Tourism Development: What Makes China’s Gansu Province Tick

Though considered as one of the country’s least developed provinces, Gansu has much to offer to the curious.

Gansu Province in northwestern China is not as developed as other parts of the country - especially in the east and south. But this does not mean that Gansu is so backward. Rather, the province is host to China’s nuclear and space programmes and boasts a number of alluring tourist destinations. Amongst such attractions are Jiayuguan Pass, Mogao Caves and the Mingsha sand dunes near Dunhuang City.

Jiayuguan Fortress in the Gobi desert is not only the western starting point of the Great Wall of China that stretches 21,196.18 km across 15 of the country’s 36 provinces and regions, but is also a vital pass on the ancient Silk Road. In the Ming Dynasty, Jiayuguan Fort served as bulwark against attacks from the northwest. The Great Wall at Jiayuguan was begun by Feng Sheng, a Ming Dynasty officer in 1372 during the reign of Emperor Hongwu. Construction lasted 168 years from 1372 to 1540, with builders using loess soil tamped together in layers to make the wall very solid. On average, each fortification layer is 14 cm thick, while the wall outside the fortress is about 6 metres high.

Mogao Caves, a Buddhist art treasure shrine, is located 25 km from Dunhuang City on the eastern slope of the Echoing Sand Mountain. Some of the cave openings built into a long desert wall are 50 metres high. According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had a vision of a thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays and went on to begin constructing the caves, a task that lasted 10 dynasties. A...