Things to do in Dunhuang

Xuanquan Temple perfectly embodies the "living fossil of the Han Dynasty Silk Road." The four main areas—the restored fortified village, the digital exhibition hall, the original ruins, and the millennium-old hanging spring—are seamlessly connected, offering an immersive experience and a strong sense of time travel. The staff are enthusiastic, and the temple strikes a good balance between preserving the historical site and providing modern services, allowing visitors to feel the historical grandeur while enjoying contemporary amenities.

It's definitely worth a visit. Don't just visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang; you should also see the technological achievements. Up close, it's truly spectacular. The Tyndall effect is also quite impressive. The guide was very kind. He even picked us up even though we were just two people, so we ended up being four people in total. He enthusiastically explained the whole thing.

Excellent location, user-friendly accessibility The town is adjacent to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, about a 5-10 minute walk from the scenic area, saving you the hassle of traveling to and from the city center. It's incredibly convenient for watching the sunset and sunrise. A one-stop shop for dining, accommodation, and shopping, with complete amenities including guesthouses, restaurants, and intangible cultural heritage workshops, offering great value for money.

Dunhuang Silk Road Heritage City is a tourist destination worth visiting. It brings together rich historical and cultural heritage and shows the splendor of the ancient Silk Road. Highlights: including the mural art of Mogao Grottoes, the mysterious charm of Thousand Buddha Caves and rich historical relics. In addition, there are spectacular desert landscapes and unique folk culture experiences. Here you can not only appreciate the heavy feeling of thousands of years of history, but also feel the unique cultural atmosphere. Dunhuang Silk Road Heritage City is definitely a tourist destination not to be missed.

It is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Huangshui River in Xiaoci Village, Yanguoxia Town, Yongjing County. The entire building faces south and is built on the mountainside. The temples overlap and are known for their concentration, compactness and elegance. The design is based on a central axis, with horizontal symmetry, and gradually extends, rises, and becomes a whole on the flat ground and high platform. The temple looks very solemn, magnificent and imposing. The founding date of Leiyin Temple cannot be verified due to its long history. According to the recollections of the elders in the village in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was first built in the early Tang Dynasty and reached its heyday during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The grandeur of its architecture and the popularity of its incense are incomparable to ordinary temples. It’s a pity that it was destroyed in the subsequent war. The old site of Xing Temple still exists, located in an ancient city 300 meters northwest of the current temple. With the opening of the Party's religious policy, Leiyin Temple began to prepare for reconstruction in 2002. During the construction process, it received strong support from generous donations from all parties. After seven years of gradual construction, it has reached its current scale. Leiyin Temple covers an area of ​​6,478 square meters, with a construction area of ​​963 square meters. The entire building is divided into three levels: The first Located on the flat land in front of the mountain, it consists of the Heavenly King Hall, also known as the "Mountain Gate", and the left and right wing rooms. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is a brick and wood structure with different ridge beasts, a roof covered with green tiles, and a width of three rooms. The lintel of the door reads "Leiyin Temple" in three large gold-plated characters. In front of the temple stands a pair of stone lions, giving people a sense of solemnity and majesty. In the center of the Hall of Heavenly Kings is a big-bellied Maitreya statue with a smiling face, kind and amiable, giving people a sense of intimacy. With his back against the guardian statue of Skanda, and on both sides are standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings: "Dhritarashtra", "Zhongdudan", "Virtuosity" and "Vaiśravaṇa". Next to the Heavenly King Hall are the east and west wing rooms, which are two-story, brick-concrete, fully enclosed buildings that house the abbot's room, living room, dormitories, etc. Channel 2 Located at the foot of the mountain, there are two classical side halls built on the east and west sides, the "Golden Flower Hall" in the east and the "Guanyin Hall" in the west. The Golden Flower Hall enshrines three seated gods: "Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens", "Fairy of Jinhua" and "Dragon King of Black Pool", all of which are made of bronze and are 2.3 meters high. On both sides, three gods are enshrined in sedan chairs carved from red sandalwood with exquisite craftsmanship. The statues of the gods are cast in bronze, with ingenious and solemn ideas. They are considered to be the best works among all the temples. On the front of the Guanyin Hall are seated statues of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, all of which are 2.3-meter-high bronze statues. Guanyin Bodhisattva sits cross-legged on a lotus, holding a pure bottle filled with nectar in one hand and a willow branch in the other, symbolizing that the nectar is spread all over the world, regardless of spring or autumn. The Bodhisattva of Literature rides on a green lion, has a jade bun on his head, which represents "wisdom", and holds a sword in his hand, which represents the sword of wisdom, thus representing "wisdom and power". Channel 3 Located on the hillside, the Main Hall against the mountain is the main hall of the temple. It has a multi-story structure and a double-eaved hip roof. It is 16 meters high and covers an area of ​​242 square meters. The whole hall has a ridged roof, flying eaves on all four sides, colorful arches, and is majestic and spectacular. On the front of the hall are three 3.3-meter-high bronze Buddha statues, namely Sakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. The three giant Buddhas have kind faces and sit on lotus pedestals with Sumeru Vajra pedestals below. They are finely carved with exquisite craftsmanship. On both sides are clay sculptures of the Eighteen Arhats. Some are glaring and performing rituals, subduing dragons and tigers; some are gentle and elegant, reading scriptures; some are gazing in deep thought, pretending to sleep with their chins in their hands; their expressions are different and lifelike.

Because the Crescent Lake concert was canceled, the kids wanted to play in the sand but didn't want to squeeze in and queue. So we booked this dinner party, and we were extremely satisfied. The owner was also very nice. We could play, drink, and eat as much as we wanted without crowding or queuing. We had a great time and enjoyed the food. It was the happiest day of our entire Northwest trip!

A very interesting attraction, located at the foot of the sand hill in a huge tomb complex with mixed ancient and modern tombs. The uncle who gave the explanation was very detailed. I went down to two tombs in total and learned a lot about ancient tombs. It is still worth a visit. Although it is not forbidden to take pictures in the tomb, I still did not take pictures in the tomb according to the warning when I visited the ancient tomb in Xi'an

I experienced my first helicopter flight here, and it was pretty good. The view of the desert from the air was truly breathtaking.