From Dunhuang, I passed through Guazhou, Yumen, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Zhangye, Wuwei and Baiyin to Lanzhou. I actually took a trip to the Hexi Corridor. My mind was full of "Silk Road", "The spring breeze never reaches Yumen Pass", "Going out to the west". "There is no old friend in Yangguan", "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, the sun sets in the long river", "Zhang Qian comes out of the fortress", desert, camel bells. . . . . . I have only seen and heard place names and scenes in books, poems, songs, movies and TV series. They are completely different from the familiar scenery of Jiangnan and Lingnan. Now that I am 50+, I have really experienced it a little bit.
Zhangye Danxia National Geopark
As usual, we will visit our favorite landscape first. The Danxia Mountain in Zhangye is colorful, unique in shape, and majestic. It has the reputation of "the rainbow falls over thousands of mountains and colors color the valleys"!
There was a lot of rain in July this year, and the sunshine was a bit stingy. The good thing is that the mountains were washed clean and the colors were bright. Unfortunately, there were too few shadow moments in the mountain col. At dusk on the first day, the sun suddenly appeared, and the sun shone brightly. The colorful mountain tops feel like they have been gilded. They are so beautiful.
The pictures above and below show the comparison between sunlight and no sunlight. It is actually very beautiful on a cloudy day, but when the sun appears, the top of the mountain looks like a stream of colorful lights, which is exactly what we are waiting for (lazy people are right not to wander around in the scenic spots. ), photos of great luck are far less shocking than real scenes.
The entire Danxia Scenic Area is well managed. After entering the gate, the shuttle bus will take tourists to each viewing platform. The scenery viewed from each viewing platform is different and very beautiful. The time we entered was dusk and early morning. The temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, and there are not many tourists due to the epidemic this year, so it feels great.
The "ancient" building in the picture below was built when Zhang Yimou was filming "Three Guns". It was called "Mazi Noodle House". Director Zhang was so famous that he kept it like this. . .
I saw a paraglider flying in the sky from afar, and I was so envious that I went to look for it. . .
Finally, I took a powered paraglider and flew in the air to overlook the magnificent Danxia landform, haha
Danxia Mountain in the early morning, with mountains and valleys and mist
To sum up, the colorful Danxia is "as bright and colorful as the rosy clouds" and is a must-see in life.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Check-in
It took four hours. First, I watched a three-dimensional movie and listened to the explanation at the Mogao Grottoes Digital Center, and then visited the three special caves and the A-line cave. They are all treasures and cannot be photographed. They are all kept in my heart. The time is still short, so I can only It counts as a check-in, haha. There is a QR code at the entrance of each cave. After scanning the code, you can learn detailed cave information and murals. In the digital age, cultural relic protection workers have done a lot of work to keep pace with the times, making it easier for tourists to learn more about cultural relics. I really like it.
When visiting the Mogao Grottoes, the tour guide said that Dunhuang was the end point for most Han merchants on the Silk Road and the starting point for people from the Western Regions. Most people from the Western Regions were traveling to and from the desert and next door that were really the most difficult to navigate. After most of the Han people set out from Chang'an, they stopped going further when they reached Dunhuang.
Opening the Baidu map, I discovered that Yumen Pass, Guyang Pass and Jiayu Pass are all around Dunhuang, especially Yumen Pass, which is almost next to Dunhuang, so it is truly a place where "the spring breeze never blows"; only the Han people who have left the pass can experience the "exit west" "People without a cause", and more sincerely spend thousands of years digging Buddhist caves from generation to generation, and pray devoutly for yourself and future generations.
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring
I was busy riding go-karts and camel rides. The camel bells and camel shadows in the desert that I had promised, but there was no sun, so I could only make up my mind. . .
This is my second time playing go-karts in the desert. While I still dare to do it, I don’t miss every opportunity. It’s much more fun than riding in that Toyota Overlord in Dubai. The car is fully enclosed and others can drive it. You can be a passenger yourself, just like riding in a car. There's no difference, it's boring. . .
The guy who led the camel said that this summer the number of tourists is only one-tenth of the previous years. Haha, it’s so spectacular. You don’t have to queue up. You can just buy a ticket and get on the camel directly. It’s great.
Crescent Moon Spring, it is said that there is a water tap below (similar to Baotu Spring in Jinan). . . I thought I was lucky, full of water and a perfect crescent moon. . .
