Silk Road Educational Tour

After arriving in Dunhuang, proceed to the pre-booked hotel to check in. For the remaining time, you can choose to rest, wander around the area near the hotel, taste local cuisines, or purchase daily necessities—all of which will help you gain a preliminary understanding of Dunhuang.

Gather in the evening to attend the opening ceremony, where mentors will explain the core objectives and precautions of this educational tour. With the theme of "Dunhuang Guardian", this study tour focuses on protecting and inheriting Dunhuang culture. During the tour, students will learn knowledge related to the history and culture of the Dunhuang Silk Road and the millennium-old grotto art of Mogao Grottoes.

Attending the Opening Ceremony

After having breakfast at the hotel, students take a bus to Mingsha Mountain · Crescent Moon Spring Scenic Area. On the way, the tour guide will briefly introduce the scenic spots. Upon arrival, students will, with the assistance of professional camel handlers, ride desert camels and move slowly along the desert trail. During the ride, they can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the scenic area and learn about the important role of camels in the caravans of the ancient Silk Road.

Then, they start an in-depth exploration of Mingsha Mountain Scenic Area. Led by the tour guide, students will experience hiking up Mingsha Mountain. After reaching the top, they can overlook the entire desert landform of Mingsha Mountain and the scenery of Crescent Moon Spring. After going down the mountain, they head to the side of Crescent Moon Spring to observe this natural lake in the desert up close and listen to the tour guide explain the geological origin of Crescent Moon Spring and the ecological miracle of "coexistence of sand and water". Through the exploration in the scenic area, students gain a preliminary understanding of Dunhuang's geographical environment and feel the historical background of Dunhuang becoming a Silk Road hub relying on its natural landforms.

Experience of Riding a Camel

Students Climbing Mingsha Mountain

After the lunch break, students take a bus to Dunhuang Museum. Guided by the museum docents, they visit core exhibition areas such as the "Dunhuang History and Culture Exhibition" and the "Silk Road Cultural Relics Exhibition". They learn about the historical changes of Dunhuang from the Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the cultural relics that witness the trade exchanges on the Silk Road, as well as the replicas of murals and sculptures in Mogao Grottoes, so as to deeply understand the cultural value of Dunhuang as the "Pearl of the Silk Road".

Dunhuang Museum

After dinner, students take a bus to the "See Dunhuang Again" theater to watch the live-action performance See Dunhuang Again. With Dunhuang culture as its theme, this performance reproduces the millennium-long glory of Mogao Grottoes and the legendary stories on the Silk Road through artistic forms, allowing students to have an immersive experience of the charm of Dunhuang culture. Students can also go backstage, where professional dance teachers will personally teach simple dance moves. They can get close to the stories behind the scenes and on the stage, and further experience the charm of Dunhuang culture.

Your Journey’s Rewards:

By exploring Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring on camels, students not only learn about the formation causes of the natural wonders in the scenic area, but also gain a preliminary understanding of Dunhuang's geographical environment and feel the historical background of Dunhuang becoming a Silk Road hub relying on its natural landforms.

Educational Focus:

Why can Crescent Moon Spring in the desert "remain unfrozen and undried for thousands of years" and maintain its water source all the time?

Takeaway:

This mainly depends on three factors: the geological conditions of the area where Crescent Moon Spring is located, the low-lying topographic conditions, and the abundant groundwater recharge. The Quaternary loose sediments in the underlying stratum of the area where Crescent Moon Spring is located have a single structure and a huge thickness, which provide favorable space conditions for the runoff, discharge and storage of groundwater in the spring area. Dunhuang City attaches great importance to ecological protection. Through measures such as closing wells to reduce farmland irrigation and water-saving irrigation, the groundwater level has been continuously rising, and groundwater continuously recharges Crescent Moon Spring. Therefore, Crescent Moon Spring has been able to withstand thousands of years of extreme weather in the desert without drying up.

Thought Challenge:

As the "Ship of the Desert", what important roles did camels play in promoting the development of the ancient Silk Road?

After breakfast, students take a bus to Yadan National Geopark to start their geological exploration. Dunhuang Yadan landform is the largest, most mature in geological development and most valuable for viewing among the Yadan landform groups discovered in the world so far. Led by tutors, students visit the geological wonders in the park, learn the formation principle of Yadan landform, and enrich their geographical knowledge.

Exploring the Yardang Landform

In the afternoon, students take a bus to Yumen Pass Scenic Area. Yumen Pass, with rich historical and cultural heritage, is one of the important passes on the Silk Road. Upon arrival, students will put on Hanfu first. They will attend a welcome ceremony, then participate in the Kaibi Ceremony (the opening ceremony for beginners' writing) and bamboo slip classes at Yumen Pass, experiencing Han Dynasty etiquette in an immersive way and learning the historical culture of the Han Dynasty. Finally, they visit historical relics such as Yumen Pass Ruins, Han Great Wall Ruins and Hecang City Ruins, gaining an in-depth understanding of the history and culture of Yumen Pass, as well as the prosperity and changes of Dunhuang, Yangguan and Yumen Pass during the Han and Tang Dynasties, thus enhancing their experience and perception of traditional culture.

Yumen Pass

Wearing Hanfu to Experience the Culture of the Han Dynasty

Your Journey’s Rewards:

By visiting Yadan National Geopark, students observed the unique landform formed by wind erosion up close, understood the formation principle of Yadan landscape, and at the same time recognized the particularity of Dunhuang's geological environment and its impact on the transportation of the ancient Silk Road. At Yumen Pass Scenic Area, students put on Hanfu to experience the etiquette culture of the Han Dynasty in an immersive manner; by visiting the historical relics of Yumen Pass, they gained an in-depth understanding of the history and culture of Yumen Pass, as well as the prosperity and changes of Dunhuang, Yangguan and Yumen Pass during the Han and Tang Dynasties, which enhanced their experience and perception of traditional culture.

Educational Focus:

What key natural conditions are required for the formation of Yadan landform?

Takeaway:

There are two important factors for the formation of Yadan landform. One is the geological basis for the development of this landform, that is, there must be lacustrine sedimentary strata; the other is external erosion, namely the abrasion of strong directional winds and erosion of running water in the desert. Under the long-term abrasion of wind, the lower part of small hills often suffers from stronger denudation and gradually forms an inward concave shape. If the rock stratum on the upper part of the small hill is relatively loose, it is easy to collapse under the action of gravity to form a steep wall, thus forming the Yadan landform.

Thought Challenge:

Based on the formation process of Yadan landform, predict what changes this landscape may undergo in the future and what measures humans can take to protect this geological wonder?

In the morning, students gather and head to the starting point of the ancient Silk Road to begin their hiking exploration of this historic route. Before the hike, under the guidance of teachers, students need to complete a scientific physical training session to prepare for the Gobi hiking challenge. During the hike, students explore Dunhuang’s diverse geological landforms, including the Gobi, hills, saline-alkali land, wetlands, Yadan clusters, small sand dunes, and tamarisk forests. The Gobi hiking expedition helps cultivate students’ inner resilience. By retracing the ancient Silk Road, they witness the culture of historical relics and gain insights into Xuanzang’s spirit.

Doing Warm-up Exercises Before Hiking Under the Teacher's Guidance

Students Are Hiking

After hiking to the finish line, students have lunch, and then take a bus to Yangguan. First, they visit the Silk Road Exhibition Hall. Through the displayed cultural relics, pictures, and text introductions, they learn about the background of the Silk Road’s formation, its development process, its role and historical status in economic and social development, as well as its historical and cultural connotations, thus gaining an in-depth understanding of the Silk Road’s history and culture. Later, they receive a customs pass and participate in the exit ceremony. During the ceremony, students take part in a knowledge competition about the Silk Road’s history, Yangguan’s culture, and other related topics, engaging in question-and-answer interactions with tutors and classmates to deepen their learning of Silk Road-related knowledge.

Students return to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, they start creating the draft sketches of Dunhuang murals. Drawing inspiration from what they saw and felt during the daytime hike on the ancient Silk Road and their historical experience at Yangguan, students can paint the Dunhuang that exists in their hearts.

Your Journey’s Rewards:

Through the Gobi hiking expedition, students develop inner resilience. By retracing the ancient Silk Road, they witness the culture of historical relics and gain insights into Xuanzang’s spirit. At Yangguan, they learn about the background of the Silk Road’s formation, its development process, its role and historical status in economic and social development, and its historical and cultural connotations, achieving an in-depth understanding of the Silk Road’s history and culture.

Educational Focus:

What role did Yangguan play in the ancient Silk Road?

Takeaway:

Yangguan was an important pass and strategic location on the ancient Silk Road leading to the Western Regions. As the gateway to the southern route of the Silk Road, it played a crucial role in military defense, material transportation, personnel travel, and the promotion of cultural exchanges, serving as a vital bridge and link connecting the Central Plains with the Western world.

Thought Challenge:

What factors led to the rise and fall of the ancient Silk Road in Dunhuang?

Students depart from the hotel in the morning and head to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Center, where they watch two digital films: Millennium Mogao and Dream Buddha Palace. In the films, students can view a comprehensive presentation of 7 classic grottoes with the highest artistic value from different historical periods of Mogao Grottoes, including details such as the exquisite statues and brilliant murals inside the grottoes. They can also learn about the formation of the Silk Road, the eastward spread of Buddhism, and the construction of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. This enables students to gain a relatively in-depth understanding of the profound history of Mogao Grottoes before visiting the actual grottoes. Later, they visit Mogao Grottoes in person, and this on-site visit helps them better understand the cultural connotation and humanistic value of Mogao Grottoes.

Students Go to Explore Mogao Grottoes

Appreciating the Artistic Value of Murals

After lunch, students go to the wall painting creation base. Under the guidance of local painting artists, they carry out mural art creation in groups. Students can draw on the artistic elements learned at Mogao Grottoes in the morning or their experiences and observations during the past few days in Dunhuang, give full play to their creativity, and paint Dunhuang as they see and perceive it into exclusive murals, completing the output of the "Dunhuang Guardian" course. Through this creation, students can deepen their understanding of Dunhuang art, while establishing the awareness of inheriting and protecting Dunhuang culture and cultivating their sense of social responsibility.

After dinner, students attend the closing ceremony. During the ceremony, they share the knowledge about Dunhuang they have learned over the past few days and report on the results of their murals.

Your Journey’s Rewards:

By visiting Mogao Grottoes and Mogao Li Craftsman Village, students explore the millennia-old artistic treasure trove of Mogao and learn the knowledge and skills of mural copying techniques. Later, they enter Dunhuang villages and work with local painting artists to complete the creation of themed murals, which inspires students' awareness and sense of mission to protect and inherit Dunhuang art and culture.

Educational Focus:

What is the "Spirit of Mogao" embodied in Mogao Grottoes?

Takeaway:

The Spirit of Mogao refers to persisting in the desert, being willing to dedicate, having the courage to take responsibility, and forging ahead with pioneering spirit. This spirit has inspired generations of Dunhuang guardians to stick to their posts and make silent contributions. Students can intuitively perceive this spirit through their visit to Mogao Grottoes; in the mural creation session, students not only inherit the Dunhuang art style but also integrate their personal understanding into their creations, which is exactly the practice of the "Spirit of Mogao".

Thought Challenge:

Why have the murals of Mogao Grottoes been preserved for thousands of years?

Wake up in the morning and have breakfast at the hotel. After that, check out and be sent to the airport by the driver, which marks the end of the entire trip.