Dunhuang

Dunhuang is a legendary oasis city in far western Gansu, a crossroads of the ancient Silk Road where the Chinese heartland met Central Asia. It is world-famous for the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site of nearly 500 grottoes filled with over a thousand years of Buddhist murals and sculpture. Just outside town, the singing sands of Mingsha Mountain cradle the spring-fed Crescent Lake, and the ruined Han-dynasty Yumen and Yang passes mark the old gateway to the west. For an international student, Dunhuang offers extraordinary art and history, iconic desert scenery and a unique window on Silk Road civilisation.