Things to do in Jiuquan

In late October, my wife and I went on a trip, visiting the Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake on the afternoon of the 25th. A slight northerly wind was blowing, the temperature was 5 degrees Celsius, and the sun was shining brightly, making it relatively comfortable. Even in the off-season, caravans of camels were constantly busy. Scenery: Climbing the Singing Sand Dunes is a must. At 5 pm in late autumn, the people climbing the dunes formed four lines on the slope, looking like ants from a distance. Joining the line, we heard many people speaking Cantonese. While people across the country were working like oxen, only the Cantonese uncles and aunties were wandering around, contributing to the development of tourism. The view from the top was extremely beautiful, and we took many photos of Crescent Lake. We descended the dunes on our own 15 minutes before sunset, avoiding the wooden ladders and slowly making our way down the slope in the desert. We freely used our imaginations along the way, making the return journey very interesting! Fun: Riding a camel is a must. They are very gentle and strong. The half-hour ride with the caravan, bouncing along on the camel's back, is quite tense at first, but once you calm down a bit, the ancient spirit quickly takes hold. Chatting casually with the camel driver along the way, I realized he was a gentleman who wasn't good with words. It was a very enjoyable experience, definitely worth the ticket price. Value for money: Considering the ticket price contributes to environmental protection, the camel ride was well worth it. Overall, it was a happy and worthwhile trip.

Tempatnya luas banget, jadi kalau beli tiket dari trip dot com harus ke hall 2 dulu utk tuker tiket fisiknya. Nukernya cukup kasih paspor, langsung kluar datanya di sistem mereka. Habis dapat tiket fisik lalu ke hall 1, nanti antri masuk utk nonton pemutaran 2 film. Film pertama tentang sejarah awa mula grotto nya, film ke 2 tentang isi mogao grotto dan dalam bentuk 360 jadi seru kayak lagi ada di dalam gua nya. Utk yg pilih bahasa english, akan dikasih audio oleh petugas saat antri mau masuk tempat pemutaran film. Selesai nonton film, kluar utk antri naik shuttle bus yg akan mengantar kita ke mogaocave. Nanti sampai di mogao cave setelah masuk kawasan langsung join antrian utk ke cave nya, nanti masuknya akan dibagi per group & dipimpin 1 tour guide. Utk turis internasional yg sudah pilih bahasa inggris saat beli tiket, ada antrian sendiri. Untuk tour guide nya ramah & penjelasannya cukup jelas.

Dunhuang Bookstore is a great place to visit. It has a wide variety of books, the displays are unique, and the environment is quiet, perfect for peaceful reading. They also have some nice cultural and creative products, though a bit pricey, but I still bought several 😜. There are also intangible cultural heritage experiences, but I didn't have time for them. Maybe next time.

The most iconic exhibit at the Dunhuang Museum is undoubtedly the restoration of Cave 045 at Mogao Grottoes. The guide's explanations were very detailed and thorough. The exhibits are the best interpretation of history.

I originally thought Yangguan was just a landmark with not much to see, but I was deeply moved by the scenery here. Standing by the mottled ruins of the Great Wall and the beacon towers, with the whistling wind in my ears and the vast Gobi Desert and the faintly visible Kunlun Mountains in the distance, it felt like traveling back a thousand years. There is also a Silk Road Museum inside, which is worth visiting.

Worth seeing; a masterpiece of nature. The yardangs are strangely shaped, but also very fragile. We must protect our ecological resources and take good care of our planet, or we will be expelled from the world.

We drove there ourselves, it took a little over an hour from Shazhou Town in Dunhuang. It's definitely worth seeing; the Big and Small Passes and the Han Great Wall ruins were both breathtaking. The景区 staff were very dedicated and responsible; they even took us to the last attraction in their shuttle bus without rushing or showing any impatience, which was very touching.

There will be washboard-like sections, but it won't affect traffic; you can drive slowly without any problems. The first half is paved and in good condition, allowing for unrestricted driving. The scenery is magnificent and breathtaking, well worth a road trip; a true masterpiece of nature.

The Shazhou/Dunhuang Night market is clean, cohesively decorated, and conveniently located in the city center! As part of your silk road travels visit this well put together market for delicious food and souvenir buys! 🛍 We bought cashmere wool scarves, magnets, and knick knacks all for great prices. The vendors are not pushy at all! We had a pleasant experience wandering the shops and the vendors were very friendly and accommodating. I'd recommend having alipay or wechat pay set up as this is the most convenient payment method when travelling China but at this market the vendors did accept cash from our fellow tour guide travellers. 🐟 The food court area gives camping vibes. You'll see small camp stools and chairs around small fires. Our tour guide told us that the fish and beef cakes are the most popular. We tried the fish which was yummy and the beefcakes welllll the line was a little too long for us but our fellow tour group travellers said it was delicious and even bought some for the road the next day! 🎐 Since the market was in the city center we explored the shops nearby and then caught a Didi back to our hotel. The night market is worth visiting, probably one of the best I have visited in my travels.