1-Day Dunhuang Discovery: Grottoes & Sand Dunes

Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake are located in the south of Dunhuang city. The sand hills and springs coexist here. It has always been famous for its "desert wonders" and is one of Dunhuang's business cards. Here you can climb Mingsha Mountain and overlook Crescent Lake, and you can also enjoy the sunset in the desert from the top of the mountain and feel the desolation and vastness of the northwest desert.

Although water and fire cannot coexist, Crescent Lake is located safely in this sand hill. Crescent Lake is located at the foot of Mingsha Mountain, surrounded by sand dunes. Due to the terrain, when the wind blows, the sand does not flow down the mountain, but flows up the mountain. Therefore, Crescent Lake is never buried by sand and is known as the "Eye of the Desert".

Mingsha Mountain is made of quicksand. From a distance, the sand dunes are undulating and spectacular. It is recommended to visit the Attraction in the afternoon, so that you can avoid the heat in the desert at noon, and climb to the top of the mountain to look at the distant sand sea and Crescent Lake at the foot of the mountain and watch the beautiful sunset.

The Attraction currently offers a variety of recreational activities, such as camel riding, sand sliding, grass sliding, desert motorcycles, archery, helicopter tours, etc. Among them, camel riding and sand sliding are more popular among tourists and are worth experiencing.

After entering the Attraction, tourists can directly climb up Mingsha Mountain, enjoy the scenery, and then choose to slide down the mountain. When you slide down from the top of the mountain, you will hear a "dong dong dong" sound, like the sound of gongs and drums, which is frightening and exciting, and Mingsha Mountain got its name from this.

The Mogao Caves, also called Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, is located in the southeast of Dunhuang city. The Mogao Caves scenic area consists of the Mogao Caves Digital Center and the Mogao Caves. The Mogao Caves Digital Center shows short films about the caves. After thousands of years of carving, the caves have a large number of murals, cultural relics, and etc. It's a world-famous Buddhist art destination. The artistic characteristics of the caves are mainly reflected in the ingenious combination of architecture, statues and Dunhuang murals, and the artistic styles of many dynasties are vividly and harmoniously presented.

Yang Guan is located 70 km southwest of Dunhuang city in Gansu Province. This 4A-level attraction combines historical relics from the Han and Tang dynasties, desert landscapes, eco-agricultural tourism, and the scenic views of Yang Guan.

Yang Guan, named for its location south of Yumen Pass, was originally built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. As a crucial pass on the southern route of the Silk Road, it served as a vital gateway between China and the West. Yang Guan gained widespread fame, immortalized by Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei's poignant verse: "I urge you to drink one more cup of wine; West of Yang Guan you'll meet no more old friends." This timeless line has made Yang Guan a place of deep fascination. Today, Yang Guan stands as an integral part of Silk Road culture and one of China's most representative Great Wall heritage sites.

The scenic area is rich in historical relics and cultural significance, featuring sites such as the Yangguan Ruins (located at Gudongtan), the Yangguan Beacon Tower (Dundunshan Beacon Tower) ruins, remnants of the Southern Silk Road, the Tang Shouchang City (Han Longle County) ruins, the Han Wowa Pool relics, ancient fortress walls, tombs, and kiln sites. These collectively showcase the cultural essence of the Silk Road, the military heritage of the frontier passes and the Great Wall, and the ethnic traditions of the border regions.

The Yang Guan attraction, built within the scenic area, serves as its cultural and historical centerpiece. Designed as a Han Dynasty-style fortress complex, it features the Two Passes Han Frontier Museum, Silk Road Exhibition Hall, Ancient Dunhuang Military Culture Gallery, Han-style ceremonial gate, replica Han military barracks, Commandant's Residence, reconstructed Yang Guan pass city, ancient Yang Guan street, and study tour experience center. The architecture showcases a majestic yet unpretentious aesthetic with its robust and simple Han Dynasty design.

Yang Guan houses a rich collection of cultural relics with a distinctive exhibition style. The museum artifacts, along with the surrounding field relics and historical sites, provide tangible evidence for studying Dunhuang culture, ancient military culture, and the multicultural heritage of the frontier regions along the Silk Road. These artifacts hold significant historical, scientific, and cultural-artistic value.

After over two decades of dedicated efforts, Yang Guan has become a cultural brand and tourist destination with considerable recognition and influence. Yang Guan has been designated as a National Second-Class Museum, a Gansu Provincial Cultural Industry Demonstration Base, one of the first Historical Reappearance Project Demonstration Museums, a National Study Travel Base (Camp), a China Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Destination, a Chinese Poetry Research and Creation Base, a Yang Guan Teaching and Research Base of the China Great Wall Institute, a Jiuquan City Primary and Secondary School Study Travel Demonstration Base, a Jiuquan City Patriotic Education and National Defense Education Base, a Dunhuang City Primary and Secondary School Off-Campus Labor Education Practice Base, and a Yang Guan Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance Base.

Yang Guan offers paid guide services, unique transportation options (horse riding, camel riding, donkey cart rides), costume rentals, and special activities like border pass ceremonies. Visitors can also participate in various educational programs such as archery at the training ground, beacon fire signaling, frontier poetry, and Great Wall construction. Step back in time and immerse yourself in Yang Guan's profound historical culture, magnificent natural scenery, and authentic local customs.

Yang Guan Package Description

Yang Guan is a national study travel base dedicated to inheriting and promoting China's excellent traditional culture. It offers numerous study courses and activities, allowing visitors to rediscover brilliant culture and inherit national wisdom through listening, observing, participating, experiencing, and feeling. The base provides over 20 study courses and activities, including Yang Guan's Farewell Beacon Relay, Great Wall Construction, Archery Range, Painted Pottery Making, Rubbing Production, Wooden Slip Crafting, Mural Copying, Ocarina Playing, and Poetry Recitation. To facilitate visitors' choices, we have combined different packages. Please purchase your preferred package at the ticket office according to your needs. After purchase, enter the attraction and redeem different study contents at the corresponding package redemption locations. Contact: 0937-8833089.

$48 package: Choose any 2 research projects (options: rubbing making, 20 arrows at the archery range, fire making by friction)

$78 package: Pottery experience (wheel throwing) + 1 educational activity (options: rubbing making, fire making by drilling wood, pottery drilling, or 20 arrows at the archery range)

$108 package: Access pass + mural outline tracing + 1 research project (options: rubbing making, fire making by drilling wood, pottery drilling, or 20 arrows at the archery range)

$128 package: Access pass + mural outline tracing + 2 research projects (options: rubbing making, fire making by drilling wood, pottery drilling, or 20 arrows at the archery range)

Yang Guan costume experience: Traditional costume rental for $58

Premium sightseeing tour: 1 border pass for ¥30 + 1 set of ancient costume rental + 20 arrows for archery, priced at ¥100

Premium experience tour: $30 border pass + choice of horse or camel riding + beacon signal relay + 1 rubbing artwork, priced at $160

In-depth ancient costume experience: 1 pass for ¥30 + choice between horse or camel ride + 1 set of ancient costume rental + 10 arrows for archery, priced at ¥168

Premium souvenir tour: $30 border pass + choice of horse or camel ride + Yangguan ocarina + 10 arrows for $168

Some project images:

Costume rental

Rubbing Making

Archery at the Training Ground

Drilling wood to make fire

Torch relay

Pottery drilling

Pottery Making

Mural Copying

$30 travel permit

$30 travel permit

Clearance token

Camel riding

Horseback riding

Donkey Cart Ride

Yumen Pass is the core area of the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring an archaeological complex centered around "one pass and two cities" that embodies the military defense wisdom of the Han Dynasty. The towering walls and winding horse paths of Xiaofangpan City (Yumen Pass) witnessed heroic feats like Zhang Qian's pioneering journeys and Ban Chao's frontier stabilization. Dafangpan City (Hecang Fortress), with its unique "three parallel granaries" layout and surrounding marsh barriers, stands as a living fossil of Han Dynasty military logistics. The extended Han Great Wall ruins and beacon tower system form a three-dimensional defense network with "one beacon every five li and one watchtower every ten li," fully showcasing the military marvel of "the Great Wall connecting two passes." Gazing west toward Lop Nur and backed by the Caohutan wetlands, these wind-battered ruins in the Gobi Desert whisper the historical melancholy of "spring breezes never reaching Yumen Pass."