American World Traveler Summer 2017 Issue

40
Gansu province in the North West
region of China historically
marked the ‘end or beginning’ of
China, depending on if you were traveling
east towards Xi'an or west towards Central
Asia and Europe.
UNESCO has listed several locals in
Gansu, the first of which are the Mogao
Caves. These magnificent cells and sanctuaries
in caves, originally constructed in
366AD, contain Buddhist art that dates
from the 4th to the 14th century. Chinese
authorities have preserved many of the
caves with nearly 45,000 square meters of
murals and more than 2,000 painted
sculptures! Astounding images from 1000
years of history offer glimpses of the past.
One cave contains a vivid scene of cultural
exchange along the Silk Road by showing
a camel pulling a cart in a typical
trade mission from a bygone period as
well as scenes of workers in the fields and
a line of warriors. Other images show the
landscapes of Mount Wutai, which is an
early example of artistic Chinese cartography.
American World Traveler Summer 2017
Gansu
UNESCO has also listed some of the
Zhangye Danxia Landform in Gansu
Province. China’s ever changing landscape
contains many different kinds of
unique and beautiful settings. from towering
karst mountains to grasslands to fast
flowing rivers. But the stunning red sandstone
beds of the Danxia Landforms are
simply spectacular! Marked with dramatic
colours, several Danxia Landforms are listed
by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites
due to their natural and visual value.
Many look straight out of a painting!
The Great Wall flows through the province
as well, and it houses Jiayuguan, the
Wall’s most intact ancient military building
still standing today. Dubbed the "First and
Greatest Pass Under Heaven", the pass
was a key waypoint of the ancient Silk
Road. Touring the area, a visit to
Jiayuguan city is a must as well. Lying in
the Gobi Desert between Lanzhou and
Dunhuang, the city started as a fortress
built to protect the last frontier of the
Chinese empire. Later it became an
important part of the Silk Road and the
first pass at the west end of the Great
Wall.
Tianshui is another visitor’s paradise for
history and art. The city and its surroundings
have played a vital role in the early
history of China, as evidenced by all of
the historic sites there. The large Dadiwan
Site is a New Stone Age archeological site
that dates back 7,800 to 4,800 years!
Preserved homes and tools help tourists
explore the ancient history of the city and
area. Many cultural relics have been
unearthed including simple chipped stone
tools, specialized implements, and colored
pottery. An interesting window on ancient
China.
The province is also home to Xiahe ,
home to the Labrang Tibetan Buddhist
monastery, one of the largest Tibetan
Buddhist monasteries outside of Tibet.
Spiritualists will enjoy the grand temples,
variety of the festivals and the magnificent
peaceful feeling present in the mountain
forests.