How to Spend 2 Days in Dunhuang, China

After a week touring North China’s rural areas, I tacked on a day in Dunhuang, an oasis at the edge of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. Formerly known as “Shazhou,” or Land of the Sands, Dunhuang once served as an important stop at the intersection of two major trade routes along the Silk Road. It’s also a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims, and it functions as the westernmost garrison of the Great Wall of China. So the historical significance, combined with its access to modern plumbing, made it a worthy final stop before my long flights home.

A 24-hour stop in Dunhuang offers plenty of cultural, historical and culinary delights. From caves filled with Buddhist paintings dating back to the fourth century to a plate of donkey-meat spaghetti, here are the must-dos during a day in the destination.

Day 1, Afternoon: Check in at the centrally located Dunhuang Binguan Hotel.
Greeted at the counter with cup of green tea and a hot towel, I sighed in relief upon — at last — stepping into an accurately labeled four-star hotel. While my family sorted out laundry and freshened up, I browsed for souvenirs at the attached gift shop and lounged in the quiet courtyard garden with a book. 

Day 1, Evening: Chase the sunset at Mingsha (Echoing Sand) Mountain and Yueya (Crescent Moon) Spring.
Located approximately 3 miles north of Dunhuang’s city center, this famous scenic area gives off desert Disneyland vibes, with camel rides and adventure activities, a shuttle car route (which costs $1.40 one way) and Chinese travelers posing in front of manicured marsh landscapes.

One thing to note: The crowds are intense. The single-file trail to climb up the famous Mingsha sand dune moved so slowly that I side-stepped onto the soft sand, taking a tougher — but more peaceful — route to the summit, pausing every 25 steps to catch my breath and take in the continuously setting sun or to gaze down at the picturesque, crescent-shape spring and adjacent temple pavilion.

www.visitourchina.com

Day 1, Night: Stroll Shazhou Night Market.
Shazhou Night Market was lively — a veritable city of food stalls and restaurants, souvenir stands and shops. We sat down at one of the more expensive restaurants offering the region’s famous barbecue skewers, thinking proper seating would be nice.

We later realized this was a mistake — the constant shouting from the horde of restaurant workers badgering every passing tourist, paparazzi-style, was the real price of sitting down. 

Because of this, we strolled two blocks from the night market and stumbled on a quieter, restaurant-filled courtyard. We made room for a spontaneous (and much cheaper) second dinner: a tasty bowl of saozi mian, a specialty noodle dish from the neighboring Xian region. We slurped it down to the howls of drunken karaoke in the distant background. 

Day 2, Morning: Tour the Mogao Grottoes. 
Booking the English tour to see the UNESCO-designated Mogao Grottoes was a lifesaver. We reserved one of the earliest morning slots so that we didn’t have to deal with the crowds, which seemed formidable despite the daily visitor cap of 6,000. Following a viewing of two excellent films with a separate foreign language track, we were bused to the site of the caves as our well-trained English tour guide, with the aid of individual radio headsets, explained the art inside them.

Standing next to 1,000-year-old paintings that still looked fresh due to the nameless artists’ use of mineral pigment, I began to appreciate how the UNESCO World Heritage Site had put Dunhuang on the map. A treasure trove of art and literature that was collected through the reign of 10 dynasties, the nearly 500 remaining caves are carved from the sandstone cliffs and range from window-size hollows to a massive temple boasting a 115-foot Buddha statue.

Note: Tours in English must be booked in advance.

www.mgk.org.cn 

Day 2, Afternoon: Try a Donkey Meat Lunch.
We dug into a plate of lurou huangmian (donkey-meat noodles) after choosing a random restaurant on the road to the airport based solely off the large number of cars in the parking lot — and the sign proclaiming it serves the intriguing dish.

Verdict: The donkey-meat noodles were good. But, in fact, the handmade noodles and pork dumplings were better.

Day 2, Evening: Souvenir Shop at Dunhuang Airport.
What Dunhuang Airport lacks in food choices, it makes up for in shopping options. Branches of all Dunhuang’s most famous souvenir stores are located after security. With time to shop, I settled on a pair of yeguangbei, or luminous wine cups, made from a type of mottled, dark green jade found only in the Qilian mountains of northwest China, and named for how it glitters in the moonlight.

Tourism China
www.tourismchina-ca.com