trail of discovery

SILK ROAD

Route: Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xining, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Qaidam Basin, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye.

Silk, porcelain and spice, all steeped in history. Route played an important part in early economic and cultural exchanges.

Recommended sites: Qinghai Lake's Bird Island in Qinghai province; swan natural reserve in Bayanbulak Grassland in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi province; Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang; and Jiayuguan Pass of the Great Wall in Gansu province.