Surrounded by mountains and the desert, Dunhuang is a small city of 140,000 people located in a remote part of Gansu. Tourism plays a big role in the economy thanks to its rich history being a stop along the Silk Road.
Yangguan Pass used to be the end of the Chinese Empire during the Silk Road days. A crumbling beacon tower is all that remains, while the other buildings before that are more modern creations to help tourists navigate the site.
Crescent Lake is an oasis in the middle of the desert just outside Dunhuang. Camels herd tourists from the visitor's centre to the site, but I opted for the shuttle bus instead. There were plenty of camels, and the guide mentioned each needs to be licensed.
You can pay for a lot of things on top of your admission, from camel rides to the bright orange shoe covers which are great to keep the fine sand out. Looking around at the bright orange landscape, you can see just how crowded this place gets even though it is in the middle of nowhere.
Fall colours are generally yellow as the leaves don't turn red before falling off.
The dry climate means this region, from Gansu stretching all the way to Xinjiang along the Silk Road, is a major source of raisins and nuts.
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