WHEN
ASIAN Geographic's first Silk Road
expedition to China will run from
June 4–10, 2017
WHERE
All participants are responsible for their
own international airfares to and from
Shanghai’s Pudong Airport. The trip will
include domestic travel from Shanghai to
Lanzhou to begin the trip, and return from
Dunhuang to Lanzhou, return to Lanzhou
and to Shanghai
HOW
Book your place through the Asian
Geographic website. The cost per person
is SGD2,488, and includes domestic
transport, insurance, accommodation
and meals (excluding alcoholic drinks).
Fly to Pudong Airport from Singapore
(5 hours 15 minutes), Bangkok (4 hours
20 minutes) and Manila (2 hours 45 minutes)EXPEDITION
INFORMATIONROBERT YEO travelled to China with Michael
Lee of XA Travel, who are official partners
with Asian Geographic Expeditions 2017from which to watch the sunset drench
the basin in shades of orange.
Following an early start and a
detour via the White Horse Pagoda,
we made our way to Xuan Bi Chang
Cheng (悬壁长城), translating to
“Overhanging Great Wall”, which was
thought to have been built during
the Ming Dynasty between 1539 and
1540 by commander Li Han in order to
strengthen the Jiayu Pass defence.
It formed the entry pass at the western
end of the Great Wall of China.
THE RAINBOW RANGE
The next morning, we arrived at the
first pier of the Great Wall. Built along
the cliffs surrounding the Beida River,
this area once played host to several
military camps. By the afternoon,
we were headed east towards the
Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological
Park. The landforms here resemble a
multicoloured layer cake, consisting
of strata of different coloured
sandstone and minerals, forged over
the course of 24 million years.
Marked as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site since 2010, it is thought
that at one time, the area was
completely submerged underwater.
Over the years, the landscape emerged,
shaped by the movement of tectonic
plates and the onslaught of wind and
rain, carving out the cliffs and ravines
that we find today. This was a highlight
of the trip – and a good note to end on.
We began the journey home,
driving the long road back to Lanzhou
from Zhangye, passing by mysterious
Tibetan mani stones and golden
rapeseed plantations – some of the
largest in the world – before arriving in
Lanzhou for our respective flights out.
Having been to the first pass of
the Great Wall in the west, I hope to
make the journey to the first pass of
the Great Wall in the east. Personally,
this trip was one of the best I’ve
experienced in my lifetime. It was an
eye-opening journey that allowed me to
learn more about Chinese art, heritage
and culture, and the fascinating history
of the Silk Road. agpabove The 1,096-kilometre journey
from Lanzhou to Dunhuang is made by
travelling past the Qilian Mountains
and along the Hexi Corridor