Editing Gansu (section)

===Silk Road and Dunhuang City===
[[File:Cernuschi Museum 20060812 156.jpg|thumb|200px|A terracotta warrior from Gansu, with traces of polychrome and gold, from the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907)]]
The historic [[Silk Road]] starts in [[Chang'an]] (present-day [[Xi'an]]) and goes to [[Constantinople]] (Istanbul). On the way merchants would go to Dunhuang in Gansu. In Dunhuang they would get fresh camels, food and guards for the journey around the dangerous [[Taklamakan Desert]]. Before departing Dunhuang they would pray to the Mogao Grottoes for a safe journey, if they came back alive they would thank the gods at the grottoes. Across the desert they would form a train of camels to protect themselves from thieving bandits. The next stop, [[Kashgar|Kashi (Kashgar)]], was a welcome sight to the merchants. At Kashi most would trade and go back and the ones who stayed would eat fruit and trade their [[Bactrian camel]]s for [[Dromedary|single humped]] ones. After Kashi they would keep going until they reached their next destination.

Located about {{convert|5|km|abbr=on}} southwest of the city, the [[Crescent Lake (Dunhuang)|Crescent Lake]] or Yueyaquan is an oasis and popular spot for tourists seeking respite from the heat of the desert. Activities includes camel and 4x4 rides.