Silk Road Travel Guide –How to Plan Your Silk Road Trip ?

• Kashgar is the only national historical and cultural city in Xinjiang, which embodies the characteristics and essence of Uygur folk customs, culture and art, architectural style and traditional economy. It was a stop on the ancient Silk Road, and prosperous east-west trade created this ancient city and it has a history of thousands of years that can be traced back to the influence of Central Asia. As one of the top destinations in Xinjiang, Kashgar has many famous places to visit such as the 5A-level tourist attraction –
• Kashgar Old Town, narrow labyrinthine alleys, beautifully carved doors and windows, and quaint dwellings give you a glimpse into the former glory of the bustling old town, whose exotic charm attracts many tourists every year. Besides, Id Kah Mosque in the center of the Old Town, is one of the largest mosques in China, visitors can feel the strong religious atmosphere here.
• Ancient Tea House is also a must-visit attraction, where you can take a leisure time and enjoy a cup of local tea. And the Kashgar Sunday Bazaar, which has a history of more than 2,000 years and is known as “the largest market in Asia”. You can come here to buy some tourist souvenirs and local specialties and explore the exotic Kashgar as much as possible. And there is a Night Market Food Plaza, which is a perfect place if you a food lover and the locals are very friendly and enthuastic. You also can pay a visit to the shooting location of The Kite Runner in Kashgar Old Town, admire the unique architectural style here.

In the ancient time, Xi’an was the terminus of the Silk Road, and played as a melting pot of cultures and religions of both eastern and western world. Xi’an is one of the best tourist destinations and one of the first batch of excellent tourism cities in China. As a famous historical city, it has experienced the rise and fall of 13 dynasties, which is like a huge museum. One of the eight wonders of the world–the Terracotta Warriors, the Ancient City Wall, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which are fully embody the heritage of history. The long history has created the origin of humanity, and the folk art of Xi’an is also a bright intangible cultural heritage. Xi’an is also known as a gourmet city that attracts many food lovers to visit. Furthermore, located 120 kilometers east of Xi ‘an, Mount Hua is known as “the best mountain in the world”, also a great destination to explore about nature and hiking.

Located in the northwest of Gansu Province, Zhangye is one of the four counties of the Hexi Corridor in ancient times and it’s famous because of unique Danxia Landforms and fascinating scenery. One of the top destinations in Zhangye is the gorgeous Danxia National Geological Park, which consists of Binggou Danxia and Colorful Danxia, which are considered as the great masterpieces of nature. When you visit the Colorful Danxia, you will be attracetd by the iridescent Danxia landform while the focus is on the various magical and eccentric shapes when you are visiting the Binggou Danxia. And the Mati Temple Scenic Resort is worthy for your visiting too, the huge grottoes temple complex, the stone wall chisel a number of grottoes Buddha, extremely fantastic and spectacular. In addition, the 227 National Road from Xining to Zhangye was praised as the most beautiful national road in July, accompanied by cattle and sheep, it crossed the Qilian Mountains along the way, it’s a nice place for enjoying the beautiful rapeseed flowers. And you can have a wonderful spiritual trip in Zhangye Big Buddha Temple, which has a history of more than nine hundred years. Moreover, the Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, which is a deep and bottomless canyon, here you can enjoy its incomparable magnificence and admire the extraordinary masterpiece of nature. There’s no word to describe the natural wonders and scenery of Zhangye, for sure it is a top destination to visit.

As a node city on the Silk Road, Dunhaung serves as a transit point between China and the west along the Silk Road and it is a gateway to the Western Regions. There are World Cultural Heritage Sites such as the Mogao Grottoes, which is regarded as a “cultural treasure” and also known as the thousand Buddha Cave; and the Site of Yumen Pass, it used to be a place for merchants from the Western Regions and people from the Central Plains to pass through and Hotan jade was imported from here to the Central Plains since ancient times. Besides, the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, if you climb up the Mountain, you will have a better look on the Spring and also can enjoy the fabulous sunset in the desert, which gives you a feeling of desolateness. Yadan National Geopark, which is also called Yadan Ghost City, when night falls, the howl of wind sounds like roar of many wild animals, it addes the creepy atmosphere here; and in day time, it’s a perfect place to take some amazing photos of unique Yadan landform and the spectecular Gobi scenery. There are some other top destinations worthy for your visiting such as the Site of Yang Pass, the Han Great Wall, Dunhuang Ancient City, etc. In a word, Dunhuang is a must-visit destination if you are a Silk Road fan and natural wonders enthusiast.

Turpan is an extremely charming city and far-famed through the country for its hot summer weather, abundant fruits, various scenic spots and historical sites. Located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, Turpan is the gateway to Urumqi and an important transportation hub of the New Silk Road and the Eurasian Land Bridge. As a famous city along the Silk Road, Turpan has a lot of top destinations are worthy for your visiting. Most of Turpan’s tourist attractions are distributed within about 40 kilometers of the road from the city center, and the basic and most essential attractions can be completed in a day, such as the Flaming Mountains, Thousand Buddha Cave, Gaochang Ancient City, Astana Ancient tomb group, Jiaohe Ancient City, etc. Since only a few attractions are in the city, the best way to see Turpan is by chartered bus. In addition to these regular tourist attractions, there are a number of Tianshan series of ancient roads, suitable for exploring on foot. Turpan is a magical place, it is the integration of ancient civilization and modern civilization; and also the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures and religions. Hence, it is the most abundant area of China’s Silk Road ruins.

Kuqa, known as “Qiuci” in ancient times, is located in the central and western part of Xinjiang. The Kuqa area was called Qiuci in ancient times and it was one of the 36 countries in the Western Regions and a famous city on the ancient Silk Road. It is rich in tourism resources, with more than 50 cultural relics and monuments. The magnificent and precipitously Grand Canyon of Kuqa is covered by reddish-brown rocks and has a variety of peaks and rocks, which looks quiet and mysterious. The beautiful scenery of Kizil Buddha Caves, with its peculiar peaks, shows the divine power of nature under the sunshine; Kumutula, Murana Essiddin tomb, Kekesha iron smelting site, ancient city site of Qiuci, Linji Road Memorial Hall and other landscapes are full of historical and cultural atmosphere. The last but not least, Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves are known as Kizil Grottoes or Hesel Grottoes, is a Chinese Buddhist grotto with 236 grottoes and more than 10,000 square meters of murals. Kizil is the transliteration of Uygur, which means “red”. Kizil Grottoes and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes share the reputation of China’s “Four Great Grottoes”. About the history of Kuqa Grottoes, everyone must know more or less.