Dunhuang West Route: Chasing the Romance of a Yadan Sunset

As the car left Dunhuang city, snowflakes suddenly hit the window. The driver laughed, "You’re lucky, you caught Dunhuang’s first snowfall." Arriving at Yangguan at exactly 10 o’clock, the beacon tower stood in the wilderness, and the rammed earth walls were outlined in white by the snow. From the high vantage point, the desert and oasis met in the distance, sand grains wrapped in the wind hitting the face. Suddenly, I understood the feeling behind "No old friends west of Yangguan"—not sadness, but the overwhelming vastness of the world and the smallness of man. In the afternoon, arriving at Yumenguan, the snow-covered city walls looked even more majestic. Among the ruins of the large square city, you could still touch the Han Dynasty rammed earth. The sunlight stretched the shadows long, and stepping on the snow made a crisp sound, like having a conversation with the ancient sentries from a thousand years ago. On the way to the Yadan, the signal was intermittent, so I closed my eyes to rest. When I opened them again, patches of mounds suddenly appeared on the Gobi, their sharp edges looking as if carved by knives—this is the legendary "Ghost City," once the seabed billions of years ago, now a playground for the wind. Choosing a deep tour vehicle, we headed into the heartland. In the deserted Yadan group, the mounds stood silently like a group of crouching beasts. The biggest surprise was the "Last Tear," a pool of water nestled among the Yadan. The sunset dyed the water orange, then slowly deepened to blood red, turning the entire mound area a different color. Arriving at the "West Sea Fleet" before sunset, the mounds lined up stretching to the horizon like warships ready to set sail. When the sun touched the horizon, the light suddenly softened, gilding each Yadan with a golden edge. The wind howled past, as if someone was softly singing an ancient song. On the way back, the sky was completely dark, and the stars outside the window were so dense it was startling. This day felt like a journey through time—from Han and Tang beacon towers to prehistoric seabeds, ending with a sunset—Dunhuang’s romance is hidden in these desolate yet magnificent details.