Dun Huang Grottoes

The world-known Silk Road across the Eurasian Continent is a friendship bridge linking the European and Asian peoples. It is one of the important theme tourist routes in the world and the most valuable tourist product in China. The main artery for business and trade in ancient Eurasian Continent, it started from today’s Xi’an in the east, and crossed Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai provinces, Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions and passed over the Pamirs, to extend to the Central and West Asia and finally the east bank of the Mediterranean, more than 7,000km. Its section in China is more than 4,000 km long. In its development process of more than 2,000 years, the Silk Road witnessed the historical changes and the progress of cultural exchanges between China and the Western countries.

Flaming Mountains

The Silk Road is a chapter recording the friendship between the European and Asian peoples. This thousand-year-old trade route has palyed an important role in the cultural and economic exchanges between China and the Western countries. Along the section in China there are many sites of historical and cultural interest, like a chain of pearls, such as the Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes known as an Oriental Art Treasure, the ancient state of Loulan in the desert and ruins of the ancient city of Gaochang. In addition, there are many beautiful natural scenes including the Flaming Moutain in Turpan, Grape Valley, the Bird Island in the Qinghai Lake and the Tianchi Lake on Tianshan Mountain. The cities along this section are changing daily. Meanwhile, tourism in these cities is developing and new tourist products have been created.

Grapes

Shaanxi

Shaanxi Province, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China’s hinterland, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. It has four distinct seasons and a temperate climate which makes March to November the best season for touring the province. The province is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and it was the capital of 13 dynasties successively. As a result the area has a rich cultural heritage that includes the Emperor Qin Shihuang’s and Terracotta Warriors and Horses.
 

Noodles

Gansu

Gansu Province at the juncture of Qinghai-Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Loess plateaus in northwest China. The province covers an area of 455,000 square kilometers and has population of more than 25.62 mil. Gansu has subtropic, warm temperate, and temperate climates. The scenery is different in four seasons. In the west of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, is the Hexi Corridor. A key point on the ancient Silk Road stretching to the west, the famous Hexi Corridor had been a strategic passage for cultural exchanges and trade activities between China and West countries since the Han and Tang dynasties. Along this corridor there are many valuable sites of historical and cultural interest, which constitute a huge treasure house of ancient culture. The grotto art represented by the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, large batches of ancient buildings and plenty of rare cultural relics constitute a huge treature house of ancient culture and art.
 

Silk Road

Ningxia

Ningxia is located in the hinterland in northwest China. It has a temperate contintental climate and distinctive four seasons a year. The period from April to October is the best season for touring Ningxia. The ancient Silk Road winds its was through the region. Ningxia has beautiful mountains and rivers and is rich in tourist resources including the magnificent Western Xia Tombs, the scenic Liupan Mountain, and Shapotou Desert-Controlling Project Tourist Zone which has been listed on the 500 best projects of the global ecology by the United Nations. For quite a long period of time, Ningxia has developed tourist resources of cultural interest with Western Xia, Fortress and Islamic cultures as the centre and attracted more flocks of tourists from at home and abroad.
 

Terracotta Warriors

Qinghai
 

Qinghai in the northeastern part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau got its name from Qinghai Lake, the largest inland lake in China. The Yangtze, the Yellow and Lancang rivers all have their origins there so Qinghai is also known as the birthplace of rivers. It is rich in tourist resources and possesses an ideal ecological environment. The blue sky, vast expanses, white snow-capped mountains, clean and pure lake waters give visitors a feeling of mystery and remoteness. The people of the region have a unique religious culture and folk customs which also make Qinghai a fascinating destination of the tourists from all over the world.
 

Xinjiang

Xinjiang, known as “the Western Regions” in ancient times, is located in northwest China. It is the largest province in China and is inhabited by 47 ethnic groups. Xingjiang has a temperate continental dry climate. The dried weather has turned the region into a magnificent natural scene of Gobi and salt deserts. But the water from the smelt snow and the much sunshine bring green vitality to the region. With cool weather and various kinds of ripen fruits, August and September are the best seasonsfor touring Xingjiang.