Jiayuguan to Dunhuang Day Tour: Jiayuguan + Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake + Shazhou Night Market (Optional)
Today, you will fully explore Jiayuguan, known as the "First and Greatest Pass under Heaven." [Jiayuguan] was historically called the throat of the Hexi Corridor. Due to its strategic terrain and magnificent architecture, it is known as the "Key to the Frontier" and was a transportation fortress on the ancient Silk Road, as well as the western starting point of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall.
Upon arrival, first visit Jiayuguan Pass. Jiayuguan Pass was first built in the 5th year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1372 AD). It is the first major pass at the western end of the Ming Great Wall and the most spectacular pass along the Great Wall. This is not merely a single pass but is divided into an inner city, outer city, and moat. The Xiongguan Water Village in the outer city offers distant views of the pass's exterior. Entering the inner city and climbing the gate tower, you can see the Qilian Mountains. There are also many stalls in the scenic area, offering ancient costume photography, calligraphy, and paintings. In addition, you can experience the old customs procedures for leaving the pass here (optional at your own expense), obtaining a "passport" issued by the pass master in armor at the city gate exit, which is a permit for entering and leaving the pass.
Afterwards, you will visit [Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake], praised as "one of China's five most beautiful deserts." Mingsha Mountain is formed by shifting sand, with a height of 100 meters, steep peaks, and water-wave-like sand patterns on the slopes. When people slide down from the top, it makes a bell-like musical sound, hence the name. It is said that on cloudless days, when the wind stops and the sand is still, one can even hear the sound of string and bamboo music, which is quite wonderful. Crescent Lake, located at the foot of Mingsha Mountain, is named for its crescent shape. The spring water is clear to the bottom. Although strong winds and yellow sand have obscured the sun over the years, for thousands of years this clear spring has never overflowed after long rains nor dried up in droughts. Here you can stroll in the desert and enjoy the beautiful scenery of "a solitary smoke in the vast desert, the setting sun round over the long river" and "silver mountains surrounded by sand on all sides, a pool of clear water with green ripples." You can also choose to enjoy various activities (at your own expense), such as camel riding, sand sliding, beach motorcycles, off-road vehicles, and gliders...
Notes
1. Optional paid activities at Mingsha Mountain Scenic Area: shoe covers, sightseeing bus, camel riding, motorcycle, off-road vehicle (3-seater), paraglider, desert starry sky camping.
2. When participating in desert entertainment activities, please take good care of your photographic equipment to prevent sand from entering the camera. When riding a camel, please follow the staff's instructions when getting on and off.
Then, you can roam the Dunhuang Shazhou Night Market (optional) and taste authentic Dunhuang delicacies such as apricot juice, donkey meat yellow noodles, pao'er yougao, braised lamb with flatbread, and red willow skewer grilled lamb.
Optional evening performances: (at your own expense, advance reservation required)
1. "Music in Dunhuang" (year-round performance): The world's first cave-style immersive theater, telling the story of Baixin, a young man from the Western Regions in the early Tang Dynasty, on his journey to find music. The performance uses modern technology combined with live performances to recreate the music, dance, poetry, costumes, and paintings from Dunhuang murals.
2. "Dunhuang Grand Ceremony" (peak season only): The world's first large-scale desert live performance, set against Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, with a 360-degree rotating and moving audience seating, telling the poignant love story of a young painter and a princess, recreating the prosperity of the ancient Silk Road and showcasing Dunhuang's unique cultural charm (including "Molten Iron Fireworks").
3. "Encore Dunhuang" (peak season only): A large-scale indoor experiential drama directed by Wang Chaoge, one of the chief directors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The audience travels through the Library Cave and Mogao Caves, personally experiencing Dunhuang culture and the elegance of the Silk Road.
4. "Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye" (peak season only): A large-scale theatrical performance by the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, telling the folk story of "Miaoshan Saving Her Father." The dance movements are graceful, the cultural connotations are profound, and the artistic level is extremely high.
🍽️ Breakfast and lunch included
🏨 Dunhuang