Hexi corridor

Hexi corridor or Gansu corridor, to the west of the Yellow River, has always been a vital passageway of the Old Silk Road from 2nd C. BC to AD 13th C., along which Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Zhangye and Wuwei were important political, economic, and cultural exchange centers. This is really a narrow but long stretched passage lasting for 1200 kilometers from steep Wushaolin hillside to Xingxingxia Gorge at the border of Gansu and Xinjiang. There are many fertile oasis surrounded by vast expanse of Gobi-desert, sandwiched in between snow-covered Qilian Mountain to the south and north mountain and deserts to the north.

Today, the Hexi Corridor is a must on the silk road tour as tourists heading westward may enjoy a full view of the beautiful scenery and have glimpses of the ancient civilization, the beacon towers of the Great Wall on the Gobi, posts on the Silk Road and sheep flocks in the oases and at the foot of snow-crapped mountains.