Dunhuang Ancient City Film Set
敦煌古城
A film base built to imitate the Shazhou city of the Song dynasty. Films including “New Dragon Inn” and “Hero” were shot here, and its city towers stand against the desert.
Dunhuang Ancient City lies in the Gobi about 20 km southwest of the city. It was built in 1987 for the China-Japan co-production film “Dunhuang.” Based on the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” scroll and the layout of Shazhou city in the Song dynasty, it has city gates, walls, streets, temples and houses as film sets. Later, films and TV dramas including “New Dragon Inn,” “Hero” and “Heroes of the Heavens and Earth” were shot here. Visitors can change into period costumes for photos and climb the city towers to watch the sunset over the Gobi. Entrance is about 40 yuan (confirm on site). A visit takes about one hour. It is often combined with Yangguan and the Western Thousand Buddha Caves for a half-day southwest tour.
Opening hours
Approx. 08:00–19:00 (seasonal changes)
Nearby sights
- Dunhuang 100MW Molten Salt Solar Tower
- White Horse Pagoda
- Dunhuang Museum
- Dunhuang Grand Show
- Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake
- Leiyin Temple
- Reverse-Pipa Statue & Danghe Riverside
- Dunhuang Night Market