Passing Through the World - ALWAYS ON THE WAY
I finally made it to Dunhuang.
Turn on the music and let the journey begin.
Dunhuang — the heart's longing of humanity. Longing for the caves once veiled by sand and wind, the murals sculpted by time, and the echoes of civilization hidden deep within history.
Dunhuang was described in the Book of Later Han as 'the great meeting place of Chinese and foreign peoples.' It was the brightest pearl on the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road, where Zhang Qian ventured west.
Visiting Dunhuang in the off-season is truly wonderful. The crowds are gone, and you can freely wander among the Mogao Caves, Yulin Grottoes, and Western Thousand Buddha Caves, quietly facing the murals without crowding or rushing. Only the light slowly gliding across thousand-year-old brushstrokes. You can also feel the weight of history at Yangguan Pass and Yumen Pass, where 'going west, you'll find no old friends.'
This is truly the ideal of life.
Taking the Z259 train from Xining, we slept through the night and woke to a completely different landscape — endless Gobi desert. At 9:10 AM, we arrived on time at Dunhuang Station.
The station is small, the sunlight overwhelming, the air cold and dry. We hailed a taxi, the driver cheerfully took our luggage, and soon we arrived at our hotel. Though it was still two hours before check-in time, the gentle front desk clerk arranged early check-in without hesitation — so thoughtful.
After a brief rest and lunch, we headed straight to Leiyin Temple and Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake.
01 - Leiyin Temple
Leiyin Temple is just 1 kilometer from Mingsha Mountain Crescent Lake.
This isn't the fictional Leiyin Temple from Journey to the West, nor is it an ancient ruin. But if you meet the temple cat, you'll feel the visit was worthwhile.
Legend says the ancient Leiyin Temple was near Crescent Lake but was buried by sand. Rebuilt in 1989, its architectural structure is said to draw from the Tang Dynasty style depicted in the murals of Mogao Cave 172, giving it a sense of grandeur and serenity.
Leiyin Temple is exceptionally quiet. In the vast temple complex, there were only five or six worshippers.
As we walked to the deepest part of the temple, meowing came from behind some dry bushes — it was a cat! We meowed back, and after a few seconds of eye contact, it began to approach us little by little. Soon it was rolling around and acting cute with everyone. When we headed for the exit, it followed us all the way from the temple's depths.
Tickets: Free admission.
02 - Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake
Walking toward the scenic area entrance, many of the photo studios on both sides were closed in the off-season, with only a few open. I'd promised Thea a photo shoot, so we randomly picked one called 'Guanquan Tingsha' (Watching the Spring, Listening to the Sand). For 299 RMB including makeup and shooting, we asked for a non-influencer look. Soon, a beautiful flying-apsara maiden was born.
At 3 PM, we reached the foot of Mingsha Mountain. The graceful curves of the dunes made one marvel at nature's creativity. The light was perfect — sunlight on bare skin was feasible for photos. After the shoot, we rode camels. These camels, who 'started working' at age 6, walked fast as if eager to get off work — adorable.
Climbing the wooden stairs to the top of the dune, it looks short but everyone was panting heavily.
At the halfway point, I turned around. Crescent Lake lay cradled in the dunes' embrace — small, quiet, frozen over, like a moonstone. They say this spring has existed for thousands of years, never buried by drifting sand.
At the summit, the wind was strong and the view spectacular. Someone was walking the ridge to climb an even higher dune. Sitting atop, listening to the wind sweep across the sand — that faint sound was distant camel bells.
Tickets: If riding camels, buy a combo ticket — off-season adult 188 RMB, includes sand-proof shoe covers and shuttle bus. Child ticket 27.5 RMB. Important: if you buy the combo ticket, don't buy shoe covers from street vendors, and don't buy cheap sandboards — they're completely unusable.
03 - Mogao Caves
From the 16 Kingdoms period through the Yuan Dynasty, ten successive dynasties spent over 1,000 years excavating caves in Dunhuang, leaving behind 492 caves, 45,000+ square meters of murals, and 2,000+ painted sculptures. This is not just a site — it's a living history of Chinese art spanning a millennium.
I'd dreamed of visiting the Mogao Caves for years. I read Mr. Chang Shuhong's 'The Art of Dunhuang Mogao Caves,' Mr. Fan Jinshi's autobiography 'Deep in My Heart is Dunhuang,' and Mr. Zhao Shengliang's 'A Brief History of Dunhuang Cave Art,' hoping that when I stood inside the caves, I could appreciate this millennium of Chinese art.
Even in the off-season when tickets aren't tight, I still booked in advance. After all, this was the most important day of our Hexi Corridor journey.
In the morning, we took a taxi to the Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center (the only entrance for visiting the caves). After collecting tickets, we watched two digital films: 'Millennium Mogao' and 'Dream Buddha Palace.' Then we took the shuttle bus to the cave area. At the entrance, guides formed groups on the spot, distributed earphones, and led us through the caves.
Mogao Cave 285, Northern Wei (replica) — Ceiling celestial map, photographed at the Mogao Caves Conservation Research Exhibition Center.
Mogao Cave 217, High Tang (replica) — Caisson ceiling, photographed at the Exhibition Center.
Mogao Cave 217, High Tang (replica) — 'Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra Transformation,' photographed at the Exhibition Center.
Mogao Cave 3, Yuan Dynasty (replica) — 'Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara,' photographed at the Exhibition Center.
Don't worry about not having enough knowledge to appreciate the caves — the official guides' explanations are more than sufficient for regular tourists. Actually, the most important thing is simply to stand inside the cave, listen, look, and feel. Only in that moment can you understand what 'one glance at Dunhuang, a dream of a thousand years' truly means.
Don't be disappointed about not seeing the real Cave 285 — you can still understand its essence through the digital films and the replica caves at the Exhibition Center. When the cold light sweeps across the precious murals from the Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, Western Xia, and Yuan dynasties, beyond the wonder and amazement, one can't help but worry about the preservation of these millennium-old artworks.
Visit early — don't wait until caves are closed to regret it.
Tickets: Off-season adult 140 RMB (December 1 to March 31). Ages 6-18 and seniors 60-69: 95 RMB. Book in advance on the official 'Mogao Caves Reservation' mini-program.
04 - Encore Dunhuang Show
Next to the Digital Exhibition Center are two famous large-scale performances: 'Encore Dunhuang' and 'Music Moves Dunhuang.' After the caves closed, we found a small restaurant nearby for dinner, then went to the 7:30 PM performance of 'Encore Dunhuang.'
A very innovative format — two-thirds of the time, the audience moves with the changing scenes, only sitting down for the final twenty minutes. A truly unique experience.
The show has four acts plus an epilogue. Act 1 introduces characters; Act 2 depicts the 1907 transaction between Stein and Wang Yuanlu, with a cross-time dialogue where modern researchers question the Taoist priest. When Wang Yuanlu knelt before the bodhisattva, I was moved to tears and began to forgive him.
If you have a deep interest in Dunhuang's history, this performance may be transcendent.
Tickets: Off-season is cheaper. About 168 RMB for adults. Children under 1.4m enter free.
05 - Western Thousand Buddha Caves
This is the first stop on Dunhuang's western one-day tour.
Piercing wind, azure sky. This 'sister cave' of the Mogao Caves sits on the cliffs north of the Dang River. It has 22 caves with murals and sculptures, 34 painted sculptures, and over 800 square meters of murals, spanning from the Northern Wei to the Yuan Dynasty.
Tickets: Off-season adult 30 RMB, discount 15 RMB.
06 - Yangguan Pass Ruins
'Going west from Yangguan, you'll find no old friends.' A single poem by Wang Wei captures the unique essence of Yangguan.
Visiting Yangguan, you realize this poem isn't about parting — it's about the boundary of civilization. Founded during the Western Han Dynasty, Yangguan was named for being south of Yumen Pass. Together with Yumen Pass, they guarded the throat of the Silk Road like two iron locks.
Yangguan's significance runs far deeper than greeting and bidding farewell. It was primarily a military pass. Those beacon towers, spaced every five li, are now just rammed-earth ruins.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, anyone traveling west had to obtain a travel permit at Yangguan — essentially an ancient passport. I highly recommend buying a replica travel pass for children, so they can experience the ancient permit process. The fun part: with a pass in hand, the guards wave you through without further inspection!
Tickets: Off-season adult + shuttle 70 RMB, half-price 25 RMB.
07 - Yumen Pass
After lunch, we headed to Yumen Pass. The weather suddenly changed — the wind and sand were so fierce they seemed to tear you apart. The world turned yellow-brown, sand stinging our faces. In that moment, I finally understood 'the spring wind never crosses Yumen Pass.' This wasn't poetic license — it was reality.
Yumen Pass, commonly called Small Square Plate City, sits on the Gobi desert northwest of Dunhuang. Facing Yangguan to the southwest, they jointly guarded the Silk Road's throat.
Remnants of the Han Dynasty Great Wall are still visible, standing resilient in the Gobi after a thousand years of wind erosion. We took a shuttle bus to Hecang City (Large Square Plate City) — an important military supply warehouse for the Great Wall defense from the Han to Western Jin dynasties.
Standing outside Yumen Pass today, the Gobi stretches endlessly, the ancient Shule River long dried up. This wind and sand are this land's daily life. The Han built walls, the Tang set passes, and generation after generation of soldiers guarded this gate. A thousand years later, the wind and sand persist. Standing where they once stood, touched by the same wind, I finally understood this pass.
Tickets: Off-season adult 20 RMB + shuttle 50 RMB, half-price 10 RMB.
08 - Yadan Geological Park
Leaving Yumen Pass, we continued west. The vehicle bumped along the Gobi highway for nearly 100 kilometers. The wind grew even fiercer, showing us the true power of the great Northwest.
Yadan National Geological Park has the world's largest and most mature Yadan landform formations. We rode the shuttle bus through formations of various shapes. The northern section's Yadan formations are majestic, lined up in the same direction like a 'West Sea Fleet' ready for battle.
But Yadan's most captivating moment is precisely when the wind rises — as if the wind itself has taken shape.
We waited in the wind for a sunset, and the sun finally disappeared behind the Yadan formations like an egg yolk, revealing an incomparable vast desolation.
Back in the car, our driver had prepared hot milk tea and bread for us — so touching. Returning to Dunhuang city, 158 kilometers of road, the night growing darker, the Gobi an endless darkness. The driver suddenly pulled over, got out, and looked up — stars filled the sky, as if you could reach out and grab a handful. That was the most spectacular starry sky I've ever seen.
Tickets: Winter-spring full price 95 RMB, half-price 82 RMB. Special experiences: shuttle bus and desert dune buggy require separate purchase.
09 - Han-Tang Ancient Road
On Dunhuang's eastern one-day tour, the first stop is the Han-Tang Ancient Road — the soul of the eastern route besides the Yulin Grottoes. The road winds through black Gobi and low mountain canyons, with not a blade of grass on either side. About an hour's drive brings you to the Yulin Grottoes.
Not a scenic area. No tickets required.
10 - Yulin Grottoes
When visiting Dunhuang's caves, besides the Mogao Caves, you must see the Yulin Grottoes — especially Cave 25, hailed as 'the crown of Dunhuang cave art.' Located in a canyon south of Guazhou County, the Yulin River flows through, and caves are carved into the cliffs along both banks, surrounded by elm forests.
The existing caves date from the Tang through the Yuan Dynasty. Their style, content, and characteristics are essentially the same as the Mogao Caves, belonging to the same Dunhuang art system — often called the Mogao Caves' 'sister caves.'
To some extent, the exquisite murals of the Yulin Grottoes complement the Mogao Caves' art. Cave 25 from the Middle Tang is particularly significant — a masterpiece of Tang Dynasty mural art. Its north wall 'Maitreya Sutra Transformation' and south wall 'Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra Transformation' showcase the line-drawing technique inherited from Wu Daozi's school.
The Yulin Grottoes has 4 special caves: 2, 3, 4, and 25. The first special cave tour starts at 11 AM. The female guide we encountered was excellent — visiting the special caves is absolutely worth it.
Tickets: Off-season adult 40 RMB (includes 5 caves), discount 20 RMB. Transportation: Self-drive or chartered car, off-season cost about 350-400 RMB.
11 - Mud Panel Painting Workshop
As an art lover, how could I visit Dunhuang without trying mud panel painting?
I found a shop on Dianping, and on our last evening in Dunhuang, Thea and I went to paint murals. First, choose a design — Thea chose the Nine-Colored Deer, I chose Manjushri Bodhisattva. The staff printed the pattern, we fixed it with carbon paper on the mud panel, and traced the lines firmly. Though tracing seems simple, it requires concentration and steady hands.
After more than 4 hours, both works were finally complete — extremely satisfying. This was the best Dunhuang gift I could give myself.
Cost: 140-198 RMB.
Practical Travel Information
Transportation: Chartered car services are very mature, with reasonable prices for eastern and western routes. For nearby attractions like Mingsha Mountain, Mogao Caves, and Western Jin Tombs, ride-hailing is convenient.
Itinerary: Dunhuang deserves at least 4 days. The 7-day Qinghai-Gansu grand loop is not recommended — it doesn't allow enough time to appreciate each destination's essence.
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Dunhuang, visit Leiyin Temple, Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake, photo shoot.
Day 2: Mogao Caves — 10 regular caves + 3 special caves (about 6 hours), watch 'Encore Dunhuang' performance in the evening.
Day 3: Western route — Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Yangguan Pass, Yumen Pass, Yadan Geological Park, sunset, stargazing.
Day 4: Eastern route — Han-Tang Ancient Road, Yulin Grottoes (10 regular + 2 special caves, 2-3 hours), return via 'Son of the Earth' and 'Emperor Wu of Han' sculptures, evening at Dunhuang Night Market, mud panel painting workshop.
Day 5: Continue mud panel painting, afternoon departure to Jiayuguan by high-speed rail.
