Antelope Self-Guided Travel Guide - Gansu Ningxia

Author: None
Publisher:
Publishing Time: None
Features: The journey in this book begins at the point in Gansu where one "goes west beyond Yangguan," then turns south in Lanzhou, experienced along the Silk Road, before heading north from the eastern side of Gansu, crossing the Hetao Plain in Ningxia, where history and space intertwine and accumulate. Cherish every heartbeat of yours, for the desolation of the northwest is also a dream. Gansu is a ruyi (a Chinese knot), and Ningxia is a jujube seed, as the literati say. But I think they are more like the wings of a rooster from my own home. Across this vast land, historical, cultural, and natural landscapes are scattered, or to say, walking through Gansu and Ningxia is like traveling through history and culture. If you are a traveler who loves Chinese history, if you enjoy the rugged land and simple, unrestrained life, then you should come here. The journey in this book starts at the border between Gansu and Xinjiang in the west, then turns south in Lanzhou, near Qinghai and Sichuan, looks east at Shaanxi for a moment, then heads south into Ningxia, and ends at the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Dunhuang's Mogao Caves—there’s nothing more to say. If you haven’t even heard of them, you don’t need to continue reading. Two thousand years ago, a silk road passed through here, with travelers of all skin tones leading camels and horses, carrying gold, silver, jewels, diamonds, and agates to trade for our silk. Two thousand years have passed, and their footprints are long buried under the sand, but Dunhuang flourished because of them. Generations of craftsmen carved Buddha statues to thank the heavens for their blessings, depicting murals to explain the principles of life. The brilliant colors remain, the compassionate statues remain, the flying apsaras playing pipas remain, and yet, they have become even more beautiful with the passing of time. Lady Meng Jiang wept for the Great Wall, soldiers slept on it, poets sighed at it, and barbarians circled it. Please come and see too. The arid climate of the northwest has preserved many Great Wall sites in good condition, from the Qin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. Builders, soldiers, and even the bones of enemies piled up over the years...