Dunhuang: A Must-Visit Once in a Lifetime
We traveled by car to Dunhuang, from lush green trees to the vast Gobi Desert, covering thousands of miles with stops along the way. This time, we stayed in Dunhuang—a stay where we didn't want to leave again. My husband said that when we get old, we could come to this peaceful and beautiful small city to spend our remaining years... Haha...
We came here by self-driving. We found that during the pandemic, there weren't many tourists, so accommodation prices were not high. We had booked a guesthouse in advance, drove directly there, dropped off our luggage, and started exploring Dunhuang. First, we went to try some local specialties. I heard that Daji's Donkey Meat Yellow Noodles are famous. We found it easily with navigation. The taste was decent. If you like noodles, you can give it a try.
When we arrived at Crescent Moon Spring, we saw the vast Mingsha Mountain at the ticket gate. After entering, we saw desert, desert, desert—an endless expanse of desert. We rode camels toward Crescent Moon Spring, listening to the jingling of camel bells. As we went along, the scenery became greener. This is what they call an oasis in the desert. Seeing Crescent Moon Spring was even more magical—mountains and water coexisting, Mingsha Mountain embracing Crescent Moon Spring. The spring water has not dried up for years and is not buried by sand. It was an eye-opener. I heard that Mingsha Mountain is called 'Singing Sand Mountain' because when many people slide down at the same time, there is a rumbling sound. This place is truly magical. I guess a deity must have lived here long ago...
After leaving Crescent Moon Spring, we saw an advertisement for 'Dunhuang Grand Ceremony' and decided on the spur of the moment to watch it that evening. We got tickets for 9:30 PM, had dinner, and went early to wait for the show. In the first act, a camel caravan passed by, making the desert even more vivid. Plus, the Dunhuang folk tradition of striking iron flowers was spectacular—I think it's more beautiful than fireworks. The rotating audience seats allowed us to enter the caves and watch inside. It was awesome... It felt like watching a 3D movie, with fantastic visual effects. If you have nothing to do in the evening, you must watch 'Dunhuang Grand Ceremony'...
The next morning, we visited the Mogao Caves. You must book tickets for Mogao Caves online in advance, because only Type A tickets allow you to watch a film and enter the caves. During the cave tour, photography is not allowed to protect the murals, so that future generations can see this magical place. The guide explained each cave and the murals inside. The explanation of the Library Cave was the most impressive. If there are many visitors, the queue can be quite long, so it's best to bring your own water and snacks.
After visiting the Mogao Caves, we went back to rest and headed to the night market in the afternoon. We bought some small souvenirs with Dunhuang elements for colleagues and friends. At the night market, there were so many food choices that it was hard to decide. We shared: you buy this and everyone has a bite, she buys that and everyone shares. Otherwise, we would get full quickly and miss out on other good things. Let me recommend a few things we found delicious: try the red willow barbecue, the sand onion beef pie is tasty, two people can share one serving of cold noodle jelly (liangpi), you must drink apricot peel water (xingpi shui) which is only available in Dunhuang, and the fried lamb offal is also good.
On the third day, we got up early to go to the western route: see Yangguan where 'westward beyond Yangguan there are no old friends', and Yumen Pass where 'spring wind never reaches Yumen Pass'. We also photographed the Dunhuang Ancient City used in 'Running Man', the Han Great Wall ruins, and wind-eroded Yadan landforms. The journey was long, so we brought some food and water. There were many places to visit along the way, so it's best to leave early. On the Gobi, the wind and sun are strong, so we did sun protection and took precautions. Yadan was the last stop. Watching the sunset on the Yadan Gobi, we truly felt the grandeur of 'a solitary smoke straight in the vast desert, the setting sun round over the long river'. We returned to the city relatively late. Those with energy could go to the night market for more food, but we were tired, so we had a bowl of beef noodles and went to sleep.
On the fourth day, we woke up naturally, packed up, checked out, and left. We had populus euphratica stewed flatbread (huyang menbing) to end our trip in Dunhuang. When we left, we also brought a case of apricot peel water to let our family taste this unique flavor of Dunhuang.
If I have the chance, I will definitely step on this land again. I look forward to my next encounter with Dunhuang...
