The Silk Road has more than 2,000 years of history. It began in Chang'an
(present Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) in the east and stretched to Rome,
Italy in the west. The route crosses Shaanxi,
Gansu, Qinghai
provinces, Ningxia
Hui and Xinjiang
Uygur autonomous regions and then passes over the Pamirs, to extend
to Central and West Asia and finally reaches the east bank of the
Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Europe. The total length of the Silk
Road is more than 2,485 miles, over half of the width of China.
The Silk Road was the main artery for business and trade between China
and the West. It has played an important role in the exchanges of
cultural and trade-goods. As many people already know, China's four
major contributions to civilization are papermaking, printing, compass
and gunpowder. They were introduced to Western countries via the Silk
Road. In return, many aspects of Western civilization that influenced
Chinese society made their way back along this road. The Silk Road
has been an indispensable instrument in the opening up and developing
of cross-cultural friendship. Although modern society is no longer
dependent upon this ancient and time consuming method of interaction,
the history and spirit of the Silk Road are still a dream sought by
tourists either from the East or the West.
Along the Chinese section
of the Silk Road, there are numerous famous historic and cultural
sites. The best known is in Xi'an, where the life-sized Terra-cotta
Warriors and Horses were excavated from sites near the tomb of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang, known as the eighth wonder of the world. Of the countless
other attractions, there are also Dunhuang's Mogao Grottoes, sometimes
called an "Oriental Art Treasure".
Loulan was an ancient state in the desert and houses the Ruins of
the Ancient City of Gaochang. The road also goes through unique and
magnificent natural surroundings, such as Flaming Mountains and Grape
Valley in Turpan City, Yadan Landform in Lop Nor, Birds Island in
Qinghai Lake and Tianchi Lake on Tianshan Mountain. These places are
very attractive to visitors.
In some areas along the Silk Road, there are many ethnic minorities,
including Uygur, Hazak and Tajik people. They have great hospitality
and unique traditional cultures, life styles, religious beliefs, songs
and dances. They add another dimension to the charm of the Silk Road.
When the central government began developing West China, they realized
the tourist resources in these regions were endless. The various tourist
facilities in the locality are improving day by day, and there have
been significant advances in communications. As a result, the Silk
Road has become one of the most attractive theme routes for tourists.
