IMAGE © MICHAEL LEEIt was worth the extra paperwork.Once we’d exited the gate, we were
greeted with the sight of the Gobi
Desert stretching before us. It may
seem romantic now, but for formerly
disgraced officials and criminals,
the sight of this barren stretch of
sand meant exile, and a lifetime
sentence of destitute isolation.
This accounts for the gate’s other
name, “the Gate of Sighs”.
Thankfully, today, any “crimes”are more for jest than actual
banishment: The current (very
animated) officer at the gate
bequeaths you with your “ancient
passport” by shouting out your name
and “purpose” for travelling. Within
our group, this included “a trip to
Persia to marry a prince”, and – less
glamorously – “opium trafficking”!
The day was capped off with a meal
of roasted lamb, slow-cooked whole
in a brick oven.
Our fifth day took us to the
Yumen Pass and the Dunhuang
Yardang National Geopark – another
impressive expanse of eerie rock
formations. An expedition wouldn’t
be deserving of its name withoutencountering all weathers, but it was
nevertheless with some trepidation
that I stepped out into a sandstorm
that morning. Thankfully, many of
our group were well-prepared with
facemasks and caps. I, on the other
hand, was not as equipped, so I was
quite happy to seek refuge in the
hotel at the end of the day – and
empty out the fine dust that had
gathered in my ears!
This was, admittedly, the low-
point of the trip, but reparations
were made that evening with a
spontaneous trip to an extravagant
cultural show, fittingly called “Silk
Road”. Once held at the “Great Hall
of the People”, it was exclusively
reserved for government officials
and foreign leaders, but is now open
to the public.
This was a more diverting take
on the Silk Road’s history, using
dance and song to portray the
vivid cultural traditions and artistic
legacies of Dunhuang and the Silk
Road. The integration of dramatic
lighting, brilliant choreography, and
the opulent stage design made for a
thoroughly entertaining evening.A view of the Black Mountains (foreground) and Qilian Mountains (background)IMAGE © EDDIE CHOW“Silk Road” Cultural Show