Gansu Province, Gan for short, is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in northwest China. It covers an area of 450,000 square km and has a population of about 23.38 million. Here the major ethnic groups are Han and Hui. Lanzhou is the capital. The best time to visit is from May to October.
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<text>
The world-famous Silk Road cuts through the whole province. Hence, there are many places of historical interest, including the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Yulin Grottos in Anxi County, Maijishan Grottos in Tianshui, Binglingsi Grottos in Yongjing County, Jiayuguan Pass, Labrang Monastery in Shahe County, Xixia (1038-1227) Tablet (Ganying Tower Tablet of Huguosi Temple) in Wuwei, Running Copper Horse left behind from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), Kongtongshan Mountain in Pingliang (one of the Taoist cradles in China), Xinglongshan Mountain in Yuzhong County, Guiqingshan Mountain in Zhangxian County, and Lianfengshan Mountain in Weiyuan County.
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<map filename="1_28_1">
Scenic Spots in Gansu
</map>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_2}Traffic of Gansu
</title>
<text>
Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, offers 37 flights, making flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Dunhuang, and Jayuguan etc. The airport is 70 kilometers from the downtown of Lanzhou, or one hour's drive by expressway. Jiayuguan Airport serves airlines to Dunhuang, Lanzhou, and Xi'an etc. The flights from Lanzhou to Dunhuang make stopovers at Jiayuguan Airport several times each week. Dunhuang Airport adds additional flights to Lanzhou, Urumchi, Xi'an, and Chengdu etc., to satisfy the need of the peak season of tourism.
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<text>
The main railway arteries of China from east to west run through Gansu Province. There is several tens of passenger trains passing through Lanzhou bound for the other places. In terms of different travel destinations, passengers can directly travel to Tianshui in the east of Gansu Province, or Hexi Corridor (Corridor West of the Yellow River) and Dunhuang without changing trains in Lanzhou.
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<text>
There are nonstop regular buses between the major cities within the province, one bus every thirty minutes. One can travel by air from Lanzhou to Jiayuguan and Dunhuang. However, fewer flights and higher expense make trains and buses better options.
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</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_3}General Survey of Lanzhou
</title>
<text>
Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, is located in the middle of the province. It is the transportation hub and passenger distribution center in the northwest of China. Covering an area of 13,086 square km, it has a population of 2.83 million, of which 1.48 million live in the urban area.
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<text>
Lanshou is a city with over 2,000 years of history. It was the Jinchengjun County (Golden City) in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), later changed its name to the present Lanzhou in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), due to the Gaolanshan Mountain to the south of the city. Lanzhou, with the Yellow River surging past, used to be one of the three ferry stops on the river for the people from the Central Plains to the Western Regions (a Han Dynasty term for the area west of Yumenguan, including the present-day Xinjiang, parts of Central Asia and beyond). Meanwhile, it was the starting point of the Hexi Corridor. As an old military stronghold and a place of strategic importance on the Silk Road, Lanzhou has become a hotspot city for tourists to trace the places of historic interest and view scenic beauty. The tourists can enjoy the grand scenery of the Yellow River alongside the green corridor of Binhelu; look round the Waterwheel Garden; and see the Statue of Mother Yellow River. They can visit Baitashan Mountain (White Pagoda Mountain), Zhongshantieqiao (Sun Yat-sen Iron Bridge), the Provincial Museum, and Wuquanshan Mountain (Five Spring Mountain). There are some other scenic spots in the suburbs, including Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve, Lutusi Yamen (government office in feudal China), and Tulugou National Forest Park etc. The tourists can tour around the local scenic areas and spots, or head for Binglingsi Temple in Yongjing County, Labrang Monastery in Shahe County, Maijishan Grottos in Tianshui, and Ta'er Monastery in Qinghai Province.
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</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_4}Traffic of Lanzhou
</title>
<text>
Lanzhou serves more than 30 airlines, making flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Dunhuang, and Jiayuguan etc. It offers a regular charter flight for tourism to Hong Kong every Tuesday. Zhongchuan Airport is 75 kilometers from the downtown. There are regular buses and taxies carrying passengers between the city and the airport, and it takes nearly one hour.
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Lanzhou Railway Station is located at the foot of the Gaolanshan Mountain, with nearly 60 passenger trains traveling to different cities in the country each day. The intercity express trains connect Lanzhou with other tourist cities in the province, involving Zhangye, Jiayuguan, and Pingliang etc.
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Lying in the east of Gansu Province, the distance between Lanzhou and other tourist cities on the Hexi Corridor is great. So taking a train is a better choice than that of a bus. However, if one visits some places in the southern parts of the province where no railway exists at present, buses will be the only choice. Lanzhou East Bus Station is situated on the Pinglianglu, while the West Bus Station is on the Xijin Xilu.
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<text>
Several tens of bus routes with downtown as the core lead to other parts of the city. There are more than 6,000 taxies, and 3 specified tour bus companies catering to foreign tourists. They offer various tour buses, medium-size buses and cars. It's very convenient for tourists to call for or rent a bus/taxi.
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</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_5}Cuisine of Lanzhou
</title>
<text>
The people in Lanzhou are gastronomes. They love foods with sour and spicy flavors, especially the ones of Sichuan Cuisine and hotpots. There are many restaurants serving various cuisine and ethnic flavors, with Jingyanglou, Yuebinlou, Emei Chuancaiguan (Sichuan Cuisine), and Huicaiguan (Anhui Cuisine) being the four most famous ones. Kaoxiaozhu (Roast Porket) and Qianceng Niuroubing (Beef Pie with many layers) are the representative dishes, with delicious taste and low prices. Many snacks streets, such as Nongminxiang, Hezhenglu, Jianlanlu, are usually open from morning to the mid-night. Some even serve 24 hours.
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The people in Lanzhou are straightforward and unconstrained in character. They love to drink liquor when dining together, and often go home nearly drunk. When tourists from other places have dinner with their relatives or friends in Lanzhou, they can booze freely. The more you drink, the happier the hosts are. The well-know wines in Lanzhou include Lanzhou Xiliang Daqu (a kind of hard liquor), Jinwei Wine, and Subei Ma'nai Wine (a kind of Koumiss).
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<text>
Lanzhou is rich in melons and fruits, hence the name "melon and fruit city." Juicy peaches, honeydew melons, cucumis melons (cv. Huanghemi), cantaloupes, and watermelons etc., are famous far and near.
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</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_1">
<title>
{2_28_1}Binglingsi Grottos
</title>
<text>
Binglingsi Grottos is located in the Dasigou Valley of the Xiaojishi Mountains, 35 kilometers southwest of Yongjing County. Being one of the well-known grottos in China, Binglingsi Grottos has been listed as a cultural relic unit under state protection.
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<text>
Binglingsi Grottos was first excavated in the first year of Jianhong's Reign (420), during the Western Qin Kingdom (385-431). It is famous for the exquisite craftsmanship of the stone statues. There are 694 stone statues, 82 clay sculptures, and about 900 square meters of murals. Caves left behind from the mid-Tang Dynasty (618-907) accounts for two thirds of the total, with 113 niches in 20 caves. Meanwhile, the most exquisite and ingenious one is Tangshu Cave (Cave 169) on the cliff. The stone statues of Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna in 125 niches are also outstanding representatives of its artistic work. These statues are of high historic and archeological value. They mirrored the social style and features, situation of the people and their customs, music and dance, and decoration of the western region during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (304-409).
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<image filename="2_28_1a">
Binglingsi Grottos, Gansu
</image>
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Binglingsi Grottos, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
First take buses from Lanzhou to Liujiaxia Reservoir (2 hours), then change to a ship to Binglingsi Temple (2 hours). It costs 15 Yuan per person (5 for the bus and 10 for the ship). The opening time is from July to November each year and the price of the ticket is 20 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_2">
<title>
{2_28_2}Zhuangyansi Temple
</title>
<text>
Zhuangyansi Temple is located to the west of the Drum Tower in the center of the old Lanzhou city, Chengguan District. It was first constructed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), based on the former residence of Xue Ju, a Xiaowei (a name for a lower grade military officer in ancient China) of Jincheng (former Lanzhou), Sui Dynasty (581-618). It became the palace after Xue Ju proclaimed himself Emperor in the thirteenth year of Daye's Reign (617). The palace was transformed into a Buddhist temple after Xue Ju was killed by the troops of the Tang Dynasty. The temple originally composed of three compounds, involving gate, wing-rooms and front hall, main hall and back hall. According to historical records, the temple was repaired many times during the ensuing dynasties of Yuan, Ming, and Qing (1297-1911). Only the three halls are well preserved.
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<text>
Zhuangyansi Temple is well known for its sculpture, calligraphy and painting, which was crowned with "three super skills" title. The grand Buddha statue in the main hall is proportioned properly and vivid in expression, with a realistic fine flowing robe. Done in powerful strokes, the six Chinese characters "Chi Dazhuangyan Chuanyuan" (means taking the Emperor's order) on the original tablet were inscribed by the famous calligraphist Li Puguang of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). The holy and elegant Kwan-yin (Bodhisattva of infinite compassion and mercy) in the murals on the back wall of the main hall is in white voile-like robe, while a precious vase with an emerald green willow branch is in her hand.
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<image filename="2_28_2a">
Zhuangyansi Temple, Gansu
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<image filename="2_28_2b">
Zhuangyansi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Take any buses heading in the Drum Tower direction in Chengguan District. The opening time is from 8:00 to 17:00 and the price of the ticket is 15 Yuan per person.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_3">
<title>
{2_28_3}Tianfosi Grottos (Tiantishan Grottos)
</title>
<text>
Tiantishan Grottos, located in Dengshan Village of Zhongluxiang Township, 50 km south of Wuwei City, is one of the grottos constructed earliest in China. It was excavated initially during the Northern Liang Kingdom (397-439) in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (304-439). Carving and decoration of the grottoes continued throughout the ensuing dynasties. The whole group of grottos is large in scale and exquisite in carving. Some scholars consider it "the senior ancestor of the Chinese ancient grottoes".
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<text>
The well preserved three-layer-cave houses 17 niches of different sizes, over 100 Buddha statues, and several hundreds square meters of murals. Other precious cultural relics include handwritten Buddhist scriptures, in the Chinese and Tibetan languages, left behind by the ensuing dynasties of North Wei, Sui, and Tang (618-907), and silk paintings of the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). The sitting statue of Tathagata in the main structure -- Great Buddha Cave, rises about 30 meters, with other six Buddha statues (Mahá Kassapa Thera, Ananda, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Virapaksa Heavenly King, Vaisramana Heavenly King) standing on the sides. These statues are lifelike in expression, different in characters and features, and exquisite in craftsmanship. Due to the construction of the Huangyanghe Reservoir in 1960, most of the polychrome statues, murals and Buddhist scriptures were moved to the Provincial Museum for protection. The Great Buddha statue with its back against the mountain, Central Pillar, Buddha niches and the murals left in the caves are precious cultural relics.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_3a">
Tianfosi Grottos (Tiantishan Grottos), Gansu
</image>
<tip>
One can take buses at the bus stop opposite to Tianma Hotel in the downtown of Wuwei. Any bus heading for Zhangyi, Shangquan, and Haxi is goes there. It will be another 20-minute-walk along the road zigzagging up to the mountain after getting off at the side of Tiantishan Reservoir.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_6}General Survey of Tianshui
</title>
<text>
Tianshui is the biggest political, economic, and cultural center in the southeast of Gansu Province. It covers an area of 14,300 square km, and has a population of 3 million.
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<text>
The well-known scenic spots involve Maijishan Mountain, Xianrenya, Fuximiao Temple, Yuquan'guan Taoist Temple, Fengtaishan Mountain, Qishanpu in Lixian County, Daxiangshan Mountain in Gan'gu County, Shuiliandong in Wushan County, and Dadiwan in Qin'an County. These spots are of high cultural value and worth seeing.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_7}Traffic of Tianshui
</title>
<text>
Tianshui Railway Station is located in Beidao District. It is one of the major stations between Xi'an in Shaanxi Province and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.
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<text>
There are several highways and expressways of province level connecting Tianshui to other major cities in Gansu Province. The coach station in Qincheng District is an important one, with regular buses to other places.
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<text>
Expressways in the urban areas and highways in the rural areas combine to make travel very convenient. The starting price for the taxi is 6 Yuan.
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</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_8}Cuisine of Tianshui
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<text>
As we speak of Tianshui, we must mention its special food, such as Mianpi (soft noodles steamed in a pan on top of boiling water), Guagua (mostly buckwheat-starch jelly, served with seasonings) and Liangfen (bean-starch jelly, served with seasonings). Nearly everyone who lives in Tianshui or visits there for just a few days definitely falls for this snack with its' special flavor. After more than ten kinds of delicious seasonings are mixed with the golden Mianpi, nobody can resist its temptation. The Mianpi sold in Jianchang (a fair trade market in the center of Tianshui City) is the tastiest one.
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</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_4">
<title>
{2_28_4}Maijishan Grottos
</title>
<text>
The Maijishan Grottos are located in the Maijishan Mountain, about 30 km southeast of Tianshui City. The mountain gets its name from its giant, wheat-stack-like shape. Grottos, statues and Buddhist temples on the mountain were first built in the later Qin Dynasty (384-417). The cutting and rebuilding continued for over 1500 years in the ensuing dynasties including the Northern Wei (386-534), Northern Zhou (557-581), Sui Dynasty (581-618), Tang Dynasty (618-907), Five Dynasties (907-960), Song Dynasty (960-1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
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<text>
The Maijishan Grottos were mostly carved on the cliffs rising 20 to 80 meters high. These densely built caves tier upward, looking from afar like a honeycomb. In 734 or the 22nd year of the Kaiyuan reign of Tang Emperor Xuanzong, an earthquake caused a collapse in the central part of the cliff. The grotto groups were divided into two sections: eastern cliff and western cliff. Many grottos were built as "cliff pavilions". A case in point is the Qige (the Seven Pavilion), which lies 15 meters above the head of the giant clay Buddha statue on the eastern cliff. It is a typical cliff pavilion building of the Han Dynasty style (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), which was chiseled on the sheer cliff over 50 meters above the ground in the middle years of 6th century. In the Maijishan Grottos, there are extant 194 caves, over 7000 clay and stone statues and more than 1300 square meters of murals which date back to such dynasties as the Northern Wei (386-534), Northern Zhou (557-581), Sui Dynasty (581-618), Tang Dynasty (618-907), Five Dynasties (907-960), Song Dynasty (960-1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
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<text>
Statues here consist of the following four types: high-relief pieces extruding from the wall space, round carvings fully separated from the wall space, molded statues pasted on the wall, and wall carvings. Numerous life size statues are characterized by vividness in both form and spirit. The Maijishan Grottos focus on clay sculptures, but there are also some stone statues and murals. The main scenic spots include the Qifoge (Seven Buddha Pavilion), Niu'ertang (Cattle Hall), Qianfolang (Thousand Buddha Corridor), Wanfotang (Ten-thousand Buddha Hall) and No. 127 Cave. They are all precious artistic works. In addition, the Maijishan Grottos enjoy the most intoxicating natural scenery among China's famous grottos.
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<image filename="2_28_4a">
Maijishan Grottos, Gansu
</image>
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Maijishan Grottos, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
No. 34 tourist buses, departing every half an hour, are available daily in front of the Railway Station in Beidao District of Tianshui. About a one-hour drive will bring you to the Maijishan Scenic Area which is open from 8:00 to 17:00. The entrance fee is 70 Yuan, which includes tickets for scenic areas and grottos.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_5">
<title>
{2_28_5}Shuiliandong Grotto Group
</title>
<text>
The Shuiliandong Grotto Group (Water-curtain Cave Grotto Group) is situated in the valley of the Zhongloushan Mountain, around 50 km northeast of the county town of Wushan, Tianshui City.
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<text>
The building of the Grotto Group began in the later Qin Dynasty (384-417) during the Period of Sixteen Kingdoms (304-439), and experienced subsequent dynasties including the Northern Wei (386-534), Northern Zhou (557-581), Sui Dynasty (581-618), Tang Dynasty (618-907), Five Dynasties (907-960), Song Dynasty (960-1279), and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Grotto Group is composed of five scenic spots including the Xianshengchi (Holy Manifestation Pool), Lashaosi (Lashao Temple), Qianfodong (One-Thousand Buddha Cave), Shuiliandong (Water-curtain Cave) and Sanqingdong (Three Pristine Ones Cave). The most valuable here are Cliffside inscriptions, sculptures, murals and wooden penthouses in the Lashao Temple and the One-Thousand Buddha Cave.
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<text>
The Shuiliandong (Water-curtain Cave), 50 meters wide, 30 meters high and 30 meters deep, is a work of nature. On rainy days, the water curtain shuts off the entrance to cave, like flying pearls as well as splashing jade. Inside the cave are 10 small halls including the Sishenggong (Four-Sage Palace), Guanyinsi (Kwan-yin Temple), Laojunge (Laojun Pavilion).
</text>
<text>
Facing the Water-curtain Cave is the Lashao Temple left behind from the Northern Wei (386-534). The temple preserves a large number of grotto works from the Northern Zhou (557-581) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). On the abrupt cliff was sculpted a Sakyamuni statue of over 40 meters high, both sides of which are decorated with relievos of Bodhisattva, divine beasts and so on. The extant part of them is extremely precious.
</text>
<text>
A thousand Buddha images drawn on the cave wall give the One-Thousand Buddha Cave its name. The cliff beside the Cave is divided into two parts by a plank road: murals and clay sculptures. These sculptures protrude from the Cliffside, which gives one the feeling that they are suspended in the air. There used to be seven niches inside the Cave, but now, only some statues on the Cliffside and murals remain. The statues are all well-rounded figures with variety of expressions. In particular, the Bodhisattva images here have well-rounded and comely postures which are fully filled with artistic characteristics of the Northern Zhou (557-581). And the style of the Western Wei (535-557) can also be found in some of the statues, which are important grotto art of the early period.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_5a">
Shuiliandong Grotto Group, Gansu
</image>
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Shuiliandong Grotto Group, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Coaches to the Zhongloushan Mountain are available at the coach station of Wushan County, Tianshui City. The admission fee is 10 Yuan and the opening time is 8:00 to 17:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_6">
<title>
{2_28_6}Shimenshan Mountain
</title>
<text>
The Shimenshan Mountain (the Stone Gate Mountain) sits 50 km away from Beidaobu in Tianshui City. Surrounded by towering precipices, only a path connects the northern peak and the southern one. The two peaks stand facing each other, forming naturally a stone gate. This is why the mountain gets its name. With its beauty and majesty, it is reputed as another Huangshan Mountain (one of the china's famous mountains). Plants of abundant species flourish here. On the highest peak, there are the Zhenwu Shrine, Goddess of Wangmu Shrine, Sanqing Hall, Wuliang Hall, Jade Emperor Hall and Bell Tower which were rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Immortal Bridges with pavilions were built to connect different peaks. Lofty and elegant halls and pavilions are hidden in the white clouds and behind emerald trees. All these combine to constitute a charming landscape.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_6a">
Shimenshan Mountain, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_6b">
Shimenshan Mountain, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Regular buses at Tianshui Bus Station will bring visitors to the Shimenshan Mountain which is open from 8:00 to 18:00. Sixteen Yuan is charged as the entrance fee.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_7">
<title>
{2_28_7}Guataishan Mountain
</title>
<text>
The Guataishan Mountain (the Eight Diagrams Platform Mountain) is located in Sanyangshuan, 30 km north of Tianshui City. Legend has it that the mountain is the place where Fuxi, an ancient Chinese sage, created the Eight Diagrams, and there still remains the platform used by Fuxi to draw the divinatory symbols on the mountain. Here, there are spectacular peaks and gurgling creeks. In the center of the Weihe River are several pieces of bottomland which quite resemble the Taiji Picture. ("Taiji" means "the grand ultimate", which is the Chinese term for the cosmos. the Taiji Picture consists of a black and a white fish). There is also a huge stone in the shape of bamboo shoot or paintbrush, called the Fenxin Stone (the Distracting Stone). On the stone, the Taiji Picture seems to also present itself. The most mysterious is the Dragon-Horse Mountain facing the Platform of the Eight Diagrams across a river. When clouds or mists are floating, the Dragon-Horse Cave on the mountain is faintly discernible, which gives one the feeling that a dragon-horse (an imaginary animal) appears there.
</text>
<text>
According to legend, Fuxi racked his brain all day long in the hope of creating the Eight Diagrams, but he failed to have any idea. One day, deep in the clouds and mists around the opposite cave, he suddenly saw a dragon-horse flapping a pair of wings to fly into the sky. When associating the scene with the Fenxin Stone (the Distracting Stone) showing the Taiji Picture which stands in the Weihe River, Fuxi was seized by a sudden inspiration. He immediately drew the Eight Diagrams symbolizing the eight natural phenomena: sky, earth, water, fire, mountain, thunder, wind, and lake.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_7a">
Guataishan Mountain,Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Buses directly to Sanyangchuan are available at Tianshui Bus Station. The entrance fee is five Yuan. The opening time is from 8:00 to 17:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_8">
<title>
{2_28_8}Daxiangshan Giant Buddha
</title>
<text>
The Daxiangshan Giant Buddha is a stone statue of Sakyamuni covered with clay. It is on the cliff of the Daxiangshan Mountain, 2.5 km from the county town of Gangu, Tianshui City. The Giant Buddha is 23.3 meters high and 10.4 meters wide around the waist. It looks serene and stately and has a round and full face; its ear lobes are so long that they touch its shoulders; it also features a dignified and majestic figure.
</text>
<text>
There has been no way to do textual research about the exact years when the Giant Buddha Grottos were carved. But according to relevant data and unearthed cultural relics, the Buddha statues in Gangu date back to the Northern Wei (386-534). Experts in grotto art with the Gansu Provincial Museum have carefully examined the Giant Buddha, and recognized it as an antique left behind from the prime of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This shows that the Gangu Daxiangshan Grottos were first built in the Northern Wei (386-534), and started to obtain perfection in the prime of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) after going through four dynasties and over 300 years. On both sides of the Giant Buddha Grotto was built a curving corridor adhering to the mountain slope like a sash. Caves and niches are connected by the corridor, which takes on an imposing and magnificent sight. Most of the extant 22 caves and niches have a square form at ground level. The unique feature of the Daxiangshan Grottos is the large arch niches chiseled on the central walls and the high pedestals inside the grottos, and Buddhist caves for monks to cultivate themselves in meditation, which are found here. These are rarely seen in other grottos in China.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_8a">
Daxiangshan Giant Buddha, Gansu
</image>
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Daxiangshan Giant Buddha, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Coaches bound for Gangu County are available at Tianshui Bus Station. The admission fee is five Yuan. The opening time is 8:00 -17:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_9">
<title>
{2_28_9}Kongtongshan Mountain
</title>
<text>
The Kongtongshan Mountain is located 15 km southwest of Pingliang City. Being a branch range of the Liupanshan Mountain, it rises 2123 meters above sea level. It is "the first mountain" on the ancient Silk Road west of the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province. The Mountain is reputed as "the most famous mountain of Taoism". Taoist temples have been built since the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-206 B.C.) and the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), and new ones continued to be built in the ensuing dynasties. In its prime, there were eight terraces, nine palaces, 12 courtyards, 42 temple complexes, and 84 landscapes. But only more than 30 scenic spots are well preserved with the elapse of time. The Lingkong Pagoda, built in 1585 or the 13th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli, is a seven-storey brick octagonal pagoda standing about 30 meters tall, and there used to be wooden stairs inside it. The pagoda is located in the yard of the Buddhist temple northeast of the Middle Terrace and a Buddha statue is enshrined in it. The Shangtian Ladder was first built during the Zhenguan reign of Tang Emperor Taizong (r. 627-649). It extends 80 meters, and is 2.5 meters wide. With over 370 steps, it appears to ascend into clouds in the sky, passing by the Stone Inscriptions where the Yellow Emperor (an ancestor of the Chinese nation) consulted the sage Guangchengzi on the truth. At the top of the ladder is the Huangcheng (the Imperial Palace) where a Consulting Palace had been built in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), but was destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (r.1661-1722), the Taihe Palace was built at the former site. The majestic structure makes the building look like an imperial palace, thus giving it another name: the Huangcheng (in Chinese, it means the imperial palace). Exquisite murals are preserved in it. On the Leisheng Peak west of the Huangcheng are a line of buildings leaning against the mountain slope. Clouds are floating around them, making the place much more like a fairyland.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_9a">
Kongtongshan Mountain, Gansu
</image>
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Kongtongshan Mountain, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_9c">
Kongtongshan Mountain, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Two buses are available daily from Tianshui City to Pingliang City. One is the ordinary bus which departs at 7:00 and the fare is 20 Yuan. The other is the sleeper leaving at 18:00 from Beidao District and the fare is 40 Yuan. When arriving at Pingliang, visitors can take special-line buses to the Kongtong Mountain at the Stop of No. 2 Bus in front of Pingliang West Bus Station, which goes to the parking on the top of the mountain. The entrance fee is 35 Yuan. The opening time is from 8:00 to 17:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_9}General Survey of Gannan
</title>
<text>
The Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture is located in southwestern Gansu Province, lying at the meeting point of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan Provinces and it is one of ten Tibet autonomous prefectures in China.
</text>
<text>
Covering an area of 45000 square km, Gannan exercises jurisdiction over Hecho City and seven counties: Loqu, Marqu, Shahe, Zouqu, Dibo, Zholny and Lintan. It has a population of 660000, with 48 percent being Tibetans. Sitting at an elevation of 3000 meters above sea level, it has an average temperature of 1.7 degrees Centigrade. In summer, the temperature usually varies between 15 and 30 degrees Centigrade, and colorful flowers blossom on the grassland, forming enchanting scenery; from the 8th to 16th day of the first Chinese lunar month after the Spring Festival each year is the time when monasteries in Gannan hold summon ceremonies, and is also the jolliest time. Therefore, winter and summer are the best times to visit Gannan.
</text>
<text>
Gannan has a long history and a splendid culture. As far back as the Neolithic Age, people have been settling in the reaches of the Taohe River, Bailongjing River and Daxiahe River in Gannan, where the ancient Qiang ethnic group originated. In Gannan, there is the Labrang Monastery, one of the six grand monasteries of Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism known far and near, which was built in the 49th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722). A large number of ancient historical and cultural books are preserved in the monastery, which is now subject to state class I protection as a cultural relic unit. There are also over 100 Buddhist monasteries like the Zholny Chanting Monastery built in 1205 and the Nammo Sechi Monastery known as "fairy lady in tiger lair", and some places of historical interest including the Bajiao City, Taozhou Guard City of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644), and Bianqiang Wall of the Ming Dynasty(the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty).
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_10}Traffic of Gannan
</title>
<text>
There is no railway in Gannan, and only the No. 213 National Highway through the region. Tourists can go to Lanzhou City, and then change to coaches from Lanzhou to Chengdu of Sichuan Province. At the Lanzhou Bus Station, only three buses a day head for Shahe County, but usually are not able to reach directly the destination. If there are not enough passengers on the bus, when getting to Linxia, the driver will shift you to another bus which shuttles between Linxia and Shahe. Many coaches from Lanzhou to Linxia are available. There is a bus running between Linxia and Shahe every 40 minutes on average, which is about a three-hour drive.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_11}Accommodation of Gannan
</title>
<text>
It is relatively inexpensive with regard to local accommodation. Many hotels and inns are found along the way from the Shahe Bus Station to the Labrang Monastery. The facilities inside are not bad and hot water is supplied. But in very cheap inns, poor bath facilities are usually offered. It is better to choose hotels or lodges near the Labrang Monastery so as to make an easier sightseeing experience. It is relatively cold in Gannan, so it is important to make sure whether heating is offered in hotels. Staying the night in farmers' houses or lodges offered by monasteries like the Nammo Monastery will give you a quite different feeling. But very often, compared to services you can enjoy, the price is higher.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_12}Cuisine of Gannan
</title>
<text>
The Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture offers many typical Tibetan foods. Like Tibetans in other regions, local people mainly have beef, mutton, tsam-pa, wheat and highland barley flour as their daily foods. When visitors arrive, a comfortable and warm tent, together with a bowl of warm chang (Tibetan highland barley wine) makes their travel fatigue go away at once. If you are not accustomed to the Tibetan flavor, many restaurants chiefly of Sichuan style, run by Han people, are available here. The local foods are usually dry, hard and short of water so as to be suitable for nomadic life. Although they are good as solid foods for a journey, sufficient drinkable water needs to be taken with you, or else you will find them hard to swallow.
</text>
</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_10">
<title>
{2_28_10}Labrang Monastery
</title>
<text>
The Labrang Monastery nestles in the fertile valley between the Longshan Mountain (Dragon Mountain) and the Fengshan Mountain (Phoenix Mountain), 1 km west of Shahe County. It is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism. In old times, the monastery was also known as the Lhadrang Zhaxichi.
</text>
<text>
The monastery was initially constructed in 1710 during the period of the first generation of Jamyang Living Buddha. Due to further development by the later Living Buddhas, it has grown into the biggest Tibet Buddhism center in the Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan regions and enjoys a reputation for its perfect architecture and brilliant religious culture. The Labrang Monastery occupies a total area of 82.27 hectares, with a construction area of 823,000 square m. Within the monastery, there are 6 sutra halls, 84 Buddha halls, 31 dagobas, and 30 residences for the Living Buddhas and Buddhist Lhakangs. In addition, there are over 500 prayer-wheel houses and more than 10,000 living compounds for monks. More than 60,000 volumes of Tibetan scriptures are housed in the Labrang Monastery, including 12 categories, such as philosophy, medicine, history, religion, etc. This makes the monastery one of a kind, as it has largest collection of scriptures. The Labrang Monastery, which is also the biggest institutions of Lamism (or Tibetan Buddhism) in the world, has six prestigious Buddhist colleges: the College of Tibetan Medicine, the Upper and Lower Tantric Colleges, the Kalachakra College, the Hevajra College and the Meyjuning Thosamling College. There are strict systems for enrollment, teaching, examination and graduation. The colleges have provided numerous religious talents for the Tibetan inhabited areas.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_10a">
Labrang Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_10b">
Labrang Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_10c">
Labrang Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
There are regular long-distance buses from Lanzhou, Linxia and Hezuo to Xiahe. After arriving at Xiahe, tourists can choose taxies or other vehicles available to the Labrang Monastery. The price of a ticket is 30 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_11">
<title>
{2_28_11}The Sanke Grassland
</title>
<text>
The Sanke grassland, vast and splendid, starts 13 km west of Shahe County seat of the Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.
</text>
<text>
The Sanke grassland is part of the Dagchotan grassland (between the Paomatan) of Sanke Township. Completely surrounded by mountains, the wide and flat alpine grassland is at an average altitude above 3000 meters. Covering an area of 70 km, it is one of the major stock raising bases of the Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.
</text>
<text>
The area has only 4000 herdsmen compared with its vast area. The endless grassland is famous among the Tibetan inhabited areas in the northwestern part of China for its grand Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies and historical activities. Meanwhile, it is an especially precious natural scenic area. Bajiaocheng City, the old site of Baishi County established during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), was a pass on the main road from Hezhou (present Linxia) to the southwestern part of ancient China. Bajiaocheng is a city shaped like a hollow crisscross. There is a pier on each corner of the crisscross, combining to form the shape of an octagon, hence the name.
</text>
<text>
There are two Tibetan-yurt reception centers at the Sanke grassland. The yurts are set up from July to September each year, and the hosts will prepare some special food of Tibetan flavor, such as fresh milk tea, Zanba (Tibetan fried highland barley noodles), Zangbaozi (Tibetan steamed stuffed bun), and Shuozhua Yangrou (roast mutton eaten with hands). They also provide travel equipment and programs with unique grassland features, including horses, yaks, shooting and bonfire evenings. Tourists can enjoy the mystery and simplicity of local manners and customs.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_11a">
The Sanke Grassland, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_11b">
The Sanke Grassland, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
It will take 15 minutes from Labrang Monastery to the Sanke Grassland by bus.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_12">
<title>
{2_28_12}The Dagzoin Lake in Shahe County
</title>
<text>
Lying 17 km from the Shahe County seat, the 3.33-hectare Dagzoin Lake is 350 meters long from north to south and about 100 meters wide from east to west. The surface of the lake is about 3000 m above seal level. There are various strange rocks and gritty pine trees dotted alongside the lake shore. Surrounded by mountains in three directions, the shore of the lake is wide, with a plain meadow on the front side. The emerald-green mountains crowned with forest and the crystal-clear water combines to form an intoxicating picture.
</text>
<text>
The Dagzion Lake area is not only a high quality alpine pasture, but a natural home to numerous aquatic birds. The lake is one of the "holy lakes" worshiped by the local people. Countless staff stand in front of the lakeshore and sutra streamers wave in the wind. Each July, the pilgrims from different places stream here to insert arrows, showing their piety. At that time, the mountains are enveloped in incense smoke. The devout believers circle the lake three times clockwise, turning pray-wheels by hand and reciting Buddhist sutras. Then they throw a precious vase into the lake, worshiping the holy lake and praying for blessing from the deity.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_12a">
The Dagzoin Lake in Shahe County, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Although it's not far from Shahe to the Dazong Lake, one must hire an experienced driver due to the difficult road. The water in the lake is of great clarity and purity. One can borrow a big iron spoon from the old man guarding the lake to bail water for drinking. Do not wash hands or other things in the lake.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_13">
<title>
{2_28_13}The Dali Gya Mountain
</title>
<text>
The Dali Gya Mountain, sitting in the Ganjia Township of Shahe County, with Balengshan Mountain (at an altitude of 4080 meters) of Qingshui Township to the east and coming down in one continuous line with Taizishan Mountain, is the border mountain between Shahe County and Xunhua County of Qinghai Province. Its main peak, 4636 meters above sea level, situated on the famous Baishiya (means White Stone Cliff) plain, is the highest peak in the Labrang region. The terrain above the snow line is steep and full of stones, topped with snow all the year round, and the weather is uncertain. Meanwhile, the area below the snow line is capped with vegetation and flowers. There are many high quality grasses and precious medicinal materials.
</text>
<text>
The five mountain lakes in different shapes are enthralling. They are named Colhurui, Chor Gengcho, Dali Gyayong Co and Cocham in Tibetan. The Colhurui consists of two small lakes, and the Chor Gengcho is the largest. The Cocham is also called the Wuminghu Lake (Five Names Lake). The Dali Gyayong Co, the main lake of the five, is a volcanic dammed lake. The lake covers an area of 14 hectares, and the depth of the water is unknown. The water in it is tasteless. During a pleasant sunny day, the placid lake, from afar, looks like a shining mirror inlayed in the emerald green grassland. The oval-shaped lake is surrounded by volcanic conglomerates, just like the bottom of a cauldron. Although not visible around the lake, three springs rush down secretly from the outside of the mountains by the lake, flowing towards Linxia, Xunhua, and Qingshui County from the east, north and south. The gurgling sound of the streams can be heard from a long distance. The Dali Gyayong Co is known for its high altitude, deep water, steep terrain and holy atmosphere. It is remote and secluded.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_13a">
The Dali Gya Mountain, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_13b">
The Dali Gya Mountain, Gansu
</image>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_14">
<title>
{2_28_14}Garhai--Zecha National Nature Reserve
</title>
<text>
Zecha--Garhai National Nature Reserve consists of Zecha Stone Forest and Garhai Migrant Birds Nature Reserve.
</text>
<text>
The Zecha Stone Forest, located to the south of the Loqu County, is a region of siliceous limestone. The astonishing peaks and rocks are shaped by the denudation of the weather and erosion from water. The spectacular sight includes "a thread width sky at the Stone Gate", where the towering precipices stand facing each other. An about 100 meters wooden plank road built along the cliff is the only road for the tourist to visit the Stone Forest. It is the portrait of the old saying "if one man guards the pass, ten thousand would be unable to get through."
</text>
<text>
The Garhai Migrant Birds Nature Reserve sits in the Garhai Township of Loqu County, 53 km from the county seat. It is at an altitude of 3479.7 meters. The total area of the nature reserve is 10,800 hectares. This figure includes 9,800 hectares of swamps, and 1,000 hectares of lakes. The average depth of the water reaches 1.5 meters. The nature reserve is rich in animals, plants, and flourishing aquatic plants, making it the home and breeding base for many precious migrant birds during their migration. The Garhai grassland is one of the meadows of highest quality in Asia.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_14a">
Garhai--Zecha National Nature Reserve, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
There is no direct regular bus from Shahe to Garhai. One should get to Hecho first, then take the regular bus to Marqu or Langmo Monastery and get off at Garhai Township. It's about 133 km from Hecho to Garhai. There is no hotel in Garhai. Only the hostel in the township or the military pasture of Garhai is available. Pay attention to your safety when resting in the hostel, and there are only two beds in the military pasture.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_15">
<title>
{2_28_15}Langmo Monastery
</title>
<text>
The building group of the two Monasteries is separated by the source stream of the Bailongjiang River (White Dragon River). The part in the north belongs to Gansu Province, while the southern part is under the jurisdiction of Garti of Sichuan Province. A small Mosque can be seen among the building group. Tibetan and Hui ethnic groups live peacefully in this quiet village. Since it was found by a group of foreign backpackers, the delicate fairyland has become well known among tourists. Now it is a hot spot for backpackers.
</text>
<text>
The building group in Langmo Monastery, including the Great Sutra Hall, Buddha Maitreya Hall, the Holy Stupa Memorial Hall (Chiqin Holy Stupa was rebuilt), the Hayagriva Hall, the Dharmapalas Hall, the Longevity Hall, the Sutra Pavilion, the Bedroom of Living Buddha Setri, the Great White Lucky Dagoba, and hundreds of monk houses with roofs capped with slates rivals the Labrang Monastery in scale. The Festivals of the Monastery are a must-see, especially the ones falling between the third and the sixteenth day of the first Chinese lunar month, which include the Display of Buddha Thangka Grand Prayer Ceremony. One can visit the sky burial ceremony and take photos after asking for permission from the local people. To show respect to the dead, it is suggested not to visit for curiosity. The fee to visit the site of sky burial is 10 Yuan.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_15a">
Langmo Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_15b">
Langmo Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
There are buses directly heading for Langmo Monastery from Hecho. And the price of the ticket is 20 Yuan. Most of the tourists here are backpackers. The hostel is equipped with shower, and the price is about 15 Yuan each. The Langmo Monastery Hotel is the best, and the price is 30 Yuan each. The price of the Langmo Monastery Rest House is about 15 Yuan per person.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_16">
<title>
{2_28_16}The Marqu Grassland
</title>
<text>
The Marqu grassland lies in the Marqu County in the southern part of the Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, with an area of more than 10,000 km. The Yellow River flows into this vast grassland from the southwest and out of it from the northwest, shaping the first turn of the total nine. This beautiful and rich basin of the Yellow River presents numerous enthralling grassland landscapes.
</text>
<text>
Simadohetang sits in the Olasiuma Township, 120 km west of the Marqu County seat. It's a large flat bottomland of the river basin, several tens of km in length. In the middle ten days of July each year, the land is completely covered by tidy and plain tropaeolum. Riding a horse on the land, the hoofs of the horse soak in the golden flowers and continuously emit fragrance. The tropaeolum retreats quietly and gives its place to the gentian in August. Then sky blue flowers cap the land, making it difficult to tell the sky from the land. In October, the land is dotted with yellow buttercups, with the mountains topped with white snow all around. These are the three wonders of the flowers in Simadohetang.
</text>
<text>
The Mari Zhaxi grassland, Chimo Dogzhaxi grassland and Somgar grassland have their own specialties. The flat and wide Mari Zhaxi grassland is situated 8 km from the County seat. When summer comes, some traditional religious activities and popular sports are held here. At that time, the flower sea joining the blue sky, the white tents scattered on the green grassland and the herdsmen in traditional dress riding horses back and forth combine to present a scene of beauty and excitement.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_16a">
The Marqu Grassland, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_16b">
The Marqu Grassland, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The Ivecoes (a kind of small-size bus) depart in the morning from Langmo Monastery to Marqu grassland, and return in the same day.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_17">
<title>
{2_28_17}The Chilikuan Forest Park
</title>
<text>
The Chilikuan Forest Park is located at the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, or the Zholny County and Lintan County of Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture. It covers an area of 79,400 hectares. Its forest coverage rate and vegetation coverage rate is 63 percent and 92.0 percent respectively. It is home for various wild animals. The animals subject to the State first-class protection include black stork, panther pardus L.elk, golden eagle, bearded Vulture, snow leopard, big red deer, Tibetan gazelle, and
<italic>
Bonasa sewerzowi
</italic>
.
</text>
<text>
The Chimo River passes through the Prefecture from west to east, and flows into the Zhaohe River. The geological structure of Chimo River basin is complicated, and its landform is unique. The terrain of its upper reaches, flat and gentle, is spread with natural pasture of flourishing grass and also with Lianzhuxia Canyon which is steep, deep and narrow. The lower reaches feature green forest, clear streams, and ravines. The major sights here include lotus flowers, Chimo Gorge, Chihai Lake, Chibi Yougu (bare cliff and ravine), and Juxing Wofo (giant sleeping Buddha).
</text>
<image filename="2_28_17a">
The Chilikuan Forest Park, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_17b">
The Chilikuan Forest Park, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
One can take regular buses at the South Bus Station of Lanzhou to Lintan County, and then transfer to local sightseeing buses to Chilikuan Forest Park. The standard room of the hotels in Chilikuan is 120 Yuan. The price goes up 15 percent on holiday. There are rest houses in the local farmers' homes.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_18">
<title>
{2_28_18}Chanting Monastery
</title>
<text>
The Chanting Monastery, built on the mesa northwest of Zholny County, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery with the longest history in Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.
</text>
<text>
In 1253, Pagba (1235-1280, the fifth generations master of the Sagya sect of Tibetan Buddhism) was on the way to call on Qubilai (1215-1294) at his invitation. When Pagba passed by Zholny, he selected the site for the monastery and left Gexi Sagyapa (Gexi, the highest academic degree of Tibetan Buddhism), one of his entourage, who would be in charge of the construction work. In 1295 or the first year of the Yuanzhen reign of Yuan Emperor Chengzong, the new monastery was established on the base of a small Nyingma monastery. The monastery has stood for over 600 years. It was originally the Sagya sect (the Stripe Sect), and later achieved the conversion to the Gelug sect (the Yellow Hat Sect). The monastery got its name from the stele granted by the Emperor Kanxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), which reads "the Chanting Monastery". There are four "zhacang" (monk schools) in the monastery. Row upon row of architectures in a compound style of both Han and Tibetan, together with dense trees and colorful flowers take on a magnificent look. High enceinte walls seclude the monastery from the outside world's clamor, leaving it a serene atmosphere.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_18a">
Chanting Monastery, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Coaches bound for Zholny are available at the Gannan Passenger Station.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_19">
<title>
{2_28_19}Guozhagou Gully Natural Reserve
</title>
<text>
The Guozhagou Gully Natural Reserve is situated on the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to the north of the Dieshan Mountains, and in the southwest part of Zholny County, the Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture. The terrain slopes from southwest to northeast with an average gradient of 28 degrees. It sits at an elevation of 2,800 to 3,630 meters. Channels and valleys are narrow, winding their way from south to north. Guozhagou covers an area of 2,059 square meters, and is 15 km long from south to north and three km from east to west.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_19a">
Guozhagou Gully Natural Reserve, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
You may take coaches at the Gannan Passenger Station to Zholny, and then transfer to another vehicle at the Passenger Station in the east of Zholny, that will bring you to Guozhagou. You may find accommodation nearby in Zholny where there is the two-star Zholny Hotel.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_13}General Survey of Zhangye
</title>
<text>
Situated in the central part of the Hexi Corridor of Gansu Province, Zhangye abuts Wuwei area and Jinchang city in the east and Jiuquan area in the west. There are five counties and one city under its jurisdiction, namely, Linze, Gaotai, Shandan, Minle Counties, Sunan Autonomous County and Zhangye city. Zhangye covers a total area of 41,000 square km and has a population of 1.17 million people.
</text>
<text>
With a history of more than 2,000 years, Zhangye city, called Ganzhou in old times, was one of the four prefectures in ancient Hexi. It was also the hub of politics, economy, culture and diplomatic activities of every past dynasty in the northwestern part of China. The city stands not only on the southern and northern routes of the ancient Silk Road, but also on the Juyan Old Path. On account of the continental climate, Zhangye is very dry with little rainfall. The annual average temperature stays at about 6 degrees Centigrade with the lowest point in January and the highest point in July. The best period to take a trip to this place is between June and September.
</text>
<text>
Zhangye boasts numerous scenic spots and historical sites, such as the Dafosi Temple, Mutasi Temple, Matisi Temple Grottoes at Sunan, Kanglongsi Temple Hunting Ground at Sunan, the Military Horse Farm in Shandan, Xinheyi Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), etc.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_14}Traffic and Accommodation of Zhangye
</title>
<text>
With convenient transportation, Zhangye is crisscrossed with 22 roads, including the No. 312, 227 National Highways with 68.2 km and 38.67 km in length respectively. Lanzhou-Urumqi Railway runs from east to west, extending from Dongle town in Shandan County to Shahe Town of Linze County, with a length of 56.33 km. There are trains leaving for Beijing, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Jinan, etc. on a daily basis.
</text>
<text>
Zhangye city has hotels of various standards available to tourists, with quality service and reasonable prices.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_15}Folk Customs of Zhangye
</title>
<text>
The Yugur Ethnic Minority, as one of the three ethnic groups in Gansu Province, is mainly found to live in the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, with a population of more than 10,000. The Yugur people in the east of the county are different from those in the west, but they both believe in Tibetan Buddhism (or Lamaism) and primitive religions. As a typical nomadic group, they live in tents, eat mutton and beef, and drink buttered tea and barley beer. They prefer to wear long gowns in bright colors and beautiful decorations, and they are good at singing and dancing.
</text>
<text>
The lifestyle and some languages of the Yugur people are very similar to that of the Hungarians. This has aroused much attention from sociologists. However, whether they share the same ancestor or not is still unknown.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_16}Shopping of Zhangye
</title>
<text>
The land of Zhangye is highly productive. Its native produce includes Xiaohe dates, Ganjun qiuzi (Chinese catalpa), the apple-pear, Zhangye naizi (Chinese pear-leaved crab-apple), Wujiang rice, and the hair weeds. More than 80 Chinese medicinal herbs grow in this area, such as liquorices root, songaria cynomorium herb, notopterygium, membranous milk vetch root, rhubarb, ephedra herb, hairy antler, and musk. In addition, there are many agricultural by-products in Zhangye, such as Ganzhou dried noodles and strong liquors including Zhangye Nan Wine, Zhangye Rice Wine, and Siluchun Spirits.
</text>
<text>
The luminous jade cup is the major handicraft in Zhangye, with a lot of history. The cup is carved out of the high-quality jade found in Qilianshan Mountain.
</text>
</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_20">
<title>
{2_28_20}DafoSi Temple
</title>
<text>
Located in the southwest corner of Zhangye, the Dafosi Temple (or the Giant Buddha Temple) was initially built in 1098 or the first year of Yong'an's reign of the Western Xia (1038-1227), with the former name of Jiaye Rulai Temple. It is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province from the Western Xia period.
</text>
<text>
The existing complex consists of the Giant Buddha Hall, the Buddhist Classics Hall and a clay pagoda. Inside the grand Giant Buddha Hall lies the largest indoor reclining Buddha in China, a clay sculpture with wooden frame. Covered with gold leaf and painted in various colors, the Giant Buddha is 34.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide between its two shoulders, with ears of 2 meters. Behind the Buddha are 10 disciples including Anan and Jiaye, and in two side halls stand 18 Saintly Warriors. Each side of the hall gate is engraved with a 6-square-meter brick carving. On the left one is written "Reaching the Elysian Fields" and "Western Paradise". On the right one is written "Three Buddha in the Nirvana" and "Respect the Elysian and Develop the Sutra". The walls of the hall are covered with colorful murals, which depict episodes from
<italic>
Classic of Mountains and Rivers
</italic>
(an ancient Chinese encyclopedia) and
<italic>
Journey to the West
</italic>
(a celebrated novel written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
</text>
<text>
More than 6,000 volumes of scriptures bestowed by the Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty are well preserved in the Buddhist Classics Hall. Of all, those written in gold and silver are the rarest and most precious. Behind the temple stands a clay pagoda of 33.37 meters high. On the four corners of its first and second stories are four miniature pagodas, a feature rarely seen in other pagodas.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_20a">
DafoSi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_20b">
DafoSi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The price of a ticket is 31 Yuan. Zhangye Dafosi Temple is situated in Shandan County, 66 km east of Zhangye city. The county town is skirted by the No. 312 National Highway. There are buses to Shandan from the Eastern Bus Station of Zhangye every day, with one per hour.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_21">
<title>
{2_28_21}Zhenyuan Tower
</title>
<text>
Usually known as the Drum Tower, it is situated in the center of the Zhangye city at a crossroad of four main streets - Dong Jie, Xi Jie, Nan Jie, and Bei Jie ΓÇô which enter from four different directions. As the largest extant drum tower in the Hexi Corridor, it was built on a brick-coated foundation in 1507 or the second year of Zhengde's reign of the Ming Dynasty. The foundation is 32 meters wide and 9 meters high, and it is over 30 meters from the bottom of the pedestal to the top of the tower. The three-storied tower is made of wood and in the shape of a pavilion. With overhanging eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, the tower is well-constructed and imposing. There is a cross cave inside the foundation which points east, west, south and north and links with the four main streets. Upon the tower hang four steles. On the eastern one is written "Golden City and Spring Rain". On the western one is written "Jade Pass and Moon in the Dawn". On the southern one is written "Sunny Day after Snowing in Mount Qilian". On the northern one is written "Residence Stretches to Pastureland".
</text>
<text>
Presently, in the southeastern corner of the tower hangs a massive bronze bell with fine craftsmanship, which was made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The bell is 1.3 meters high with a diameter of 1.15 meters. Weighing 600 kilograms, it is decorated with the patterns of flying Apsaras, rosefinch, basalt, white tiger and black dragon. The bell was usually used to give the correct time or an alarm of fire in ancient times.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_21a">
Zhenyuan Tower, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_21b">
Zhenyuan Tower, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
One bus stop from the back door of the Dafosi Temple is the Zhenyuan Tower.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_22">
<title>
{2_28_22}Matisi Temple
</title>
<text>
Also known as Puguangsi Temple, the Matisi Temple (or the Horse's Hoof Temple) is located in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, 65 km south of Zhangye city. The temple got its name because legend has it that a Chinese Pegasus landed here, leaving a huge horseshoe imprint which, as the treasure of the temple, is well preserved in the Mati Hall.
</text>
<text>
The Grotto of Matisi Temple was initially constructed during Northern Liang period (397-439). The whole grotto is composed of Shengguosi Temple, Puguangsi Temple, the Thousand Buddha Caves, Jintasi Temple, the upper, middle and lower Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) Caves, with more than 70 caves and niches in total. The uniqueness of Matisi Temple Grotto lies in the grand scale of the Thousand Buddha Caves, with a total number of more than 500 cliff-side pagodas and niches; the large-scale sculpture of flying Apsaras in Jintasi Temple is of primitive simplicity and elegance, which is unique in the country; The thirty-three-heaven Cave in Puguangsi Temple has 21 grottoes ranked in 5 levels. These grottoes are arranged in the form of a pagoda, with Buddhist halls inside and corridors outside. The total number of caves and shrines both inside and outside is up to 49, all of which are of unique designs.
</text>
<text>
The Matisi Temple is surrounded with a picturesque scenic view, especially the verdant hills, green waters, peaks and unique caves. Tourists coming here can also stay in a Yugur minority tent, enjoying the pure barley beer and the traditional "hand eaten lamb" and experiencing the unique lifestyle and folk customs of the nomadic people.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_22a">
Matisi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_22b">
Matisi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_22c">
Matisi Temple, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
There are buses to Sunan from the Nanguan coach station of Zhangye. After arriving at Sunan, a tourist can take a taxi to the Matisi Temple. The price of a ticket is 60 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_23">
<title>
{2_28_23}Shandan Military Horse Farm
</title>
<text>
Shandan military horse farm is located in the southern part of Shandan County of Zhangye area, also known as the Damaying grassland in Qilianshan mountainous area. As a horse farm, it boasts the longest history in the world, ranking the largest in scale in Asia and the second largest in the world.
</text>
<text>
Shandan military horse farm is flat with plenty of water and lush grass. It is embraced by a carpet of lush green grass in the summer and looks golden in winter, an ideal place for horses to multiply and grow. Ever since the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC ΓÇô 24 AD), the horse farm, on the basis of local Mongolian horses, introduced various Turkestan horses and created a hybrid of Shandan horse famous across the country. This horse farm thus had been chosen to be the base of royal military horses throughout dynasties. Shandan horse is well-shaped, strong and easy to feed. Its excellence in adaptability, speed and endurance makes it a good choice for carrying loads, riding and pulling. Currently, the total number of Shandan horses exceeds 10,000.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_23a">
Shandan Military Horse Farm, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_23b">
Shandan Military Horse Farm, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
There are buses to the horse farm from Shandan County, once a day. The distance between the two points is over 100 km. The hostel of Shandan horse farm can provide accommodation. Tourists, traveling another 50 km eastward from Damaying, can experience horse riding and picnics, or watch horse races and riding performances.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_17}General Survey of Jiayuguan
</title>
<text>
Jiayuguan City is situated in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor. It gets its name from the Jiayu Pass, the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). "Jiayuguan" means "a nice valley".
</text>
<text>
Jiayuguan has the Qilianshan Mountain in the south and the Mazongshan Mountain in the north, and abuts the Jiuquan Basin in the east and the flat Gobi in the west. It is located at the narrowest point of the western section of the Hexi Corridor. Jiayuguan City reaches the Wenshushan Hill and the Yushugoushan Hill in the south and north. A 15 km-wide ravine is sandwiched in between the two hills, known as "the First Pass of the Hexi Corridor". Thus the site has been garrisoned with soldiers since the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC) and Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). The Juanyuguan Pass was initially built in 1372, during the Ming Dynasty, and has a history of more than 600 years. Jiayuguan City, at an average altitude of 1,500 to 1,800 meters, covers a total area of 1,298 square km, with 30 square km of urban area. It has a population of 120,000, including 100,000 urban residents. It exercises jurisdiction over six sub-districts (including Wuyi, Xinhua, Qianjin, Shengli, Jianshe and Jingtieshan Mining Area) and three townships (Jiayuguan, Xincheng and Wenshu).
</text>
<text>
The most famous tourist attractions of the city include the Jiayuguan Pass, Tomb Murals of the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220-420), the First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall, Overhanging Great Wall, Great Wall Museum and Rock Drawings on the Heishan Mountain.
</text>
<text>
Jiayuguan City has a temperate arid climate, with an annual average temperature of 7.7 degrees Centigrade. The golden time in Jiayuguan is from May to October.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_18}Traffic of Jiayuguan
</title>
<text>
Fights for Dunhuang, Xi'an, Urumchi and other cities are available at the Jiayuguan Airport everyday, which is located 13 km northeast of Jiayuguan City.
</text>
<text>
The Jiayuguan Railway Station is in Yingbin Xilu, five km southwest of the downtown area. Trains from Urumchi to Lanzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and other cities stop over at the station.
</text>
<text>
The No. 312 National Highway runs through Jiayuguan, reaching Lanzhou in the east and Urumchi in the west. Extending in all direction, the highways total 452 km, reaching north up to the Mazongshan Frontier Port leading to Mongolia, and south down to Golmud in Qinghai Province. It is about a half-hour ride by bus to Jiuquan City. The Jiayuguan Bus Station is located at the crossing point of Shengli Zhonglu and Lanxin Xilu.
</text>
<text>
The city is 484 km, 465km, 765 km, 259 km and 383 km away from Wuwei, Jinchang, Lanzhou, Zhangye and Dunhuang respectively.
</text>
<text>
The urban area is not so large, and offers only three bus routes from the Railway Station to the North Bus Station (not a long-distance bus station). Medium-sized buses are available and the price of the ticket is one Yuan no matter how long your trip. There are no regular buses to tourist attractions, as they are very near to the city. Thus, visitors need to take a taxi. Hundreds of taxies are found mostly around hotels, restaurants, entertainment areas and night markets. Visitors have easy access to them.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_19}Accommodation of Jiayuguan
</title>
<text>
Recent years have witnessed some progress in the hotel and hospitality industry in Jiayuguan. Traveling in Jiayuguan, you are sure to have a gratifying lodging to ease your fatigue. If you are a real backpacker eager to experience the extensively rich and refined culture of the ancient city, the best choice is to linger at the local people's homes, especially the houses of the ethnic groups. This may help you get a better understanding of the bizarre local folk customs. The hotels here include the Jiayuguan Hotel, Xiongguan Hotel, Yingbin Hotel and the Rest House of the Jiayuguan Grain Bureau.
</text>
</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_24">
<title>
{2_28_24}Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass)
</title>
<text>
Located six km southwest of the city of Jiayuguan, the Jiayu Pass is entrenched in the center of the narrowest ravine, on the slope of the highest Jiayu Hill of the city. It guards the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and has been the First Pass of the Hexi Corridor since ancient times. The pass was initially built in 1372, and the project lasted 168 years (1372-1539). Among the over one thousand passes along the Ming Great Wall under the jurisdiction of nine towns, it is the most imposing and intact one, being in fair preservation. The strategic outpost, closely guarded by three defense lines including the inner city, outer city and moat, links with the winding Great Wall with a beacon tower every 2.5 km or 5 km, a fort every 15 km and a city every 50 km, to form a solid defense system.
</text>
<text>
The pass now has mainly the inner city with a perimeter of 640 meters and an area of 25,000 square meters. The city wall is 10.7 meters high, built with hardened loess. Being majestic and solid, the wall on the west side was reinforced with bricks which cover the hardened loess. The inner city has two gates, each with a three-storey, gable and hip roof tower; the eastern one is called "guanghua Gate", the western one "Rouyuan Gate". Each gate is surrounded by a Wencheng (barbican entrance to the city). Out of the west gate is a Luocheng (outer round defensive wall) connecting with the south and north wall of the outer city. On the Luocheng is "the Gate of Jiayuguan" with a tower, the gateway to the western area beyond the pass. The inner walls of the Jiayuguan Pass are topped with 14 towers.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_24a">
Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_24b">
Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_24c">
Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Taxis are available from the city of Jiayuguan to the Jiayu Pass and the ride may cost you about 10 Yuan. The price of the ticket is 60 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_25">
<title>
{2_28_25}Overhanging Great Wall
</title>
<text>
The Overhanging Great Wall is on the northern slope of the Heishan Hill which lies on the north side of the Shiguanxia Gorge, eight km north of the Jiayu Pass. In 1539 or the 18th year of Ming Emperor Jiajing, Li Han, an official of rectifying armed force in Suzhou (today's Jiuquan City in Gansu Province), began to have a 15 km long wall built with layer upon layer of stone and loess from the hill-top on the south side of the Shiguanxia Gorge, aiming at enhancing the defensive capacity of the Jiayu Pass. The whole project was completed in the ensuing year and fortified the Jiayu Pass greatly. It was given the name "the Great Wall on the sharp cliff" in ancient times. The Shimenxia Gorge is closely blocked by the wall which descends steeply down the hill, as if overhanging on the ridge. Thus it is colloquially called "the Overhanging Great Wall".
</text>
<text>
A small part of the original structure now remains, which is four meters wide on the bottom, two meters wide on the top and 0.5-6 meters high. The layer of stone is 10-15 centimeters thick, and the loess layer measures 10-12 centimeters. Of the remaining 750 meter long wall rebuilt in 1987, the 231 meter long section is overhanging on the 150 meter high ridge with a gradient of 45 degrees; the wall reaches six meters high and the layers of stone and loess are as thick as they used to be; crenellation and parapet were added on the top of the wall, and a new beacon tower was built at both ends. On the first beacon tower and the hill slope a path with steps was built for visitors to go up. Going up, one will encounter both comfortable flat and steep ascent.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_25a">
Overhanging Great Wall, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_25b">
Overhanging Great Wall, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Taxis may take you to the Overhanging Great Wall from the main entrance of the Jiayu Pass. The ride is 15 km round-trip. The price of the ticket is 30 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_26">
<title>
{2_28_26}First Beacon Tower under the Heaven
</title>
<text>
The First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall, known as the First Beacon Tower under the Heaven, is also named the Taolaihe Beacon Tower. Located seven km south of the Jiayu Pass, it stands on the edge of the cliff on the north bank of the Taolaihe River. The beacon tower sees the snow-capped peaks of the Qilianshan Mountain across the river, a natural barrier for it. As the west starting point of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was built by the military official Li Han in 1539 or the 18th year of Ming Emperor Jiajing. The structure was originally 14 meters in length, width and height, and was a frustum of square-based pyramid. Part of the quay wall along the Taolaihe River was destroyed due to wind and rain, thus making the frustum stand against the quay in an extremely perilous way.
</text>
<text>
There were 39 small and large beacon towers around the Jiayu Pass of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. Being a large beacon tower, Taolaihe was garrisoned with soldiers and responsible for transmitting military information about the area from the Jiayu Pass southward to the Qilianshan Mountain. In time of danger, smoke in the daytime and fire at night would inform urgently the soldiers in nearby beacon towers and passes to join the fight against enemies.
</text>
<text>
In recent years, Jiayuguan city government invested money to build the Archaized Great Wall, which is 30 meters north of the First Beacon Tower, with the aim of protecting the valuable relic; a fence was also set up to surround it. Visitors come here to ponder on the desolation of the history as well as appreciate the immensity of the Gobi and the grand desert scenery.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_26a">
First Beacon Tower under the Heaven, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_26b">
First Beacon Tower under the Heaven, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
You may take a taxi to get here from downtown Jiayuguan and the Jiayu Pass.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_27">
<title>
{2_28_27}The Great Wall Museum
</title>
<text>
The Great Wall Museum stands on the southern side of Xinhua Nanlu, the busiest section in the downtown area of Jiayuguan City. The construction of the project was completed at the end of 1988. The museum opened to visitors on October 1st 1989 and it is the first special museum centered on the theme of the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way in this country. The unique museum, taking the shape of an ancient castle, covers a total area of 12,312 square meters, with an exhibition area of 1,766 square meters.
</text>
<text>
Inside the museum there are seven exhibition halls, which display the Great Wall of different historical periods with charts, diagrams and texts as explanation. In addition, the exhibitions also include more than 7,000 cultural relics unearthed in different historical periods, including ancient weapons and paintings and calligraphy works with regard to the Great Wall. Among these, the tallies which were adopted to record work done during building of the Great Wall, Yongle copper canons and the printing board for the Jiayuguan Pass Entry Permits provide much information for research on the history of the Great Wall as well as the Great Wall culture.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_27a">
The Great Wall Museum, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_27b">
The Great Wall Museum, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Take the city-bus to Xinhua Nanlu and get off at Xinhua Department Store.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_28">
<title>
{2_28_28}Xincheng Wei-Jin Art Gallery
</title>
<text>
The mural tombs are located in the northeastern Gobi Desert of Xincheng Township, 20 km from the Jiayuguan City. The excavation began in 1972. In the 20-km-long area between Jiayuguan City and Jiuquan City, over 1,400 tombs of the Wei and Jin periods (220-420) have been found. They are made of bricks, with numerous colorful murals on their cold walls. The period from 1972 to 1979 saw 13 tombs excavated in total. However, all of them had been robbed by thieves. Among the 13, there are eight painted-brick tombs, in which 660 murals have been found with one on each brick. These murals vividly present all kinds of activities of the ancient people, including banqueting, traveling, hunting, singing and dancing, and military-training. They provide abundant information for research on the economy, politics, culture, and folk customs in the periods of Wei and Jin. These tomb murals are painted with ochre, bright red, light yellow, light green, white, and some other colors, in a simple style of drawing, thereby known as the "underground painting gallery".
</text>
<text>
The No. 6 Tomb, which is the most representative of all found, is open to the public all year round. It is a husband-and-wife tomb housing three chambers which stand in a line. There are 136 painted bricks found in this tomb. The murals tell of various aspects of the daily life then, mainly including working, slaughtering animals and cooking, banqueting, and entertaining. Although with a history of over 1,600 years, these murals are still well preserved.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_28a">
Xincheng Wei-Jin Art Gallery, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_28b">
Xincheng Wei-Jin Art Gallery, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Take a taxi or charter a bus to get there. The price of the ticket is 31 Yuan. The opening time is from 8:30 to 20:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_29">
<title>
{2_28_29}Heishan Rock Carvings
</title>
<text>
The Heishan Rock Carvings refer to the Heishan Cliffside Shallow Carvings and were discovered in 1972. According to surveys in 1978 and 1987, these carvings are distributed on the cliffs in the 2-km-long Heshan Valley, especially in the Hongliu Gou, Hemozi Gou and Sidao Gou. Heishan Mountain lies 20 km northwest of Jiayuguan City. With the total number of 153 in five groups, these carvings date back to the periods between the Warring States Period (475BC-221AD) and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and they present various activities of the ancient people, such as hunting, dancing and military-training. Aside from these, birds and animals also can be found.
</text>
<text>
Among all these, the one, which depicts military-training, includes 30 figures that are doing military exercises in three lines. The soldiers are fighting with each other and the heads are giving orders and supervising the operations. Such a vivid picture, with the simple way of carving, abstract expression and unique style, is regarded as the representative of the rock carvings showing military training in China. It is highly valued.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_29a">
Heishan Rock Carvings, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_29b">
Heishan Rock Carvings, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Hiring a car is a must. Since there are not so many tourists to going there, it is necessary to find a driver familiar with the route. The round-trip is nearly 50 km and will cost about 60 Yuan. Cars cannot reach the carvings, so walking is inevitable.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_30">
<title>
{2_28_30}July 1 Glacier
</title>
<text>
As the nearest of its kind to a city in Asia, the July 1 Glacier lies in the middle part of the Qilianshan Mountain Range, the northern slope of Heidaban in the west of Taolanshan Mountain, 116 km southwest of Jiayuaguan City. On July 1, 1958, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducted the first survey over the glacier; it consequently was given the present name. The glacier stretches from 4,300 m to 5,150 meters above sea level and is 3.5 km in length. The glacier tongue is 1.5 km in length and 0.3 km in width, with a slope of 12 degrees. To the eastern side of the glacier tongue is a 480-square-meter ice lake which has been developed into a tourist spot. The road can reach the alpine pasture with an elevation of 3,800 meters. And then there is a 5-km-long mountain footpath leading to the destination. At the end of the glacier tongue stands a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Green mountains with snow-capped tops". In 1985, it was open to the public as the first glacier tourist area in China.
</text>
<text>
If weather permits, mountaineers can establish a base and reach the top. If two bases are needed, they should be set up 4,200 m above sea level where it is convenient to climb the glacier. This mountain with fewer rift valleys inside is not so steep and dangerous for the mountaineers to climb. Standing atop the mountain, mountaineers can enjoy a bird'sΓÇôeye view of the unbroken stretched Qilianshan Mountain range. Moreover, a skillful skier can choose to ski down the mountain.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_30a">
July 1 Glacier, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_30b">
July 1 Glacier, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The best time for tourists is from July to August. Hire a taxi to get there and return to Jiayuguan City in the afternoon. Since the weather around the glacier is rather mercurial, you are advised to take an umbrella, as well as a thick overcoat even on summer days. Recently an environmental protection centre and reception centre, complete with hotel facilities, were built at the foot of the glacier.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_31">
<title>
{2_28_31}Jiuquan Luminous Jade Cup Factory
</title>
<text>
The famous jade cup factory, lying in the center of Jiuquan City, is mainly engaged in producing and selling the luminous jade cups and a variety of jade sculptures. With the jade stones from Qilianshan Mountain as the raw material, Jiuquan City has developed jade cup making for over 2,000 years. The luminous jade cup is of exquisite craftsmanship, fine texture, and natural grain. Wan Han, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), once wrote in his poem that the tasty wine in the jade cup glowed. This makes the jade cup enjoy a great fame since ancient times. When visiting the jade cup factory, tourists can see how to cut and polish the unfinished jade cups and jade articles in the workshop, and then choose and buy the jades they prefer.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_31a">
Jiuquan Luminous Jade Cup Factory, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_31b">
Jiuquan Luminous Jade Cup Factory, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The factory lies to the east of the Bell and Drum Towers. From the factory to the towers, three minutes' walk is enough.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_20}General Survey of Dunhuang
</title>
<text>
Dunhuang city lies in the west end of the Hexi Corridor and in the northern marginal area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It borders Anxi County and Akesai County in the east and south, and abuts Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest. It is also the juncture of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang. Dunhuang covers an area of 31,200 square km and has a population of 150,000. The city is in a basin surrounded by high mountains and is mainly Gobi desert and hills. It has a typical temperate continental climate with an annual average temperature of 9.3 degrees centigrade. The climate is dry with little rain. The temperature difference between day and night is rather large. There are potential risks of natural disasters such as dry-hot wind and black sandstorm, for which tourists should prepare in advance. May to December is the best time for visiting Dunhuang.
</text>
<text>
Dunhuang is famed for its splendid culture and rich historic sites, represented by the Mogao Grottoes, Yulin Grottoes and West Thousand-Buddha Cave, etc. The city also boasts beautiful natural scenes. The Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill and Yueya (Crescent-Moon) Pool are known as the "miracles in the desert"; and the ruins of the Yangguan Pass and Yumen Pass may still make people feel the atmosphere of the wars that happened here in ancient times. Although it is not a large city, Dunhuang is clean and well laid out. Along with the development of its tourism industry, a complete system of tourism service has been established. Hotels, restaurants and shops spread across the city combine to provide full services for tourists.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_21}Traffic of Dunhuang
</title>
<text>
Dunhuang Airport lies 13 km east of the downtown area. It serves about 38 domestic flights weekly to destinations such as Lanzhou, Xi'an, Beijing, Jiayuguan, and Urumqi, etc.
</text>
<text>
There's a railway that begins in Liugou (a station also in the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway) and goes to Dunhuang via Anxi County of Gansu province. The 169 km-long railway stretches along the stations of Xiaowan, Guazhou, Tianshuijing and ends in Dunhuang. Dunhuang Railway Station is located in the intersection of Wenhua Lu which leads to the Mogao Grottoes.
</text>
<text>
The highway transportation in Dunhuang also reaches out in many directions. Buses to the cities of Jiuquan, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Hami, Turpan, Urumqi and Golmud are available. Tourists who want to visit Tibet can take a bus to Golmud and then change there to the bus for Lhasa. Most of the roads linking downtown Dunhuang with the scene spots are in good condition, smooth and broad with asphalt surface, except for the one leading to Yumen Pass which is still a gravel road. Dunhuang Long-distance Bus Station is located in Mingshan Lu, opposite the Feitian Hotel, offering transfers to Lanzhou, Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill and Yueya (Crescent-Moon) Pool, Nanhu (Yangguan Pass), and Jiayu Pass everyday. The journey time from Dunhuang to Jiayu Pass is 7-8 hours by bus. It is 524 km from Dunhuang to Golmud in Qinghai province, 383 km to Jiayu Pass, 1,056 km to Urumqi and 1,031 km to Lanzhou.
</text>
<text>
There are mini-buses operating along fixed routes in the downtown area. More than 320 taxis provide service 24 hours a day. Over 300 rickshaws also offer tourists a great convenience for traveling. There are four bicycle rental centers in Mingshan Lu in the downtown area. To charter a luxury tourist bus, contact the local travel agents or the front desks of local star-rated hotels; to charter an ordinary one, please contact the road passenger transport companies.
</text>
</survey_word>
<survey_word>
<title>
{1_28_22}Accommodation of Dunhuang
</title>
<text>
Dunhuang is the city leading Qinghai Province in the tourism industry. As a renowned tourism destination attracting large amount of tourists every year, the city has established complete tourist facilities. More than 100 hotels of various classes, including star-rated hotels, and designated tourist hotels provide safe, clean and comfortable accommodations for tourists. And it usually costs not more than 50 Yuan per night.
</text>
</survey_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_32">
<title>
{2_28_32}Dunhuang Museum
</title>
<text>
Dunhuang Museum was founded in October 1979, growing out of the offices for the Archaeology Group of Culture Center of Dunhuang County. Covering an area of 2,400 square meters, the museum preserves some 4,000 pieces of cultural relics. All of the exhibits in the museum are displayed in three sections.
</text>
<text>
In the first section, the Buddhist sutras and ancient documents discovered in the Library Cave (Cave No. 17) of the Mogao Grottoes are shown.
</text>
<text>
In the second section, a selection of relics excavated from the ancient tombs built in the Han Dynasty (206 BC ΓÇô 220 AD), Three Kingdoms (220 - 280), Jin Dynasty (265 - 420), Sui Dynasty (581 - 618) and Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) are displayed. This section includes steles, stone pagodas, pottery boxes, pottery tripods, stone beast figures (for setting in a tomb and being believed to drive the monster or evil away), lotus-carved bricks and Chinese unicorn-carved bricks. The Chinese unicorn-carved brick, the rarest relic among them, is a special kind of brick carved in high relief. The Chinese unicorn, a mythical animal in Chinese legends, was carved on the brick so vividly that it seems to gallop and fly.
</text>
<text>
The third section of the display includes various kinds of silk products, illustrating the flourishing culture of the Silk Road. Additionally, bamboo slips (for writing) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC ΓÇô 220 AD), and tools and weapons made of iron and bronze are also displayed.
</text>
<text>
The museum also includes two exhibition rooms for displaying some 2,000 pieces of cultural relics excavated from local areas. The items on display may date back from the primitive society to the end of Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911), including pottery vessels, written sutras, coins, stone mills, tiles, bronze ware, silk production, and pearls and jade. The Han Dynasty Great Wall Exhibition, mainly introducing the ruins of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206 BC ΓÇô 220 AD) in Dunhuang,features the bamboo slips (for writing) of the Han Dynasty, hemp fiber paper, barley, millet, torches used in the beacon towers, as well as a model of the Great Wall built in the Han Dynasty. There's also an exhibition room featuring the paintings and calligraphy works of celebrities and well-known artists through the ages. The star exhibits include the renowned Conserved Scriptures of Dunhuang discovered in the Library Cave of the Mogao Grottoes, rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, and precious scriptures of geography, climate and military history in ancient times.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_32a">
Dunhuang Museum, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Being located in Yangguan Donglu of downtown Dunhuang, the museum is very easy and convenient to reach, either by bus, taxi, or on foot. The price of the ticket is 20 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_33">
<title>
{2_28_33}Research and Exhibition Center for the Preservation of Cultural Relics from Dunhuang Grottoes
</title>
<text>
The center is located on the east bank of the Daquanhe River, among a range of little hills and opposite the Mogao Grottoes across the river. Its main building, a 2-floor flat-roofed building, is hidden from view by the hills, and only the upper windows and broad eaves are visible from afar. The whole construction blends in well with the geographical environment of the Mogao Grottoes. The main building of the center functions as the exhibition hall. In the first floor is the exhibition room No. 1, featuring full reproductions of 8 State Special-Class caves with the murals and sculptures in them. These 8 caves, the representatives and quintessence of Dunhuang art, include 7 of the Mogao Grottoes, they are the Cave No. 275 of Northern Wei (386 - 534), Cave No. 249 and 285 of Western Wei (535 - 556), Cave No. 419 of Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), Cave No. 220 of Early Tang Dynasty (618 - 712), Cave No. 217 of Prime Tang Dynasty (712 - 762) and Cave No. 25 of Middle Tang Dynasty (762 - 827); and 1 Cave of the Yulin Grottoes, Cave No. 3 of Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368).
</text>
<image filename="2_28_33a">
Research and Exhibition Center for the Preservation of Cultural Relics from Dunhuang Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_33b">
Research and Exhibition Center for the Preservation of Cultural Relics from Dunhuang Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The price of the ticket is 30 Yuan. The mini-buses from downtown Dunhuang to the Mogao Grottoes are also the buses to this center.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_34">
<title>
{2_28_34}Mogao Grottoes
</title>
<text>
The Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand-Buddha Cave, lies 25 km southeast of Dunhuang city. These grottoes are carved out of the east cliffs of the Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill in the west bank of the Daquanhe River. It is one of the three most famous treasure houses of grotto art in China. In December 1987, the UNESCO had it listed as one of the world's heritages.
</text>
<text>
Mogao Grottoes held more than 1,000 caves in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Today only 492 caves on five levels survive, among which there are 32 caves of the Wei Dynasty (220 -265), 110 of the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), 247 of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), 36 of the Five Dynasties (907 - 960), 45 of the Song Dynasty (960-1297) and 8 of the Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368). In the caves, there are murals covering an area of more than 45,000 square meters and 2,415 pieces of painted clay sculptures. In the No. 17 cave were discovered a total of some 56,000 pieces of valuable cultural relics dating from the 4th century to 14th century, marking the beginning of special studies concerning Dunhuang.
</text>
<text>
The cave art of China originated from India, of which the traditional cave statues are carved out of rock. Because Mogao Grottoes' material is not so suitable for rock carving, most of the statues in the Mogao Grottoes are of clay and murals. In most of the caves, there are round carvings fully separated from the wall space located in the front, then the high-relief pieces extruding from the wall space, molding statues pasted on the wall and wall carvings, with the murals serving as the background. The art of the Mogao Grottoes features the artful combination of the architectural designs, sculptures and murals. Seen from the form of its inner structure, the caves can be classified as a Chan Cave (oblong cave for za-zen ), Diantang Cave (square or oblong cave for worshiping the Buddha), Tamiao Cave(central pillar cave), Qionglongding Cave (the cave with arched roof), or Ying Cave (for commemorating monk of great repute). And the painted sculptures include the round pieces, high-relief pieces, and molded statues pasted on the wall. Classified by the content, the murals include Buddhist figure paintings, Buddhist sutras story paintings, mundane story paintings, paintings of the life story of the Buddha, architectural paintings, landscape paintings, paintings of the sponsors of the cave and their families, animal paintings and decoration paintings. All works in the Mogao Grottoes richly show the cultural interchanges between the east and the west and depict various aspects of the social life of a long period, including the Sixteen Kingdoms (304 - 439), Northern Wei (386 - 534), Western Wei (535 - 556), Northern Zhou (557 - 581), Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Five Dynasties (907 - 960), Song Dynasty (960 - 1297), Xixia (1038 - 1227) and Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368), and hence are rare cultural treasure of mankind.
</text>
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Mogao Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_34b">
Mogao Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
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Mogao Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
<map filename="2_28_34">Guide to Mogao Grottoes in Gansu</map>
<tip>
Besides the mini-buses from downtown Dunhuang to the Mogao Grottoes, taxies are available as well.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_35">
<title>
{2_28_35}Mingshashan Hill and Yueya Pool
</title>
<text>
The Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill, known in ancient times as Shajiaoshan Hill, is also called Shenshashan Hill. It is located between the Danghe Canyon and the Mogao Grottoes, stretching a distance of 40 km from west to east, and more than 20 km from south to north. The highest peak rises 1,715 m in the southwest of the rear hill. The main peak of the front hill is 1,240 m. The Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill has a gravel layer as its bottom, on which the grains of fine sands pile to form the hill. People sliding down from the top are accompanied by a roaring sound of the moving sands, that's why it got the name "Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill". The grains of sands here are of five different colors, red, yellow, green, black and white, hence the name "five-color sand".
</text>
<text>
At the north foot of the Mingshashan (Singing Dune) Hill, in the cincture of the five-color sands, is a crescent moon-shaped pool ΓÇô the Yueya (Crescent-Moon) pool. Water in the pool is never dried up or buried by the sands. The pool is home to so-called three local treasures, the "iron back fish", "the seven-star grass", as well as the "five-color sand".
</text>
<image filename="2_28_35a">
Mingshashan Hill and Yueya Pool, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_35b">
Mingshashan Hill and Yueya Pool, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_35c">
Mingshashan Hill and Yueya Pool, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The price of the ticket is 80 Yuan. A charter bus to the Mogao Grottoes usually provides free transfer to the Mingshashan (Singing Sand) Hill and Yueya (Crescent-Moon) Pool.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_36">
<title>
{2_28_36}The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave
</title>
<text>
The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave was set into a cliff on the bank of the Danghe River, 35 km southwest of Dunhuang City. It got the present name because the location lies to the west of the Mogao Grottoes. The structure, colorful sculptures and the artistic style of the murals in the grottoes are similar with those of the Mogao Grottoes. Therefore, it is considered as a component of Dunhuang Buddhist art. There is speculation that these grottoes may have emerged earlier than the Mogao Grottoes did, or at least occurred in the same historical period.
</text>
<text>
The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave has 16 existing stone grottoes and 22 niches. Of these, the Nos.1-3 Caves of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Nos.4-8 of the Wei period (220-265) and the No. 16 of the post-Tang period are still in good condition. Most of the rest have collapsed and the murals in them have been eroded, which lead to that the exact ages are not known. Some experts said they were built in the periods between the Northern Wei (386-534) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As for the nine well-preserved ones, most of them have seats in the center, which is surrounded by niches with Buddha sculptures inside. In addition, the murals on the walls show the Buddha images, Buddhas who sit to lecture and Nirvana of Sakyamuni. Under the Buddha statue on the central seat and those along the cave walls are painted with the pictures of the Four Deva Kings. A Northern Wei (386-534) grotto contains murals telling stories about Buddhas, which can fill the blank in the Mogao Grottoes, because no such mural stories have been found in the Northern-Wei cave in the Mogao Grottoes. In the rest of caves of the Western Thousand-Buddha Cave, few pieces of murals relate such stories.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_36a">
The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_36b">
The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Take a taxi from the downtown area of Dunhuang to get there. The opening time is from 8:00 to 17:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_37">
<title>
{2_28_37}White Horse Dagoba
</title>
<text>
The White Horse Dagoba (or the Baimata Dagoba in Chinese) stands in Hongxing Village of Danghe Township, south of the ancient city of Dunhuang. It was initially constructed in 386. Legend has it that the dagoba was built in memory of a white horse. It is said that during the period of Northern Liang (397-439), Kumarajiva, a master specializing in Buddhist dharma, carried Buddhist doctrine into China from the West Region. When he reached the present Dunhuang City, his white horse, which went through thick and thin together with him, got sick and died. In memory of his loyal horse, Kumarajiva had this dagoba built.
</text>
<text>
The White Horse Dagoba has nine stories and is 12 meters in height, with a diameter of about seven meters. The existing dagoba is of the lama dagoba style during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). According to records, in 1930, a 0.9-meter-high statue pagoda made of black stone was excavated here, on which was engraved
<italic>
Vajracchedika Sutra
</italic>
(a kind of Buddhist sutra). However it was soon lost.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_37a">
White Horse Dagoba, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
Take a taxi or hire a bicycle to the Baimata Dagoba, because it is merely 12 km from the downtown area of Dunhuang City. The opening time is from 8:00 to 18:00.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_38">
<title>
{2_28_38}Yumenguan Pass
</title>
<text>
Yumenguan Pass lies in the Gobi Desert, 80 km northwest of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. Legend has it that the pass gained its present name because Hetian jade (a precious jade) was transported to the Central Plain via this place. Moreover, Yumenguan Pass also was an important position on the northern route of the ancient Silk Road. The existing Yumenguan Pass is a rectangular castle still in good condition. Built with rammed earth, the pass is 24 meters long from east to west, 26.4 meters wide from north to south and 9.7 meters high. Covering a total area of 663 square meters, it has two gates with one in the west wall and the other in the north wall. In the north of the pass, a carriageway served as a passageway or a post road for the exchanges between the Central Plain and the West Region in ancient times.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_38a">
Yumenguan Pass, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_38b">
Yumenguan Pass, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
From Dunhuang to Yumenguan Pass, only the way traversed by the vehicles in the Gobi Desert is available. When the tourists charter a land-rover to get there, a local guide is a must. Otherwise, tourists may lose their way.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_39">
<title>
{2_28_39}Ruins of Yangguan Pass
</title>
<text>
The Ruins of Yangguan Pass is located in the Nanhu County, 70 km southwest of the Dunhuang city. It was built on the desert and is called by the locals the Gudongtan Beach (Curio Beach). Early in the Western Han period (206 BCΓÇô25 AD), in order to resist the Huns and manage the Hexi area, an area situated in the northwest frontier of Han China, the emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) established Yangguan Pass and Yumenguan Pass as well as other four counties. As a gateway in the west frontier and an important pass in the south route of the Silk Road, the Yangguan Pass was of great significance in ancient times. And because its location is on the south ΓÇô the sunny side - of the Yumenguan Pass, it got the name Yangguan Pass (Sunny Pass).
</text>
<text>
In 1972, the Relics Survey Team of Jiuquan discovered a great amount of relics of bases of the walls built by stamping earth between board frames. The results of trial excavations and measurements showed that these bases of walls encompassed an area of some 10,000 square m, with rows of houses neatly built in them. Wide and sound bases of walls for the forts were discovered as well. Based on these facts, people concluded that it is where the Yangguan Pass used to be located. In old days, the Yangguan Pass was connected with the Yumenguan Pass by a section of the Great Wall in the north. Beacon towers were built along this section of the Great Wall at intervals of several km. There are more than ten beacon towers near the Yangguan Pass, of which the largest one is crowned as the "Eye" and "Ear" for Yangguan Pass. It stands at the top of the Dundunshan Hill on the north of the Gudongtan Beach (Curio Beach), and is well preserved.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_39a">
Ruins of Yangguan Pass, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_39b">
Ruins of Yangguan Pass, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
From Dunhuang to Yangguan Pass: It's better to rent a car to Nanhu Village, and then take a tricycle or horse ride to Yangguan Pass.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_40">
<title>
{2_28_40}Yardang National Geological Park
</title>
<text>
The word "Yardang" itself is of Uighur language, meaning "steep earth mound". In geology, Yardang means a wind-erosion landform in a dry area. The Yardang National Geological Park is a typical Yardang landform. It is located 75 km west from the Yumenguan Pass and called by the locals the "Town of Demons". The park extends 25 km from east to west and 4 ΓÇô 5 km from south to north. The Yardang ridges with various bizarre shapes occur on a massive scale in this extensive field. The height of the ridges ranges from 4 to 30 meters, and the width, 10 to several hundred m. The park is just like a medieval town, together with the walls, streets, houses, squares, churches and sculptures vividly formed by the Yardang ridges to form spectacular views.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_40a">
Yardang National Geological Park, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_40b">
Yardang National Geological Park, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
From Dunhuang City to the Yardang National Geological Park: It's a journey of a little less than 300 km and cars are available for renting. The road conditions are good because few vehicles run on it.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_41">
<title>
{2_28_41}Great Wall of Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD)
</title>
<text>
In north Dunhuang lays a main section of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) as well as three branch walls, including the sections from the Yumenguan Pass to Yangguan Pass, from Yangguan Pass to Danghekou, and from Mamitu to Wanyaodun. Parts of the walls have been razed to the ground while most of them survived 2000 years of wind, rainfall and drifting sand. The wall near Danggusui to the west of the Yumen Pass is well preserved. Being 3-meter-high and with 1-m-wide top and 3-meter-wide base, this part of the Great Wall ruins is the best preserved section of the Han Great Wall in China. Near the beacon tower lies 15 piles of firewood supposed to be used for signal fires, of which the largest one is 2 meters long and more than 1.3 meters high. After all these years, this firewood has become as hard as fossils. The Great Wall left behind from the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) has been mostly well preserved to this day, from which was discovered more than 1,200 pieces of valuable bamboo slips (for writing) of the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD).
</text>
<image filename="2_28_41a">
Great Wall of Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD), Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_41b">
Great Wall of Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD), Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The site is located 5,000 meters north of the Yumen Pass. The price of the ticket is 25 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_42">
<title>
{2_28_42}Hecangcheng Town
</title>
<text>
The Hecangcheng Town,also named the Dafangpancheng Town,is situated 60 km northwest of Dunhuang City, and 13 km northeast of the Yumenguan Pass. It functioned as a military warehouse at the western defense line during a period from Han Dynasty to the Wei-Jin Period (206 BCΓÇô420 AD). Built on a naturally formed stage rising 2 meters high by the Shulehe River, the rectangular warehouse is 132 meters long from east to west and 17 m wide from south to north, and the highest remaining wall is 6.7 meters in height. Inside the warehouse, 2 earth walls divided the space into three 42.5-meters-long and 14.7-m-wide storehouses. All the walls have been badly ruined except the north wall, in which are cut 7 little triangular holes, three in the upper part and four in the lower part. Around the whole building built were another two tiers of walls, which have mostly collapsed. To the south of the Hecangcheng Town, there is a 9-meters-high beacon tower lying in the Gobi desert. It was made of adobes and is well preserved.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_42a">
Hecangcheng Town, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_42b">
Hecangcheng Town, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The price of the ticket is 30 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_43">
<title>
{2_28_43}Desert Forest Park
</title>
<text>
The Desert Forest Park is located near the Nanhu Forest Farm, 80 km southwest of Dunhuang City and 10 km from the Yangguan Pass. A series of attractions built after 1993 including the Grape Corridor, vineyards, Sand Plant Park, and the Nanhu Holiday Villa combine with the Nanhu Forest Farm to create an excellent view. The composition extends an area of 16.65 square km in total and has become an important spot in the tourist route from Dunhuang to Yangguan Pass.
</text>
<text>
There is an oasis in the Nanhu Township which is covered with trees and orchards. Nowadays, Nanhu Township grows grapes coveted throughout the country. A 5,000-meters-long Grape Corridor fitted with stone stools and tables has been built in Nanhu Village, along which the tourists could enjoy the scenes and the delicious grapes. On both sides of the way from the Nanhu Forest Farm to Shaqiu, there are two vineyards covering an area of 6.67 hectares in total. Each one has a pavilion in it. The Sand Plant Park is on the north rim of Shaqiu, covering 33.33 hectares and also with a pavilion. The grapes in Nanhu ripen in August and September, which is the best season for coming to the Desert Forest Park to taste the luscious grapes and spend a few days in the Nanhu Holiday Villa to enjoy the rural scenery of the desert oasis.
</text>
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Desert Forest Park, Gansu
</image>
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Desert Forest Park, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The price of the ticket is 20 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_44">
<title>
{2_28_44}Suoyangcheng Town
</title>
<text>
The Suoyangcheng Town was originally named the Kuyucheng Town. Because the town teems with luscious Suoyang herb (Songaria Cynomorium Herb), it was also given the name Suoyangcheng Town. Lying 70 km southeast of the Anxi County, the town was first built in the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) as the administrative seat of the Ming'an Township of Dunhuang County. Through many renovations in following dynasties, it finally reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Suoyangcheng Town served as an important herb center in the Silk Road.
</text>
<text>
The town is of the largest scale and the best preserved among the ancient towns in southwest China. The remaining part of the town was built in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). Built with the rammed-earth, the whole town includes the north town and the south town. The north town is 700 m long from east to west and 200 m wide form south to north. And the south one is 430 m and 470 m in length and width respectively. Moreover, the south town was divided by a wall extending from south to north into an east town and a west town. The east town covering an area of 17,000 square m functioned as the residential area for the garrison generals and their family members, while the west town of 165,000 square m served as the barracks.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_44a">
Suoyangcheng Town, Gansu
</image>
<image filename="2_28_44b">
Suoyangcheng Town, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
The Suoyang herb (Songaria Cynomorium Herb), a kind of plant shaped like a little carrot, is one of the Chinese traditional medicines used for reinforcing the kidney yang, replenishing vital essence and blood, and relaxing bowels.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_45">
<title>
{2_28_45}Yulin Grottoes
</title>
<text>
The Yulin Grottoes, also called the Ten-Thousand Buddha Valley,were chiseled in the cliffs on both sides of the Yulinhe River, 75 km southwest of the Anxi County. There are now 42 caves in existence, 31 on the east bank and 11 on the west bank. These caves left behind from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Five Dynasties (907-960), Song Dynasty (960-1297), Xixia (1038-1227) and Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) contain 4,200 square m of murals and 259 painted sculptures. Suffering incalculable damage from natural and human factors, only a few originals of the painted sculptures in Yulin Grottoes survive today, while most sculptures have been repaired or rebuilt during different dynasties. Caves No. 25, No. 3 and No. 29 are the representatives of the Yulin Grottoes. Murals in Yulin Grottoes are also extremely delicate. The illustrations to the Western Pure Land and the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, vividly depicting the scene of Heaven, including the towers, terraces and pavilions, demonstrate the outstanding artistic level of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Compared with the murals of Xixia (1038-1227) in the Mogao Grottoes, the murals of the same period preserved in Yulin Grottoes are much more exquisite and may be rated as the representatives of the cave murals of Dunhuang.
</text>
<image filename="2_28_45a">
Yulin Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
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Yulin Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
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Yulin Grottoes, Gansu
</image>
<tip>
From Dunhuang City to the Yulin Grottoes: It's a more than 170 km journey. For renting a car, please contact local travel agents; tourists can also take bus to the Anxi County and then change there to a taxi for the Yulin Grottoes. The price of the ticket is 40 Yuan.
</tip>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_46">
<title>
{2_28_46}Anxi County Museum
</title>
<text>
The Anxi County Museum, which was founded in 1988, lies opposite of the office building of the county government. The 3,650 pieces of relics preserved in the museum include a great amount of painted pottery, stone implements, bone articles and bronze ware of the Neolithic Period, showing the fruits of many relic surveys and collections since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In cultural type and cultural character, these relics reflect how the prehistoric man lived in the Hexi area in the prehistoric period. The items on display in the museum also include some valued relics of the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) such as the bamboo slips (for writing) of the Han Dynasty (206 BCΓÇô220 AD) ,sealing clay, ironware and bronze ware. The museum also preserves rare items left behind from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), including pottery vessels, porcelain, jade articles, gold and silver ware, bronze ware, ironware and coins. The most uniquely items in the museum are the Ivory Buddha Statue, silk painting of Five Dynasties (907-960), Cloud and Water Grained Porcelain Vessel with Four Handles,scrolls of Buddhist sutras, and the Renpigu Drum (a drum formed with two human skulls and covered with human skin).
</text>
</tour_word>
<tour_word bg_image_filename="2_28_47">
<title>
{2_28_47}Toumingmengke Glacier
</title>
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The Daxueshan Mountain, a mountain belonging to the Qilianshan Range, lies in the Subei Mongolian Autonomous County of Gansu Province. It has the Changma Basin on the north, Shelehe Valley on the east, Yemahe Valley on the south, and Gongchadaban Mountain Pass on the west. With an average altitude of 4,000 meters and the highest peak rising 5,555 meters, Daxueshan Mountain is the highest mountain along the northern end of the Qianlianshan Range. The northwest air flow passes the Daxueshan Mountain and brings plentiful rainfall, contributing to create 203 glaciers covering 159.4 square km on the mountain. In the north of the Daxueshan Mountain lie 44 glaciers, extending 54.3 square km in the Laohugou Valley (Tiger Valley). The glacier No. 12, stretching 10.1 km and covering an area of 21.9 square km, is the largest valley glacier of the Qilianshan area.
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This glacier No. 12, also named as the Toumingmengka Glacier, was discovered in 1959. Its name "toumingmengke" is a word from the Mongolian language, meaning "lofty snow mountain". The Toumingmengke Glacier belongs to the polar continental valley glaciers. The altitude at the front end of the glacier is 4,260 m, and its highest altitude is 5,483 meters. The glacier is relatively flat with the ice-covered surface slope of 3-6 degrees which is easy to enter and climb. With the steepest slope in the firn district being 26 degrees, this glacier is safe from any risk of avalanche. Stability, sustainability and safety are the most apparent characteristics of the Toumingmengke Glacier. The glacier is also of the largest scale among the polar continental valley glaciers which are being developed in northwest China.
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Toumingmengke Glacier, Gansu
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Toumingmengke Glacier, Gansu
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There are 4 regular buses available from Dunhuang to Dangchengwan, the county seat of the Subei Mongolian Autonomous County each day. The journey is 98 km long. From Dangchengwan to the Toumingmengke Glacier, tourists should rent a car, although it is not so easy to find a car available, due to the bad road conditions.
