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). More than 12 meters wide at the top, it is ideal for exploring Xi’an by bicycle.
Many relics from ancient Chang’an and its surrounding region are preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆). Among its most treasured artifacts is a Zhou Dynasty bronze urn (first image below). Also particularly noteworthy is the exhibition of unearthed Tang Dynasty tomb murals (third and fourth images below), which includes nearly one hundred fresco murals. Their vivid colors—remarkably well preserved after nearly 1,300 years—serve like snapshots frozen in time, offering glimpses into the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the lives of its nobility.
Approximately 70 kilometers northeast of Xi’an lies the Museum of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin (秦始皇陵博物馆, image below), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. About 6,000 life-size terracotta figures have been excavated and displayed. The collection includes soldiers—each with unique facial features, hairstyles, and armor reflecting rank (infantry, archers, and cavalry)—as well as horses and chariots. These figures symbolized the First Emperor’s eternal army, meant to protect him in the afterlife. Originally painted in vivid colors, most pigments have since faded. Excavation and restoration work continues, and the exposed area represents only a small portion of the vast mausoleum, most of which remains unexcavated.
The Stele Museum (碑林), founded during the Northern Song Dynasty (北宋, 960–1127), houses more than 10,000 stone tablets preserving many of China’s finest historical calligraphic works. The left image below shows the museum entrance, while the right shows a staff member demonstrating how to make a rubbing from a stone tablet. Despite its rich collections and long history, this museum is often overlooked by tourists—overshadowed by the fame of the Terracotta Warriors.
We also visited the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Bell Tower (钟楼), both built during the Ming Dynasty; the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (小雁塔), built during the Tang Dynasty; and the Muslim Quarter (回民街), famous for its halal street food. We stopped there for soup-filled buns (汤包), though the most popular local specialty is lamb trotters—fiery red with chili and not for the faint of heart. Soup-filled buns are made using meat jelly as filling, which melts into broth during steaming.
Lanzhou
In Lanzhou, we spent a day along the Yellow River (黄河), China’s “mother river” and the subject of every Chinese schoolchild’s first geography lesson. We walked from our hotel to the river, crossed the Zhongshan Bridge (中山桥), and climbed Baita Hill (白塔山) to visit the Baita Temple. Construction of the Zhongshan Bridge began in 1907, making it the first vehicle bridge over the Yellow River. The photos below show the Zhongshan Bridge, the Baita Temple, and a panoramic view of Lanzhou from Baita Hill.
At a riverside restaurant, we enjoyed Lanzhou’s signature dish—hand-pulled beef noodles (兰州牛肉面), commonly eaten for all three meals of the day. While hand-pulled noodles can be found elsewhere, Lanzhou’s version stands out: the broth is distinctive, the dough always fresh, and the noodles are pulled and cooked right in front of you in under a minute. I had high expectations based on a previous visit, and the dish did not disappoint. For dinner, we sampled another local specialty, “hand-grabbed lamb” (手抓肉, third image below).
Jiayuguan
Our next destination was Jiayuguan. Many invasions by nomadic tribes in Chinese history came through the Hexi Corridor (河西走廊) from the northwest. This corridor is a long strip of flat land sandwiched between two mountain ranges. Long, narrow, and located west of the Yellow River, it gives the corridor its name—Hexi, meaning “west of the river.” Our journey from Xi’an to Dunhuang passed through this historic passage, whose narrowest section is only 15 kilometers wide.
During the Ming Dynasty, a 15-kilometer-long defensive structure was built at the western end of the Great Wall. Jiayuguan sits at its center, with two wings of the wall extending 7.5 kilometers each. In the Ming era, Jiayuguan was the first line of defense in China’s northwest. After the wall’s completion, the Ming Dynasty no longer suffered invasions from this direction. Ironically, the dynasty ultimately fell not to an invasion from the northwest, but to the Manchurian invasion from the northeast, which established the Qing Dynasty (清朝, 1644–1911).
A must-see yet rarely visited attraction near Jiayuguan is the Wei–Jin Mural Tombs (魏晋壁画墓), located about 20 kilometers from the city. Scattered across the desert, the site contains more than 1,000 excavated tombs dating to the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220–419 CE). Many tombs were looted in antiquity, leaving few movable artifacts. Today, aside from a small exhibition hall, only one tomb—accommodating three to four visitors at a time—is open to the public.
The murals were painted on bricks measuring approximately 30 by 15 centimeters, with one painting per brick. Their subject matter is remarkably rich, depicting daily life during the Wei–Jin period: animal grazing, farming, hunting, slaughtering, music-making, dancing, feasting, and cooking. The first painting below, showing a man on horseback, later became the emblem of China Post. Though the brushwork is sparse, it is vivid and expressive. This site was the most exciting attraction of our entire Silk Road journey and should not be missed.
A must-try local dish is rolled-pancake chicken (卷子鸡). The dish is prepared by rolling a large unleavened pancake, slicing it into one-inch sections, and braising them with large pieces of chicken in a savory sauce. As the liquid reduces, the pancake slices unfurl like noodles, absorbing the flavors of the chicken and seasonings.
Dunhuang
The slow train from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang took five hours. In Dunhuang, we visited Mingsha Hill (鸣沙山), Crescent Lake (月牙泉), and the Mogao Caves (莫高窟). From the top of Mingsha Hill, the view north reveals an endless expanse of sand dunes (third image below); looking south, Crescent Lake (second image below) appears below—a breathtaking, postcard-perfect scene.
The Mogao Caves site was founded in 366 CE during the Former Qin Dynasty (前秦). Artistic activity at Mogao reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty, when hundreds of caves were carved and decorated. Today, visitors are guided through only eight to ten caves to protect the fragile artworks. Photography is prohibited inside, so the only original photo here was taken outside the Great Buddha Cave (大佛窟), which houses a nine-story Buddha statue standing 33 meters tall (image below).
Until around 1900, the Mogao Caves remained largely undisturbed. At the turn of the 20th century, archaeological explorers from Europe and North America removed vast numbers of movable relics, including Buddhist manuscripts, many of which are now held in overseas museums. What remains today—the immovable murals, monumental statues, and wall carvings—constitutes the Mogao Caves as we see them now. The two images below, reproduced from postcards, offer a glimpse of the cave interiors and convey the extraordinary beauty of this incomparable site.
The second part of this travelogue will cover our journey across Xinjiang, from Ürümqi to Kashgar, the frontier city near China’s western border.