As autumn winds sweep across the Loess Plateau and brush over the Gobi deserts, the land of northwest China blooms with a unique kind of poetry. The Buddhist grottoes of Dunhuang appear more solemn under the autumn sun, the city towers of Jiayuguan stand taller against the autumn breeze, and the Danxia landform of Zhangye is dyed with richer hues by the autumn light — these places that once shone brightly along the Silk Road are waiting, this autumn, to tell their thousand-year-old stories to those who listen.
Dunhuang (A Treasure of Chinese Culture)
Dunhuang stands as a pivotal node on the ancient Silk Road. Here, the landscape unfolds in striking contrasts: vast deserts stretch to the horizon, boundless gobi plains lie under the sun, and Buddhist grottoes cling halfway up the mountains, their murals and statues holding echoes of centuries. There are also ancient roads that have borne the footprints of merchants and travelers for millennia, and populus euphratica trees—those resilient "heroes of the desert"—that have weathered thousands of years of wind and sand. In Dunhuang, one can soak in the poetic scenery at the edge of the desert, where the wind carries the whispers of the past, and also trace the thousand-year-old stories of cultural exchange that once thrived along the Silk Road.
Jiayuguan Pass (The No.1 Majestic Pass Under Heaven)
Climb up to the city tower, and a panoramic view unfolds before you. Beyond the pass, the gobi desert, with its overgrown weeds swaying in the cold wind, takes on an unexpected grandeur—rough and unyielding, yet strangely awe-inspiring. The horizontal board inscribed with "The No.1 Majestic Pass Under Heaven" hangs high, its characters bold and imposing, a testament to the pass's historic significance. In front lies the endless expanse of the gobi, while the towering vermilion city tower, with its layered eaves and solid walls, stands out vividly against the backdrop of the Qilian Mountains—their snow-capped peaks glistening like jade under the sky—making the entire scene all the more majestic and spectacular.
Zhangye Danxia Landform (The Most Beautiful Danxia Landform)
The colorful Danxia landform in Zhangye is a world-renowned marvel. Its seven-colored hues—blazing red, warm orange, soft yellow, and even hints of green and blue—blend and stretch across the land like a masterpiece painted by nature itself, outshining almost any similar Danxia landscape on the planet. A single glance here is enough to take in eons of geological history: this wonder developed in horizontal or gently inclined red strata that date back to the Early Jurassic to the Tertiary Period, each layer telling a story of time's slow passage. It is, without a doubt, one of the most dreamlike places on Earth.
The mountains and rivers stretch vast and far, while the morning and evening of human life slip by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, another autumn has arrived—with its crisp air, golden light, and the quiet call of distant places. There must be a autumn when we finally set off for the far-off land we've long cherished in our hearts, to step into the scenery we've only imagined, and let the wind of the journey brush away the dust of daily life.
Essential Preparations for a Trip to Dunhuang, Gansu in SeptemberWhat to Prepare for a Trip to Dunhuang in Autumn
