Fact Sheets & Video - China

Xian marks the beginning of the Silk Road. It is China's oldest city and is the start of the route travelled by merchants, bandits, pilgrims and soldiers. The Silk Road stretches 5000 kilometre's west to Kashgar, just 400 kilometres from the border of Pakistan.

In the 2nd Century BC, Xian was the centre of the Chinese world. The Han Empire rivalled that of the Roman Empire which existed at the same time, yet they knew nothing of each other. They were separated by mountains and vast wasteland until one day the Emperor sent out a special envoy to recruit new allies to protect themselves against the surrounding warring tribes. Jung Xan rode off and returned 13 years later, not with people to help him fight but with those who wanted to trade, creating the Silk Road.

Xian has a population of over 7.5 million people and was China's capital, on and off for 1100 years. It is home to great treasures like the 7000 Terracotta Warriors which guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Xian was where the east met the west. Horses, gold, ivory, precious stones and glass came along the Silk Rd from Europe, Persia and Arabia. The Chinese traded in iron, bronze, jade, ceramics and the most exotic item of all, silk. The Chinese had discovered how to make silk around 2000 years BC and after that, inventions such as paper, books, gunpowder, cast iron and even the wheelbarrow soon started to follow.

By the 8th century, Xian was the biggest city in the world. Travellers came to China and exchanged ideas, philosophies and faiths such as Buddhism and eastern religions from the Arab countries. The influence of this cultural exchange is still evident in the city. The Xian Great Mosque appears more Chinese then Arabic however in 742, it was the religious centre for Arab merchants in China. There is now an entire Muslim quarter where around 75,000 Hui people live. Their ancestors arrived on the Silk Road trading goods and for any visitors, it's a great place to start your shopping!

In its 1400 year history, the fortunes of the Silk Road rose and fell as did the prosperity of Xian. The history constantly surrounds you, quite literally with the complete city walls guarding the town where the Silk Road began. The Greater Wall of China is wider than the Great Wall itself however its only 14 kilometres long compared to 10,000 kilometres! The gardens are perfectly maintained, everything is incredibly cheap and despite all the many markets and traders, you are left in peace to shop as you please.

Lanzhou, a one hour flight from Xian is the jumping off point for several Silk Road destinations. From Lanzhou, you travel for three hours up the Yellow River. The Yellow River is the 9th largest river in the world and is known as the cradle of Chinese civilisation. Contrary to what you would expect, it is very peaceful and quiet along the river with not a person in sight!

Along the river are the Binglinsi Caves. The first painting and figures appeared in the caves during the 5th Century. In total, more than 180 caves and nearly 700 statues were carved, however the names of the artists have always remained unknown. Merchants would pay to have the cave art done to ensure safe passage along the Silk Road. As the years have gone by they have been added to and touched up however most of the work done nowadays is to do with preserving the caves to keep them in pristine condition.

Parts of your journey along the Silk Road will be long and bumpy! A 6 hour bus ride across the Tibetan Plateau, also known as 'the roof of the world' will eventually get you to a place called Xiahe, the western fringe of the Silk Road. Xiahe is referred to by the Chinese as the 'Tibet Junior' and is the spiritual heart of China. When you arrive you can visit Labrang which is Tibetan Buddhism's most important monastery outside of Tibet itself. According to the Chinese theory, Feng Shui, the monastery is perfectly positioned right down in the golden basin between Shan Mountain (Dragon Mountain) and the Fen Shan Mountain over the back of the Phoenix Mountain. There is flowing water right through the middle which creates perfect harmony and balance. Aside from the 2,000 monks who live here, thousands of Tibetan pilgrims visit Labrang every year.

You can come and experience the peaceful environment where the pilgrims come and make their way around the inside and the outside of the monastery, spinning the 1200 prayer wheels along the way.

Of all the travellers on the Silk Road, the most famous was Marco Polo. He left Venice with his father when he was 17 and finally got to Beijing, 4 years later! He then stayed in China for 20 years and became a great favourite at the court of the Mongol emperor, Kublai Khan. He was also the first European to record all that he saw in the mysterious east.

Dunhuang has mountainous rolling sand dunes which Marco travelled through around 1274. He named these desert dunes the 'rumbling sands' however the locals more often refer to them as 'Ming Cha', the singing sands. Every summer, over a thousand people come up here and slide down at the same time creating a sound like the rumble of thunder! Situated right in the middle of the dunes is the Crescent Moon Lake. In more than 2000 years the lake has never dried up.

From the sand dunes to the city gates of Dunhuang, you will experience a complete change in pace with flourishing markets selling everything you could possibly need. Two thousand years ago, Dunhuang marked the western border of China however, for travellers like Marco Polo, it was the first glimpse of cultures they had never experienced before. Huge caravans would come in from the west with up to 1000 camels in one! They would stop off at the 'caravanserias' which were like truck stops. The merchants and monks coming over from the west would trade ideas and cultures with the soldiers and travellers from the town. This marked a significant point where China met the rest of the world!

Despite travelling in a country where the culture and the traditions are very different, it seems you can always find something in common with people. A game of pool or a cold beer is never too far away and is a great way to bond with the locals. China has a lot of interesting activities happening but it is a safe country to travel around. Almost every town has night markets where people come to eat and shop. The Chinese serve up the majority of the animal kingdom! You may be offered anything from pigeon breast, ox toe sinew, camel to donkey but don't worry, chicken can always be found on the menu!

From Dunhuang the next part of the Silk Road takes you 700 kilometres to Turpan which is an overnight train trip away...

Turpan is located in Xinjiang Province, the hottest, lowest part of China. Xinjiang, a vast dry plain stretches for thousands of kilometres before ending abruptly at the foot of a towering mountain range. Xinjiang is huge, four times the size of Japan. It shares an international border with eight other nations and is the largest province in China, comprising 16% of the country's land surface. The area is inhabited by about 240,000 people just over half of who are Uyghurs and the rest mostly Han.

Turpan is a small city set in a vast tract of grain fields and grape vines. Despite the concrete block architecture of the city centre, it's a pleasant, relaxing place. Some of the smaller streets have pavements covered with grapevine trellises, which serve an additional purpose in the heat of summer.

Water is brought to Turpan along the famous Karez, the maze of Persian style irrigation tunnels and wells that transport water from the Heavenly Mountains down into the city. The Karez is what keeps this town alive and it's been doing so for two thousand years. Along with the Great Wall and the Great Canal, it's one of the ancient wonders of China. Ingenious!

Once an important destination of the Silk Road, Turpan was also a Buddhist centre before the people were converted to Islam in the 8th century. The city was actually named after the majority Turkish speaking Muslim Uyghurs at a time when more than 90% of the population was non-Chinese. Turpan is still largely Moslem and you can see many beautiful buildings such as the Emin Minaret.

On the beautifully decorated town mosques, you'll find the key to Turpan's success - grape vines. If you'd like to taste some of that success, Grape Valley is only ten minutes away. For a country that only drinks half a glass of wine per person a year, the wine is pretty good.

Across Grape Valley is the ancient city of Jioahe. The town began a hundred years before Christ and by the 8th century 7000 people were living and trading in the city. Jiaohe at this time was not even part of China. The city's natural defences could not hold of the Mongol armies and in the 1200's they crushed Jiaohe.

Just outside of Turpan, you'll find the Flaming Mountains. They stretch for hundred of kilometres and separate Turpan from the Taklimakan Desert.

Kashgar, the last stop on the Silk Road, is in the province of Xinjiang, Xinjiang is huge, about four times the size of Japan. It shares an international border with eight other nations and is the largest province in China, comprising 16% of the country's land surface. The city of Kashgar is closer to Moscow and Delhi than to Beijing and just 400 kilometres from the border of Pakistan.

The province was named after majority Turkish speaking Muslim Uyghurs at a time when more than 90% of the population was non Chinese. The north traditionally consisted of nomadic pastoralists, such as the Kazakhs, while the Uyghurs are settled in the south in fertile oasis scattered along the ancient Silk Road.

Kashgar's once relative inaccessibility has had a potent effect on its character, setting it a world apart, even from the rest of Xinjiang, much less from the rest of China. The name Kashgar sparks images of a remote desert oasis, the sole outpost of civilisation leading from the vast deserts to the icy peaks, along with exotic bazaars and colourful silks. Kashgar is no longer so remote but still retains an air of the exotic, mainly due to its amazing ethnic cultural mix.

Once a week Kashgar's population swells by 50,000 as people stream into the Sunday Market - described as the most mind boggling bazaar in Asia. By sunrise the roads east of town are a sea of pedestrians, horses, bikes, motorcycles, donkey carts, trucks and tuk tuks. The market offers passers by everything from silks, knives, clothes, livestock, food and more. You can bargain for 60 to 70% off the stated price!

Another major attraction in this city is Kashgar's main Mosque the Idkah Mosque, located in the centre of the city. The yellow and white structure has a central dome and the flanking minarets, usually associated with mosques in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Shakesimirzha, a ruler of Kashgar, had the mosque built here first in 1442 and it was extended to its present shape through renovation work.

Being the largest in China, it attracts more than 10,000 worshipers for prayers on a Friday afternoon. The different buildings consist of Hall of Prayer, Doctrine-Teaching Hall, a gate tower, a pond and some auxiliary rooms.

FURTHER INFORMATION

China Southern Airlines fly to Beijing via Guangzhou from both Melbourne and Sydney.

Contact your Travel Agent or China Southern Airlines by phone - Sydney (02) 9233 9788, Melbourne (03) 8676 0088 or head to their website (listed in the 'Related Links' section of this fact sheet).

Travel Indochina - Call them on 1300 365 355 or visit their website (listed in the 'Related Links' section of this fact sheet).