DunHuang is situated in a rich oasis within the Gobi Desert that includes Crescent Lake.
DunHuang held a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern Silk Route and the main road leading from India via Lhasa to Mongolia and Southern Siberia, as well as the entrance to the narrow HeXi Corridor, which led straight to the heart of the northern China plains and the ancient capitals of Chang'An (known today as Xi'An) and LuoYang.
The Gobi Desert is a 'rain shadow desert', formed by the Himalayan mountain range blocking rain-carrying clouds from the Indian Ocean.
YinChuan, 'Silver River', lies in NingXia province, central - north China. It is located near the western bank of the upper course of the Yellow River, in the south-central section of the HeLan Shan mountains and the Ordos Desert.
Thanks to the Yellow River, YinChuan enjoys beautiful natural scenery and favorable conditions for agriculture and has long earned the fame of a "River Side City in the Northwest" and "Home to Fishes and Rice".
Around the city of about 2 million are a number of interesting cultural sites, including part of the Great Wall of China (not far from the western end-point) and grand mosques (Hui minority) and lies on a trade route from cities in the far west to the east.
Nearby are the extensive Western Xia Dynasty (1038 - 1227) Tombs, 40 kilometers to the west.
There are two pagodas in YinChuan that are part of the 'Eight Famous Sceneries of NingXia': one is the HaiBao Pagoda in the northern suburb and the other is the ChengTianSi Pagoda in the west.
Sand Lake lies about 50 kilometers north of YinChuan. Being a world of desert and a large lake, it is a place of beautiful nature and a great getaway.
The immediate plains area, intensively irrigated by a system developed as long ago as the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), is very productive for agriculture.
Explore the beautiful ancient town and surrounding sand-dunes and Buddhist caves with Sticker Travel.
The second film shows the Silk Road DunHuang Hotel.
DunHuang lies at the eastern end of the old northern Silk Route, from the ancient capital of Xi'An westwards to Kashgar in XinJiang province. The Great Wall was extended westwards to here around 120 BCE during the Han dynasty (202 BCE - 220 AD). During the Han and Tang dynasties, in particular, it was an important point of communication between China and central Asia.
The MaiJiShan Grottoes are filled with thousands of Buddhist sculptures.
These were carved from the Wei dynasty to the Song dynasty by Buddhist monks who first came here via the North Silk Road.
The grottoes are close to TianShui, which is the second largest city in GanSu province in central China, with a population of approximately 3.5 milion. The city lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road by the Wei River, through which much of the trade flowed between China and the West.
The Qin state, the founding dynasty of China, arose in this part of China.
JiaYuGuan is the first pass at the western end of the Great Wall of China.
It lies 6 kilometers southwest of the city of JiaYuGuan in GanSu province. The fortress lies between two hills and near to an oasis that was then on the western edge of China.
According to legend, when JiaYuGuan was being planned, the official in charge asked the designer to estimate the number of bricks required; the designer surprised the official by giving him an exact number. The official questioned his judgment, asking him if he was sure that would be enough, so the designer added one brick to the total. When JiaYuGuan was finished, there was one brick left over, which was placed loose on one of the gates, where it remains today.
Nearby are the DunHuang Caves (also known as the MoGau Caves); these grottoes date from the 4th century AD and contain Buddhist art from over the next thousand years.
Scenes along the Silk Road in China.
Places include Hohhot (Inner Mongolia), YinChuan (NingXia), LanZhou (Gansu), TianShui (Gansu), ZhangYe (Gansu), JiaYuGuan (Gansu), DunHuang (Gansu), Urumqi (XinJiang).
Most notably, the western end of the Great Wall at JiaYuGuan and the Grottoes at DunHuang.
The Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism; it stands at the foot of Phoenix Mountain, facing Dragon Mountain.
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A pictorial introduction with images from kinabaloo.com
The wisdom of the ancients - part 1 - Lao Zi
In our view, one of the reasons why the Dao De Ching (credited to Lao Zi) is such a great work of philosophy lies in the very first words : 'The Dao that can be spoken is not the real Dao'.
The most fundamental of standing on the shoulders of anyone is to understand that the concept, the simplification, the model, is not the reality; the words are but a pointing finger, not the moon to which they are pointed.
The Dao, (Tao in older PinYin) is often translated as 'the way', which is not too far off, but it means also reality, how things are, as much as how to live the right way - that the essence of enlightenment is true sight of reality. The answer lies in seeing 'what is' rather than in a concept of what 'should be'.
A map is useful, but you need to travel that terrain yourself, with open eyes, and see the truth that cannot adequately be put into words.
Onto Daoism itself - if one thinks of life as a river, then we are not swimming in that river; we are that river.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
― Lao Zi
The wisdom of the ancients - part 2 - the Buddha
Suffering comes from attachments. Attachments include beliefs and all the identifications that make up so much of our sense of self. In other words, suffering comes from the rebirth of the past, moment to moment (reincarnation / karma).
Being free of the past is to reach nirvana.
More from the Buddha soon, but that's the essence ...
The wisdom of the ancients - part 3 - Confucius (Kong Zi)
Aside from promoting meritocracy, Confucius stressed the idea that while society may be stratified (long predating Confucius, and not what he promoted, despite what one hears) is that 'rulers' are just as obligated to serve their 'subjects'.
He also had wise words on education, and more ...
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
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