Dunhuang

The sand dunes:

The sand dunes of Dunhuang are really an unique and unexpected sight to experience in the central part of this country. You expect to experience them in the Sahara in North Africa or in Australia but not in North China. Perhaps a better reason to visit i tand see them for yourself.

They are located at about 6 km from the city and it is a less interesting route along the motorway but advantage is that you can not get lost. At the gate it is a circus with many Chinese people who are going to make a trip here on a camel and salesman that try to get you on a camel or make some money otherwise.

Much better you can walk a bit further and enjoy the empty sand dunes and peaks in the distance.

Mogoa caves:

The caves of Mogao are possibly the most impressive pieces of Buddhist art in the world. The first (full) cave would have been realized around 366 BC and at its peak there were about 18 monasteries, filled with more than 1,400 monks and nuns and numerous artists, artists, translators etc. Rich traders and important notables were the main donors to create new caves.

The caravans came here with people to pray and then travel further to the West, unscathed. When the Silk Road lost its value, the caves fell into oblivion and were forgotten for centuries along the Gobi desert until they were "rediscovered" by foreign adventurers. At the head of the raid was the discovery of cave number 17 in the year 1900: the library. In it, a Chinese man found tens of thousands of unique material in manuscripts and paintings from far before the time of Christ.

He also found texts in rare Central Asian languages, military reports, music magazines, medical prescriptions and many other things, including the world's oldest printed book "The Diamond Sutra". All this was sold to two Western archaeologists who then smuggled them out of the country and sold them to museums in England. The man received a donation of 220 pounds. The cave temples are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

You can go to the caves on your own (for the hotel a van leaves at 8:30 for 20 Yuan for the 25 kilometers). Back you have to get the bus from 13:00. Entrance is 100 Yuan.