The Silk Road Cities

Two thousand years ago, the threads of commerce were established and the Silk Road connected Xi'an to the Middle East and Europe, opening China for the first time to the Western world. It was in 138 BC that the Han emperor Wudi sent an emissary westward, not for trade, but to seek allies to defend China against the Huns. From that time until the 14th century, caravans carrying spices, fruits, and all manner of goods from the West routinely crossed the deserts in search of silk, transforming forever China's frontier towns into cosmopolitan trading centres.
Modern day Marco Polos may follow the path of these ancient caravans all the way from Xi'an, in China's interior, to Kashgar near the former Soviet border (the present border of the republics of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). Numerous tour companies offer various Silk Road Tours that include one or more of the major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong) and then venture out across western China, where the majority of people still follow a way of life largely unchanged since the days of early traders. Tours along the Silk Road pass through areas where 12 of China's 56 ethnic minorities still live. Unlike the caravans of the past however, today you can travel in comfort by air, train and motor coach.

Bell Tower of Xian
The City of Xi'an

Water Wheel in Lanzhou
LanzhouAn important city along the Silk Road, Lanzhou houses two Buddhist grottoes, the Bingling Temple Caves and Maijishan Grottoes. You can see artifacts and cultural relics of the Silk Road dating back to 1066 BC displsyed in the Provincial Museum. Other attractions include Labrang Lamasery and Five-spring Mountain.
JiayuguanJiayuguan Pass, the west end of the Great Wall, is located at the foot of JiaYu Mountain. This city is home to a magnificent castle with a tower and two three-story gates at the East and West. Also near Jiuquan are the Bell and Drum towers, built in 343 AD, and the Wei Jin Tombs, containing 1,600 year-old murals that pre-date those at Dunhuang. Jiayuguan Pass The Western End of the Great Wall

DunhuangDunhuang, with its lush green fields and mountainous rolling sand dunes, is one of China's most historic destinations along the Silk Road. Located about 1and half hours northwest of Lanzhou by air, Dunhuang served as a rest stop for traders and as the gateway through which Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity entered China. Dunhuang is the home of superb Buddhist art at the nearby Mogao Grottoes. There are 492 caves house ancient paintings and sculptures. Among them is the famous Flying Horse of Gansu, which has been adopted as the symbol of China tourism. A monk named Yue Zun began the Mogao carvings in 366 AD, and his followers created more than 1000 statues over the course of 1000 years. Nearly half of the original carvings survive today. Other attractions include the Ruins of Yumenguan Pass and the Yueya (Crescent Moon) Spring. Muogao Cave in Dunhuang

UrumqiThis city is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China's far Northwest. Vast deserts, an ancient glacier, a huge open-air bazaar, and the colourful dress of its 13 indigenous nationalities transform Urumqi into an exotic, far removed world. Only 116 kilometres away, Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) offers a vast expanse of placid water, 1,801 metres above sea level. The lake is surrounded by steep green pastures, virgin conifer forests and snowy mountain peaks.

TurpanAn oasis 180 kilometres southeast of Urumqi, Turpan is accessible only by rail or road. Turpan presents a myriad of colourful faces and ethnic backgrounds. The Uygur and Hui peoples comprise most of the town's predominantly Moslem population. Turpan is best known for its grapes and honeydew melons, but is also rich in historical relics bearing evidence to the importance of the area's links to the Silk Road. Places of interest include the Sugong Mosque (also known as the lmin Pagoda or Suleiman's Minaret), the Thousand-Buddha Caves of the Flaming Mountains, and the Gaochang Ancient City and Jiaohe Ancient City, ruins of a once-prosperous, strategically important garrison town between the 1st century BC and the 14th century AD.

KashgarKashgar is located at the junction of the south and north routes of the Silk Road. Then, after crossing the Pamirs Plateau, the northern route led travellers of old to Persia and thence on to Europe, while the southern route led to ancient India. Main points of interest in Kashgar include the Tomb of Apak Hoja, Big Bazaar. Other tourist cities along the Silk Road include Hami, Korla, Hotan and Kuqa.