Hexi Corridor

A long, narrow passage along the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, where Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang string together a thousand years of Silk Road civilization.

The Hexi Corridor lies in Gansu, west of the Yellow River between the Qilian Mountains and the Heli and Longshou Mountains, stretching about 1,000 km from Wushaoling in the east to Yumen Pass and Yang Pass in the west, and was the throat of the ancient Silk Road. The eastern gateway is Lanzhou (Yellow River Iron Bridge, Gansu Provincial Museum), and heading west the stops are Wuwei (Leitai, where the Flying Horse bronze was unearthed, and Tianti Mountain Grottoes), Zhangye (Rainbow Danxia, Mati Temple, Giant Buddha Temple), Jiuquan and Jiayuguan (the western starting point of the Ming Great Wall), Guazhou (Yulin Grottoes, Suoyang City) and Dunhuang (Mogao Grottoes, Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake, Yardang Ghost City, Yumen Pass). You can plan 6–8 days from Lanzhou to Dunhuang; the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway makes linking them easiest, though some sites require a chartered car. Mogao Grottoes uses reservations and visitor caps, so book tickets early in peak season; in the Gobi areas summer sun is strong and day–night temperature swings are large. The Hexi Corridor is often combined with the Qinghai section as the Qinghai–Gansu Grand Loop. It is also an important wine and fruit region in China: the wineries of Zhangye, Wuwei and Jiayuguan, Dunhuang's Li Guang apricots and Guazhou's honey melons are all distinctive; in the evening, Dunhuang's Shazhou Night Market and the show Dunhuang Revisited are also worth scheduling.

Destinations

Itineraries