Which province does Dunhuang belong to?

Dunhuang is located at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces (regions). With a population of more than 180,000, the city's economy is mainly based on agriculture, followed by the tourism service industry. Dunhuang is famous for its former glory and profound cultural connotation.

Dunhuang is surrounded by the majestic Qilian Mountains to the south, the vast Taklimakan Desert to the west, the rugged Besai Mountains to the north, and the Sanwei Mountains with abrupt peaks and rocks to the east. It covers an area of ??31,200 square kilometers. It has a warm temperate climate. The annual rainfall is only 39.9 mm, while the evaporation is as high as 2400 mm. There is ample sunshine and a long frost-free period. In this small natural basin embraced by mountains, the snowy water of the Danghe River nourishes the fertile fields and fertile soil, and the shade of green trees blocks the black wind and yellow sand; the harvest of grain and cotton is guaranteed despite droughts and floods, and the melons and fruits are fragrant all year round; the wonders of the desert are mysterious and unpredictable, and the Gobi Fantasy Sea The world-famous cultural relics and numerous talented people... Beautiful Dunhuang is a rich, magical and attractive land. "Dun means great; Huang means prosperous." The grand and glorious Dunhuang has a long history and splendid culture! As early as the end of primitive society, the Sanmiao people who were moved to Hexi after the failure of the tribal war in the Central Plains thrived here. They mainly hunted and began to master primitive agricultural production techniques. Neolithic stone knives, stone axes, pottery and bronze vessels have been excavated in the Dunhuang area. During the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, Dunhuang was within the scope of Gu Guazhou, and there were descendants of the Sanmiao people. At that time, the Qiangrong people settled here as nomads. Many rock paintings left by nomadic people were discovered in the Dunhuang area and are still vivid in our minds. During the Warring States and Qin Dynasties, the Dayuezhi, Wusun and Sezhong people lived in the Dunhuang area. Later, the Dayue clan became stronger and annexed the original Qiang Rong. At the end of the Warring States Period, the Dayuezhi people drove away the Wusun and Sezhong people and monopolized Dunhuang until the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty.

Dunhuang has experienced the baptism of the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. It has a splendid culture and is full of historical sites, including Mogao Grottoes, Yulin Grottoes, West Thousand Buddha Caves and other major landscapes. The Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Dunhuang Grottoes, are known as the "Pearl of Oriental Art" and are the largest existing grottoes in China. They have preserved 492 caves from ten dynasties and a history of thousands of years, more than 45,000 square meters of murals, and more than 2,000 colored sculptures. The themes are mostly taken from Buddhist stories, and there are also murals reflecting the folk customs, farming and weaving, hunting, weddings and funerals, festive joys, etc. at that time. The craftsmanship of these murals and painted sculptures are unparalleled, and they are recognized as the "dawn of human civilization" and a treasure trove of Buddhist art in the world.

In the second year of Kaixi of Ningzong of the Song Dynasty (1206 AD), Taizu Temujin (Genghis Khan) of the Yuan Dynasty unified the tribes in Mobei and established a powerful tribal alliance. In 1227, the Mongolian army destroyed Xixia and conquered Shazhou and other places. The Hexi area was owned by the Yuan Dynasty. After that, Dunhuang was promoted to Shazhou Road and belonged to Gansu Xingzhongshu Province. Later, he was promoted to the general manager of Shazhou. The Yuan Dynasty's expedition to the west must pass through Dunhuang. At that time, the two prefectures of Gua and Sha were heavily stationed with troops and camps, and farmers and soldiers were stationed all over the Danghe and Shule river basins. Dunhuang once showed a scene of economic and cultural prosperity, and trade with the Western Regions became more frequent. The famous Italian traveler Marco Polo traveled to various parts of the Central Plains via Dunhuang during this period. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty also believed in Buddhism. The excavation of Mogao Grottoes continued. There are about 10 Yuan Dynasty caves in existence. Since the Yuan Dynasty, Qianli Hexi has gradually lost its former glory.

After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, in order to wipe out the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, he sent Song Guogong Feng Sheng to lead three troops to pacify Hexi and win, built the Jiayuguan Ming Great Wall and rebuilt Suzhou City. In order to strengthen the defense of the northwest frontier, the Ming Dynasty established the Seven Guards of Kansai. In the third year of Yongle (1405 AD), Shazhou Guard was established in Dunhuang. Later, Turpan captured Hami and Dunhuang faced threats. The Ming Dynasty also set up Handong Left Guard in the ancient city of Shazhou. In the eleventh year of Zhengde (1516 AD), Dunhuang was occupied by Turpan. In the third year of Jiajing (1524 AD), the Ming Dynasty ordered the closure of Jiayuguan Pass, moved the civilians of Guanxi into the pass, and abandoned the two prefectures of Gua and Sha. For the next two hundred years, Dunhuang was deserted without any buildings, and became a desert land where "the wind spreads the willows across the sky thousands of miles away, and the moon shines on the quicksand for a day".

In the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty gradually recovered the vast area outside Jiayuguan Pass. In the third year of Yongzheng (AD 1725), Shazhou Guard was established in Dunhuang, and 2,400 households from all over Gansu Province began to immigrate to Dunhuang to reclaim wasteland. At the same time, a large number of soldiers and civilians moved to Turpan and Lop Nur to the Shazhou area. At the end of Yongzheng's reign, Shazhou had more than 100,000 acres of cultivated land, and 10 canals of water were diverted from the Dang River for irrigation. Agriculture was rapidly restored and developed, forming a Gobi oasis in the west of the Hexi Corridor. In the 25th year of Qianlong's reign (1760), Shazhou Wei was promoted to Dunhuang County, which was under the direct jurisdiction of Anxi. Until the Revolution of 1911 and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Dunhuang had been the seat of the county capital. In 1987, with the approval of the State Council, the county was removed and Dunhuang City was established. In 1986, it was named a "Famous Historical and Cultural City in China" by the State Council.

Dunhuang has gone through many vicissitudes of life, with several ups and downs, and has walked a long and tortuous journey of nearly five thousand years. The splendid ancient culture of Dunhuang nurtured by its long history makes Dunhuang still brilliant; the cultural relics and relics everywhere, the numerous classics and documents, the exquisite grotto art, the mysterious mountains and rivers... make this ancient city shine and make it an oasis in the Gobi. It becomes more and more lush and vibrant, like a piece of verdant jade inlaid on the golden desert, more beautiful and more brilliant.

Dunhuang City is located in the northwest of Gansu Province and is under the jurisdiction of Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. East longitude 92°13′-95°30′, north latitude 39°53′-41°35′.

It is connected to Guazhou County, Subei Mongolian Autonomous County and Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County to the east and west respectively. The city has a total area of ??31,200 square kilometers, of which the oasis area is 1,400 square kilometers, accounting for only 4.5% of the total area. It is surrounded by the Gobi Desert, so it is known as the "Gobi Oasis". The city's total population is 180,000, of which 93,000 are agricultural residents. The Han people account for the vast majority of the total population, and the 10 ethnic minorities including Hui, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur, Miao, Manchu, Tujia, Kazakh, Dongxiang, and Yugu only account for 1.06% of the total population.