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The Silk Road is the collective name given to a number of trade routes
linking the Chinese and Roman empires. Although many commodities passed along the route, silk remained the most desired
by the West because its production was a mystery outside of China. The Silk Road forever transformed China's frontier
towns into bustling trading centres and the route remained in constant use until about the mid-14th century. The starting
point for Chinese exports was Xian in China's interior and passed numerous cities along the way west.
Luoyang
An ancient capital of China, also a believed starting point of the Silk
Road, Luoyang is famous for its Longmen Grottoes. These 1,352 grottoes contain more than 100,000 images of Buddha
dating as far back as 494 up to the 7th century. Along with the renowned caves at Dunhuang and Datong, the Longment
Grottoes mark the summit of monumental Buddhist art in China.
Jiuquan
This city which lies at the western edge of the Great Wall and the Jiayuguan
Pass marks the western extremity of the wall with a massive towered castle with two three-story gates at the east and
west. Jiuquan was also the traditional boundary of Han China.
Dunhuang
Dunhuang, in Gansu Province, is home of the Mogao Grottoes, the oldest
of China's three monumental Buddhist grottoes. Dunhang served as the important gateway through which Buddhism, Islam
and Christianity passed into China. First started by a monk, the Mogao carvings date back to 366 A.D. His followers
created a thousand more statues in about 1,000 caves over the course of thousands of years, most of which remain onsite
today. The caves were made a national monument in 1961 and visitors can access them from 8:30 am - 11:30 am and
2 - 3:45 pm.
Turpan
Perhaps the most interesting town along the Silk Road, Turpan presents
a vast array of delightful colourful faces. Here, the old-world atmosphere of China permeates with its trees and
traditional Uyghur mud-brick houses. The Uyghur and Hui peoples comprise most of Turpan's predominantly Muslim population
and they still retain much of their traditional lifestyle. Most importantly, the town is famous for its grapes and
honeydew melons, and has a wealth of relics representative of its link to the Silk Road.
Urumqi
Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) Uygur Autonomous Region. It
is located in northwest China on the Silk Road, covers an area of 72 square km with a population of 800,000. The renowned
Museum of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Turpan County, offers over 2,000 ancient artifacts, indicating that Xinjiang
has been a part of China since the Stone Age. The "Tianchi" (Lake of Heaven) is 1,830 metres above sea level.
It is a lovely trip, 110 km from Urumqi. Boat tours can be had on the lake. A smaller lage in the north flows down
forming a beautiful waterfall. Since the earliest times, Urumqi has been known for carpets. A trip to the Urumqi Carpet
Factory will show how the craft has been continued. There is a retail store that sells small carpets, if the tourist is
interested.
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