China Travel Reference

Crescent Lake
	Crescent Lake, located on the north slopes of Echoing –Sand Mountain, was formed by spring water trickling up into a depression between huge sand dunes, forming a crescent-shaped pond, hence the name. The crescent Lake has remained free from the encroachment of sand and never dried up for more than two thousands years, and was reputed as “the Number One Spring in the Desert”.

Dunhuang
	A Silk Road terminal, Dunhuang played a pivotal role in Chinese trade and cultural exchanges with the West in ancient times. Dunhuang Grottoes is a colossal treasure-trove of, among other things, 45,000 square meters of frescos and 2,415 painted sculptures. The discovery of Tripitaka Cave at Dunhuang 100 years ago unveiled one of mankind’s important disciplines of learning: Dunhuang studies. The famous Mingsha Hill and Crescent Moon Sporing are found south of Dunhuang, while to the north there is Yumen Pass on the Great Wall. The ruins of the Yanguan Pass lie south of the city.

Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
	Widely regarded as a Mecca for historians and artists, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang is known as the world’s greatest treasure house of Buddhist art. The construction of the grottoes started in 366 AD, but the construction of the existing 492 grottoes which contain 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,415 painted sculptures, lasted more than 1,600 years. Among them the largest grotto is 40 meters high and 30 meters wide. The biggest figure is 33 meters high and the smallest being approximately 10 centimeters, and their superb craftsmanship and rich imagination are amazing. The Mogao Grottoes in Duhuang is divided into north and south districts, totaling 735 grottoes in all. All the caves are linked by walkways and marked with the date of
their carving and the dynasty. A trip to the Duhuang Grottoes could give the visitor a complete and chronological picture of development of Buddhist art in different dynasties, a history review of more than one thousand years. The Duhuang Grottoes are paramount not only for their artistry, but they also depict aspects of social life in various historical periods and the friendly contacts between China and other countries. The grottoes’ valuable historical data has aroused the keen interest of historians, archaeologists and students of religion and art history both at home and abroad. These artworks represent the pinnacle of ancient Chinese art and culture. Most of them are related to religious and folklores. For its wealth of priceless artifacts, the Mogao Grottoes was among the first relic sites in China to have been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.


Jiayu Pass
	Jiayu Pass, situated to the southwest of the city of the same name, is the western terminal of the Ming Great Wall. Sitting on the celebrated Silk Road, the pass was also reputed as “the Magnificent Pass Under Heaven” for its military position as a stronghold in ancient times. The pass was built in 1372, or the fifth year of the Hongwu Reign of the Ming Dynasty, with a circumference of 733 meters, a height of 10,7 meters and an area of 33,500 square meters. The pass’s lower part of the wall, six meters in height, is build of rammed earth, and the upper part is solidified with adobe. It is one of the important cultural sites under state protection.

Maiji Mountain Grottoes
	Located near Tianshui, a city in eastern Gansu Province, the Maiji Mountain is reputed as the “Oriental Sculpture Museum” for the reason of 194 grottoes. The 194 grottoes are divided into two parts, namely the east grottoes and the west grottoes. All the grottoes are cut on cliffs, 80 meters above the ground on the southern side of the mountain, with 54 in the east and 140 in the west. The grottoes contain more than 7,200 clay or stone sculptures and over 1,300 square meters of murals; both of them were built in the period of the 4th to 19th centuries. Long period of construction makes it a unique exhibition of China’s sculpture in different ages. In addition to clay sculptures, there are more than 2,000 pieces of pottery, bronze ware, ironware and jade articles, ancient books, documents, paintings, calligraphy and other cultural relics in 194 grottoes. The highest figure is about 16 meters; the smallest is only 10 centimeters. One prominent feature of the grottoes is that the only means of communication between the caves is a plank road built on the face of the precipice.