View source for Dunhuang

{{Other uses|Dunhuang (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Dunhuang
| official_name          = <!-- Official name in English if different from 'name' -->
| native_name            = 敦煌市
| native_name_lang       = zh
| other_name             = Tunhwang
| settlement_type        = [[County-level city]]
| image_skyline          = Mondsichelsee-03.JPG
| image_size             = 250px
| image_caption          = Dunhuang
| image_seal             = 
| image_map              = Location of Dunhuang within Gansu (China).png
| map_caption            = Dunhuang City (red) in Jiuquan City (yellow) and Gansu
| pushpin_map            = China Gansu#China
| pushpin_relief         = yes
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Gansu
| pushpin_map_size       = 
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = [[China]]
| subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
| subdivision_name1      = [[Gansu]]
| subdivision_type2      = [[Prefecture-level city]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[Jiuquan]]
| seat_type                = Municipal seat
| seat                     = Shazhou Town
| leader_title           = 
| leader_name            = 
| established_title      = 
| established_date       = 
| area_magnitude         = 
| area_total_km2         = 31200
| area_footnotes         = <ref name="xzqhdh"/>
| area_land_km2          = 
| area_water_km2         = 
| population_footnotes   = <ref>{{cite web  |url =http://www.jiuquan.gov.cn//jiuquan/c100027/202106/1450cc786f0c4fbe8fdf3e44bf44a092.shtml  |title =酒泉市第七次全国人口普查公报  |publisher =Government of Jiuquan  |language =zh  |date =2021-06-01  |access-date =2023-09-07  |archive-date =2024-12-07  |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20241207125346/https://www.jiuquan.gov.cn//jiuquan/c100027/202106/1450cc786f0c4fbe8fdf3e44bf44a092.shtml  |url-status =dead  }}</ref>
| population_as_of       = 2020
| population_note        = 
| population_total       = 185231
| population_metro       = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone               = [[China standard time|CST]]
| utc_offset             = +8
| coor_pinpoint          = Dunhuang municipal government
| coordinates            = {{coord|40|08|28|N|94|39|50|E|type:adm3rd_region:CN-62|display=it}}
| elevation_m            = 1142
| postal_code_type       = [[List of postal codes in China|Postal Code]]
| postal_code            = 736200
| area_code              = 
| blank_name             = 
| blank_info             = 
| website                = {{URL|www.dunhuang.gov.cn/}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Dunhuang (Chinese characters).svg|piccap="Dunhuang" in Chinese characters|picupright=0.4
|psp=Tunhwang|c={{linktext|lang=zh|敦煌}}|w=Tun<sup>1</sup>-huang<sup>2</sup>|p=Dūnhuáng|mi={{IPAc-cmn|AUD|Dun1huang2.ogg|d|un|1|.|h|uang|2}}
|j=Deon<sup>1</sup>-wong<sup>4</sup>|ci={{IPAc-yue|d|eon|1|.|w|ong|4}}
|l="Blazing Beacon"{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}
}}
{{Chinese Buddhism}}
'''Dunhuang''' (or '''DunHuang''', {{Audio|Dun1huang2.ogg|listen}}) is a [[county-level city]] in northwestern [[Gansu|Gansu Province]], Western China. According to the [[2010 Chinese census]], the city has a population of 186,027,<ref name="xzqhdh">{{cite web |date=2016-06-27 |title=|script-title=zh:敦煌市历史沿革 |trans-title=Dunhuang City Historical Development |url=http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/gs/30392.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804030425/http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/gs/30392.html |archive-date=2020-08-04 |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=xzqh.org |language=zh}}</ref> though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report">{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=|script-title=zh:敦煌市 2019 年国民经济和社会发展统计公报 |trans-title=Dunhuang 2019 Economic and Social Development Statistical Report |url=http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/userfiles/files/20200514/6372505429974754495565141.PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402203951/http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/userfiles/files/20200514/6372505429974754495565141.PDF |archive-date=2021-04-02 |access-date=2021-04-02 |publisher=Dunhuang People's Government |language=zh}}</ref> Sachu (Dunhuang) was a major stop on the ancient [[Silk Road]] and is best known for the nearby [[Mogao Caves]].

Dunhuang is situated in an [[oasis]] containing [[Crescent Lake (Dunhuang)|Crescent Lake]] and [[Singing Sand Dunes (Dunhuang)|Mingsha Shan]] ({{linktext|鳴沙山}}, meaning "Singing-Sand Mountain"), named after the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes, the [[singing sand]] phenomenon. Dunhuang commands a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern [[Silk Route]] and the main road leading from India via [[Lhasa]] to [[Mongolia]] and southern [[Siberia]],<ref name="Cable and French 1943, p. 41"/> and also controls the entrance to the narrow [[Hexi Corridor]], which leads straight to the heart of the north Chinese plains and the ancient capitals of [[Chang'an]] (today known as Xi'an) and [[Luoyang]].<ref>Lovell (2006), pp. 74–75.</ref>

Administratively, the county-level city of Dunhuang is part of the [[prefecture-level city]] of [[Jiuquan]].<ref name="govdh">{{cite web |date= |title=|script-title=zh:行政区划 |trans-title=Administrative Divisions |url=http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/lidunhuang/dunhuanggaikuang/20170104/23262264245475.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402202437/http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/lidunhuang/dunhuanggaikuang/20170104/23262264245475.htm |archive-date=2021-04-02 |accessdate=2021-04-02 |publisher=Dunhuang People's Government |language=zh-cn }}</ref> Historically, the city and/or its surrounding region has also been known by the names '''Shazhou''' (prefecture of sand) or '''Guazhou''' (prefecture of melons).<ref name="Cable and French 1943, p. 41">Cable and French (1943), p. 41.</ref> In the modern era, the two alternative names have been assigned respectively to ''Shazhou zhen'' (Shazhou town) which serves as Dunhuang's seat of government, and to the neighboring [[Guazhou County]]. 
{{TOC limit|2}}

==Etymology==
A number of derivations of the name ''Dunhuang'' have been suggested by scholars:{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
# Giles 1892: {{lang|zh|墩煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Dūnhuáng}} 'artificial mound, tumulus, beacon mound, square block of stone or wood' + 'blazing, bright, luminous'.
# Mathews (1931) 1944: {{lang|zh|敦煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tūnhuáng}}, now usually {{Transliteration|zh|Dūnhuáng}} 'regard as important, to esteem; honest, sincere, generous' + 'a great blaze; luminous, glittering'.
# McGraw-Hill 1963: {{lang|zh|敦煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Dūnhuáng}} ('honest + shining').
# Jáo and Demieville 1971 (French, ''Airs de Touen-houang''): {{lang|zh|燉煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Dùn}} ({{Transliteration|zh|tūn}}) {{Transliteration|zh|huáng}} 'noise of burning' + 'great blaze' [per Mathews].
# Lín Yǚtáng 1972: {{lang|zh|墩(煌)}} {{Transliteration|zh|Dūn}}({{Transliteration|zh|huáng}}) 'small mound (+ shining)' or {{lang|zh|燉(煌)}} {{Transliteration|zh|Dùn}}({{Transliteration|zh|huáng}}) 'to shimmer (+ shining)'.
# Kāngxī 1716: {{lang|zh|燉煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tún huáng}}, also {{lang|zh|敦煌}} {{Transliteration|zh|Tūn huáng}} [''t''=''t’''].
# Mair 1977, [[Ptolemy]]'s c. 150 ''[[Geography (Ptolemy)|Geography]]'' refers to Dunhuang as Greek {{lang|el|Θροανα}} (Throana), possibly from Iranian ''Druvana'' meaning something like "fortress for tax collecting."

==History==

===Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties===
[[File:Summer Vacation 2007, 263, Watchtower In The Morning Light, Dunhuang, Gansu Province.jpg|thumb|left|The ruins of a [[Han dynasty]] (202 BC – 220 AD) Chinese [[watchtower]] made of [[rammed earth]] at Dunhuang]]
There is evidence of habitation in the area as early as 2,000 BC, possibly by people recorded as the [[Qiang (historical people)|Qiang]] in Chinese history. According to [[Zuo Zhuan]] and [[Book of the Later Han]], the Dunhuang region was a part of the ancient Guazhou, which was known for its production of melons.<ref>{{cite book |title=Book of the Later Han|chapter=5 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8 |quote=古瓜州，出美瓜。}}</ref> Its name was also mentioned in relation to the homeland of the [[Yuezhi]] in the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]''. Some have argued that this may refer to the unrelated [[toponymy|toponym]] [[Dunhong]] – the archaeologist Lin Meicun has also suggested that ''Dunhuan'' may be a Chinese name for the [[Tukhara]], a people widely believed to be a Central Asian offshoot of the Yuezhi.<ref>Lin Meicun (1998), ''The Western Regions of the Han–Tang Dynasties and the Chinese Civilization'' [Chinese language only], Beijing, Wenwu Chubanshe, pp.&nbsp;64–67.</ref>

===[[Warring States period]]===
During the Warring States period, the inhabitants of Dunhuang included the Dayuezhi people, Wusun people, and Saizhong people (Chinese name for Scythians). As Dayuezhi became stronger, it absorbed the Qiang tribes.

===[[Han dynasty]]===
By the third century BC, the area became dominated by the [[Xiongnu]], but came under Chinese rule during the [[Han dynasty]] after [[Emperor Wu of Han|Emperor Wu]] [[Han–Xiongnu War|defeated the Xiongnu in 121 BC]].

Dunhuang was one of the four frontier [[garrison]] towns (along with [[Jiuquan]], [[Zhangye]], and [[Wuwei, Gansu|Wuwei]]) established by the Emperor Wu after the defeat of the Xiongnu, and the Chinese built fortifications at Dunhuang and sent settlers there.  The name Dunhuang, meaning "Blazing Beacon", refers to the beacons lit to warn of attacks by marauding nomadic tribes.  Dunhuang Commandery was probably established shortly after 104 BC.<ref>Hulsewé, A. F. P. (1979). China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty. Leiden, E. Brill, . pp.75–76 {{ISBN|90-04-05884-2}}</ref>  Located in the western end of the [[Hexi Corridor]] near the historic junction of the [[Northern Silk Road|Northern]] and Southern [[Silk Road]]s, Dunhuang was a town of military importance.<ref>Hill (2015), Vol. I, pp. 137–140.</ref><blockquote>"The Great Wall was extended to Dunhuang, and a line of fortified beacon towers stretched westwards into the desert. By the second century AD, Dunhuang had a population of more than 76,000 and was a key supply base for caravans that passed through the city: those setting out for the arduous trek across the desert loaded up with water and food supplies, and others arriving from the west gratefully looked upon the mirage-like sight of Dunhuang's walls, which signified safety and comfort. Dunhuang prospered on the heavy flow of traffic. The first Buddhist caves in the Dunhuang area were hewn in 353."<ref>Bonavia (2004), p. 162.</ref></blockquote>

===[[Sui dynasty]] and [[Tang dynasty]]===
[[File:White Horse Temple, Dunhuang.jpg|thumb|[[White Horse Pagoda, Dunhuang]]]]
During the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] (581–618) and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] (618–907) dynasties, it was the main stop of communication between ancient China and the rest of the world and a major hub of commerce of the Silk Road. Dunhuang was the intersection city of all three main Silk Routes (north, central, and south) during this time.

From the West also came early [[bhikkhu|Buddhist monks]], who had arrived in China by the [[1st century]], and a sizable Buddhist community eventually developed in Dunhuang. The caves carved out by the monks, originally used for meditation, developed into a place of worship and pilgrimage called the [[Mogao Caves]] or "''Caves of a Thousand Buddhas.''"<ref>The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia, by [[Frances Wood]]</ref> Several Christian, Jewish, and [[Manichaean]] artifacts have also been found in the caves (see for example [[Jingjiao Documents]]), testimony to the wide variety of people who made their way along the Silk Road. The [[Sogdia|Sogdians]] established large merchants colonies.<ref>{{Cite book |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia |publisher=UNESCO |year=2006 |isbn=978-9231032110 |pages=242}}</ref>

During the time of the [[Sixteen Kingdoms]], [[Li Gao]] established  [[Western Liang (Sixteen Kingdoms)|Western Liang]] here in 400. In 405, the capital of the Western Liang was moved from Dunhuang to [[Jiuquan]]. In 421,  Western Liang was conquered by [[Northern Liang]].

[[Image:Dunhuang2.JPG|thumb|left|150px|[[Tang dynasty|Tang period]] (618–907) [[Buddhist sutra]] fragment from Dunhuang]]
As a frontier town, Dunhuang was fought over and occupied at various times by non-Han people. After the fall of the [[Han dynasty]], it came under the rule of various nomadic tribes, such as the [[Xiongnu]] during the Northern Liang and the [[Tuoba]] during [[Northern Wei]]. The [[Tibetan Empire]] occupied Dunhuang when Tang China became weakened considerably by the [[An Lushan Rebellion]]; and even though it was later returned to Tang rule, it was under quasi-autonomous rule by the local general [[Zhang Yichao]], who expelled the Tibetans in 848. After the fall of Tang, Zhang's family formed the Kingdom of Golden Mountain in 910,<ref name="chronology">{{cite web |url=http://www.silk-road.com/dunhuang/dhhistory.html |title=Dunhuang Studies – Chronology and History |work=Silkroad Foundation |access-date=2019-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192350/http://www.silk-road.com/dunhuang/dhhistory.html |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but in 911, it came under the influence of the [[Uyghurs]]. The Zhangs were succeeded by the Cao family, who formed alliances with the Uyghurs and the [[Kingdom of Khotan]].

===[[Song dynasty]]===
During the [[Song dynasty]], Dunhuang fell outside the Chinese borders. In 1036 the [[Tangut people|Tanguts]] who founded the [[Western Xia]] dynasty captured Dunhuang.<ref name="chronology" /> From the reconquest of 848 to about 1036 (i.e. era of the [[Guiyi Circuit]]), Dunhuang was a multicultural [[entrepot]] that contained one of the largest ethnic [[Sogdia]]n communities in China following the An Lushan Rebellion. The Sogdians were [[Sinification|Sinified]] to some extent and were bilingual in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]], and wrote their documents in [[Chinese characters]], but horizontally from left to right instead of right to left in vertical lines, as Chinese was normally written at the time.<ref>Galambos, Imre (2015), "She Association Circulars from Dunhuang", in Antje Richter, ''A History of Chinese Letters and Epistolary Culture'', Brill: Leiden, Boston, pp 853–77.</ref>

===[[Yuan dynasty]]===
Dunhuang was conquered in 1227 by the [[Mongols]], and became part of the Mongol Empire in the wake of [[Kublai Khan]]'s conquest of China under the [[Yuan dynasty]].

===[[Ming dynasty]]===
During the Ming dynasty, China became a major sea power, conducting several voyages of exploration with sea routes for trade and cultural exchanges. Dunhuang went into a steep decline after the Chinese trade with the outside world became dominated by southern sea routes, and the Silk Road was officially abandoned during the [[Ming dynasty]]. It was occupied again by the Tibetans c. 1516, and also came under the influence of the [[Chagatai Khanate]] in the early sixteenth century.<ref name="historic places">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=voerPYsAB5wC&pg=PA239 |title=Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places |editor=Trudy Ring |editor2=Noelle Watson |editor3=Paul Schellinger |author=Tim Pepper |pages=239–241 |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |isbn=978-1884964046}}</ref>

===[[Qing dynasty]]===
Dunhuang was retaken by China two centuries later c. 1715, during the [[Qing dynasty]], and the present-day city of Dunhuang was established east of the ruined old city in 1725.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Whitfield, Roderick |author2=Susan Whitfield |author2-link=Susan Whitfield |author3=Neville Agnew |title=Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Art and History on the Silk Road |year=2000 |publisher=The British Library. |isbn=0-7123-4697-X}}</ref>

===[[People's Republic of China]]===
In 1988, Dunhuang was elevated from county to county-level city status.<ref name="xzqhdh"/> On March 31, 1995, [[Turpan]] and Dunhuang became sister cities.<ref name="turpanprefecture">{{cite book |script-title=zh:吐鲁番地区志 |page=64}}</ref>
[[File:DunhuangHistorisierendeTanzaufführung.jpg|thumb|[[Dunhuang dance]]]]

Today, the site is an important [[tourist]] attraction and the subject of an ongoing archaeological project. A large number of [[manuscript]]s and artifacts retrieved at Dunhuang have been digitized and made publicly available via the [[International Dunhuang Project]].<ref name="idp">{{cite web |url=http://idp.bl.uk/ |title=The International Dunhuang Project |publisher=[[International Dunhuang Project]] |access-date=29 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720084858/http://idp.bl.uk/ |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The spreading [[Kumtag Desert]], the result of long-standing [[overgrazing]] of the surrounding land, has reached the edges of the city.<ref name="AFP">{{Cite web |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAYNxnFFAPXYSNp-cSSgFpNsVh5A |title=''Ancient Chinese town on front lines of desertification battle'', AFP, Nov 20, 2007 |work=Google News }}</ref>

In 2011 satellite images showing huge structures in the desert near Dunhuang surfaced online and caused a brief media stir.<ref name="MSNBC">{{cite web |last=Wolchover |first=Natalie |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45323827 |title=''Odd patterns in Chinese desert? Spy satellite targets.'' |website=NBC News |date=16 November 2011}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Buddhist caves===
{{ main|Mogao Caves }}
A number of Buddhist cave sites are located in the Dunhuang area, the most important of these is the [[Mogao Caves]], which is located {{cvt|25|km}} southeast of Dunhuang.  There are 735 caves in Mogao, and the caves in Mogao are particularly noted for their Buddhist art,<ref>Dunhuang Mogao caves art museum</ref> as well as the hoard of manuscripts, the [[Dunhuang manuscripts]], found hidden in a sealed-up cave. Many of these caves were covered with murals and contain many Buddhist statues. Discoveries continue to be found in the caves, including excerpts from a Christian [[Bible]] dating to the [[Yuan dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://en.people.cn/english/200006/20/eng20000620_43468.html |title=Syrian Language "Holy Bible" Discovered in Dunhuang Grottoes |website=en.people.cn}}</ref>

Numerous smaller Buddhist cave sites are located in the region, including the [[Western Thousand Buddha Caves]], the Eastern Thousands Buddha Caves, and the Five Temple site.  The [[Yulin Caves]] are located further east in [[Guazhou County]].

===Other historical sites===
[[File:Mondsichelsee.JPG|thumb|Crescent Lake]]

*[[Crescent Lake (Dunhuang)|Crescent Lake]] and [[Singing Sand Dunes (Dunhuang)|Singing Sand Dunes]]
*The [[Yumen Pass]], built in 111 BC, located {{cvt|90|km}} northwest of Dunhuang in the Gobi desert.
*The [[Yang Pass]]
*[[White Horse Pagoda, Dunhuang|White Horse Pagoda]]
*[[Dunhuang Limes]]

===Museums===
in Hecang Fortress ({{lang-zh|s=河仓城 |p=Hécāngchéng}}), located about {{cvt|11|km}} northeast of the Western-Han-era [[Yumen Pass]], were built during the [[Western Han]] (202 BC – 9 AD) and significantly rebuilt during the [[Western Jin]] (280–316 AD).<ref>Wang Xudang, Li [[Zuixiong]], and Zhang Lu (2010). "Condition, Conservation, and Reinforcement of the Yumen Pass and Hecang Earthen Ruins Near Dunhuang", in Neville Agnew (ed), ''Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Conservation of Grotto Sites, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, People's Republic of China, June 28 – July 3, 2004'', 351–357. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, J. Paul Getty Trust. {{ISBN|978-1-60606-013-1}}, pp 351–352.</ref>

*[[Dunhuang County Museum]]

===Night market===
[[File:Free market in Dunhuang in 1991.jpg|thumb|Market in Dunhuang in 1991]]
Dunhuang Night Market is a [[night market]] held on the main thoroughfare, Dong Dajie, in the city centre of Dunhuang, popular with tourists during the summer months. Many souvenir items are sold, including such typical items as [[jade]], jewelry, scrolls, hangings, small sculptures, leather shows puppets, coins, Tibetan horns and Buddha statues.<ref name="Witness">{{cite book |title=China |publisher=Eye Witness Travel Guides |pages=494}}</ref> A sizable number of [[Minorities of China|members of China's ethnic minorities]] engage in business at these markets. A [[Central Asia]]n dessert or sweet is also sold, consisting of a large, sweet [[confection]] made with [[nut (fruit)|nut]]s and [[dried fruit]], sliced into the portion desired by the customer.

==Geography==

===Climate===
Dunhuang has a [[desert climate#Cold desert climates|cool arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BWk''), with an annual total precipitation of {{cvt|67|mm|2}}, the majority of which occurs in summer; precipitation occurs only in trace amounts and quickly evaporates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dunhuang Climate − Best time to visit |access-date= |url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/climate/dunhuang.htm}}</ref> Winters are long and freezing, with a 24-hour average temperature of {{cvt|−8.3|°C|1}} in January, while summers are hot, with a July average of {{cvt|24.6|°C}}; the annual mean is {{cvt|9.48|°C|1}}. The [[diurnal temperature variation]] averages {{cvt|16.1|C-change|1}} annually. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 69% in March to 82% in October, the city receives 3,258 hours of bright sunshine annually, making it one of the sunniest nationwide.

The [[Gansu Dunhuang Solar Park]] was built in the southwest suburbs of the city to harvest the abundant solar energy.

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = Dunhuang, elevation {{convert|1139|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991–present)
|Jan record high C = 12.0
|Feb record high C = 18.0
|Mar record high C = 27.8
|Apr record high C = 35.6
|May record high C = 38.2
|Jun record high C = 40.7
|Jul record high C = 43.1
|Aug record high C = 40.9
|Sep record high C = 36.4
|Oct record high C = 30.9
|Nov record high C = 20.3
|Dec record high C = 11.0
|Jan record low C = -25.7
|Feb record low C = -24.8
|Mar record low C = -15.7
|Apr record low C = -5.9
|May record low C = -0.8
|Jun record low C = 6.1
|Jul record low C = 10.7
|Aug record low C = 6.9
|Sep record low C = -3.3
|Oct record low C = -9.0
|Nov record low C = -19.6
|Dec record low C = -30.5
|Jan high C = 	-0.8
|Feb high C = 	6.0
|Mar high C = 	14.3
|Apr high C = 	22.4
|May high C = 	27.7
|Jun high C = 	31.9
|Jul high C = 	33.5
|Aug high C = 	32.3
|Sep high C = 	27.3
|Oct high C = 	19.4
|Nov high C = 	9.3
|Dec high C = 	0.6
|Jan mean C = 	-8.1
|Feb mean C = 	-2.1
|Mar mean C = 	5.9
|Apr mean C = 	13.7
|May mean C = 	19.4
|Jun mean C = 	24.1
|Jul mean C = 	25.8
|Aug mean C = 	23.9
|Sep mean C = 	17.7
|Oct mean C = 	9.2
|Nov mean C = 	1.2
|Dec mean C = 	-6.3
|Jan low C = 	-14.2
|Feb low C = 	-9.0
|Mar low C = 	-1.5
|Apr low C = 	5.5
|May low C = 	10.7
|Jun low C = 	15.7
|Jul low C = 	18.0
|Aug low C = 	15.9
|Sep low C = 	9.7
|Oct low C = 	1.5
|Nov low C = 	-5.0
|Dec low C = 	-11.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 	1.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 	0.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 	2.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 	3.2
|May precipitation mm = 	5.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 	8.7
|Jul precipitation mm = 	11.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 	5.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 	2.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 	0.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 	1.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 	1.4
|Jan humidity = 	54
|Feb humidity = 	39
|Mar humidity = 	33
|Apr humidity = 	28
|May humidity = 	30
|Jun humidity = 	37
|Jul humidity = 	42
|Aug humidity = 	44
|Sep humidity = 	45
|Oct humidity = 	45
|Nov humidity = 	49
|Dec humidity = 	56
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 	1.8
|Feb precipitation days = 	0.9
|Mar precipitation days = 	1.3
|Apr precipitation days = 	1.4
|May precipitation days = 	1.9
|Jun precipitation days = 	3.1
|Jul precipitation days = 	3.9
|Aug precipitation days = 	2.7
|Sep precipitation days = 	1.6
|Oct precipitation days = 	0.6
|Nov precipitation days = 	0.9
|Dec precipitation days = 	1.9
|year precipitation days = 	
|Jan sun = 	221.9
|Feb sun = 	220.9
|Mar sun = 	265.1
|Apr sun = 	288.1
|May sun = 	328.3
|Jun sun = 	321.6
|Jul sun = 	317.9
|Aug sun = 	315.0
|Sep sun = 	294.9
|Oct sun = 	283.8
|Nov sun = 	231.7
|Dec sun = 	209.9
|year sun = 	
| Jan percentsun = 	73
| Feb percentsun = 	72
| Mar percentsun = 	71
| Apr percentsun = 	72
| May percentsun = 	73
| Jun percentsun = 	72
| Jul percentsun = 	70
| Aug percentsun = 	75
| Sep percentsun = 	80
| Oct percentsun = 	84
| Nov percentsun = 	79
| Dec percentsun = 	73
| year percentsun =	
|Jan snow days = 	3.2
|Feb snow days = 	1.3
|Mar snow days = 	1.2
|Apr snow days = 	0.4
|May snow days = 	0
|Jun snow days = 	0
|Jul snow days = 	0
|Aug snow days = 	0
|Sep snow days = 	0.1
|Oct snow days = 	0.2
|Nov snow days = 	1.5
|Dec snow days = 	3.5
|year snow days = 	
|source 1 = [[China Meteorological Administration]]<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |language = zh-hans |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |language = zh-hans | access-date =24 September 2023 |title=Experience Template }}</ref><ref name="CMA old">
{{cite web|url=http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |script-title=zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）|publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |access-date=2010-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055035/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-date=2013-09-21 
}}</ref>
}}

==Administrative divisions==
As of 2020, Dunhuang administers nine [[Towns of China|towns]] and one other [[township-level division]].<ref name="2020 Statistical Division Codes">{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=|script-title=zh:2020年统计用区划代码 |trans-title=2020 Statistical Division Codes |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjbz/tjyqhdmhcxhfdm/2020/62/09/620982.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402200108/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjbz/tjyqhdmhcxhfdm/2020/62/09/620982.html |archive-date=2021-04-02 |access-date=2021-04-02 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] |language=zh}}</ref> These township-level divisions then administer 56 [[village-level division]]s.<ref name="govdh" />

===Towns===
The city's nine towns are {{Interlanguage link|Qili, Dunhuang|lt=Qili|zh|七里镇 (敦煌市)}} (七里镇), {{Interlanguage link|Shazhou, Dunhuang|lt=Shazhou|zh|沙州镇 (敦煌市)}} (沙州镇), {{Interlanguage link|Suzhou, Dunhuang|lt=Suzhou|zh|肃州镇}} (肃州镇), {{Interlanguage link|Mogao, Dunhuang|lt=Mogao|zh|莫高镇}} (莫高镇), {{Interlanguage link|Zhuanqukou|zh|转渠口镇}} (转渠口镇), {{Interlanguage link|Yangguan, Dunhuang|lt=Yangguan|zh|阳关镇}} (阳关镇), {{Interlanguage link|Yueyaquan, Dunhuang|lt=Yueyaquan|zh|月牙泉镇}} (月牙泉镇), {{Interlanguage link|Guojiabu|zh|郭家堡镇}} (郭家堡镇), and {{Interlanguage link|Huangqu, Dunhuang|lt=Huangqu|zh|黄渠镇}} (黄渠镇).<ref name="2020 Statistical Division Codes" />

===Other township-level divisions===
The city's sole other township-level division is {{Interlanguage link|Qinghai Petroleum Authority Life Base|zh|青海石油管理局生活基地}}.<ref name="2020 Statistical Division Codes" />

===Historical divisions===
Prior to 2015, {{Interlanguage link|Guojiabu|zh|郭家堡镇}} and {{Interlanguage link|Huangqu, Dunhuang|lt=Huangqu|zh|黄渠镇}} were administered as townships.<ref name="xzqhdh" /> Prior to 2019, the city administered {{Interlanguage link|Guoying Dunhuang Farm|zh|国营敦煌农场}} as a township-level division.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=|script-title=zh:2018年统计用区划代码 |trans-title=2018 Statistical Division Codes |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjbz/tjyqhdmhcxhfdm/2018/62/09/620982.html |access-date=2021-04-02 |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]] |language=zh}}</ref> In 2011, {{Interlanguage link|Yueyaquan, Dunhuang|lt=Yueyaquan|zh|月牙泉镇}} was formed from Yangjiaqiao Township ({{Lang-zh|c=杨家桥乡}}).<ref name="xzqhdh" />

==Demographics==
2019 city estimates put Dunhuang's population at about 191,800.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" /> According to the [[2010 Chinese census]], Dunhuang has a population of 186,027, down slightly from the 187,578 recorded in the [[2000 Chinese census]].<ref name="xzqhdh" /> In 1996, the city had an estimated population of 125,000 people.<ref name="xzqhdh" />

Dunhuang has an [[urbanization]] rate of 69.45% as of 2019.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" />

In 2019, the city had a [[birth rate]] of 9.87‰, and a [[Mortality rate|death rate]] of 5.69‰, giving it a [[rate of natural increase]] of 3.15‰.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" />

97.8% of the city's population is ethnically [[Han Chinese]], with the remaining 2.2% being 27 [[Ethnic minorities in China|ethnic minorities]], including ethnic [[Hui people|Hui]], [[Mongols|Mongol]], [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]], [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]], [[Miao people|Miao]], [[Manchu people|Manchu]], [[Monguor people|Monguor]], [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]], [[Dongxiangs|Dongxiang]], and [[Yugur]] populations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=|script-title=zh:人口民族 |trans-title=Population and Ethnicity |url=http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/lidunhuang/dunhuanggaikuang/20170104/232716509cb721.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402203137/http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/lidunhuang/dunhuanggaikuang/20170104/232716509cb721.htm |archive-date=2021-04-02 |access-date=2021-04-02 |publisher=Dunhuang People's Government |language=zh}}</ref>

As of 2019, the annual [[per capita]] [[Disposable Income|disposable income]] of urban residents was ¥36,215, and the annual per capita disposable income of rural residents was ¥18,852.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" />

==Economy==
As of 2019, Dunhuang has a [[gross domestic product]] of ¥8.178 billion.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" /> The value of the city's [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]] totaled ¥0.994 billion, its [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] totaled ¥1.872 billion, and its [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]] totaled ¥5.312 billion.<ref name="2019 Econ Social Dev Stat Report" />

As of 2020, Dunhuang has a [[gross domestic product]] of ¥7.778 billion. The value of the city's [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]] totaled ¥1.082 billion, its [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] totaled ¥1.752 billion, and its [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]] totaled ¥4.943 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/userfiles/files/20210428/6375522292497513408525165.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20211227204610/http://www.dunhuang.gov.cn/userfiles/files/20210428/6375522292497513408525165.pdf |archive-date=2021-12-27 |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=www.dunhuang.gov.cn}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[Image:Dunhuang-Bahnhof.JPG|thumb|Dunhuang train station]]
Dunhuang is served by [[China National Highway 215]] and [[Dunhuang Mogao International Airport]].

A railway branch known as the [[Dunhuang railway]] or the [[Liudun Railway]] ({{lang|zh-hans|柳敦铁路}}), constructed in 2004–2006, connects Dunhuang with the Liugou Station on the [[Lanzhou–Xinjiang railway|Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway]] (in [[Guazhou County]]). There is regular passenger service on the line, with overnight trains from Dunhuang to [[Lanzhou]] and [[Xi'an]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://qq.ip138.com/train/gansu/DunHuang.htm |title=敦煌列车时刻表 敦煌火车时刻表  |website=qq.ip138.com}}</ref> Dunhuang Station is located northeast of town, near the airport.

The railway from Dunhuang was extended south into [[Qinghai]], connecting Dunhuang to Subei, Mahai and [[Yinmaxia Railway Station|Yinmaxia]] (near [[Golmud]]) on the [[Qinghai–Tibet railway|Qingzang railway]]. The central section of this railway opened on 18 December 2019 completing the through route.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Briginshaw |first1=David |title=Dunhuang railway in northwest China completed |url=https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/dunhuang-railway-in-northwest-china-completed/ |website=International Railway Journal |access-date=20 December 2019 |date=18 December 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Three hares]] (as a decorative [[Motif (visual arts)|motif]])
*[[Major National Historical and Cultural Sites (Gansu)]]
*[[Bhadrakalpikasutra]]
*[[Dunhuang Star Chart]]
*[[Aurel Stein]]
*[[Mogao Caves]]
*[[Paul Pelliot]]
*[[Yangguan]]
*[[Yueyaquan]]

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Sand dunes (1).jpg|The [[Singing Sand Dunes (Dunhuang)|Singing Sand Dunes]] on the eastern edge of the [[Kumtag Desert]] near Dunhuang.
File:20060424083413.jpg|Sculpture in Dunhuang, after a mural in [[Mogao Caves]], depicting an [[Apsara]] playing the [[pipa]] behind her back ({{lang-zh|labels=no|s=反弹琵琶伎乐天}}).
File:Dunhuang airport 9573.JPG|[[Dunhuang Airport]]
File:Dunhuang grottoes (Mogao cave).jpg|Mogao Caves, a.k.a. Dunhuang Grottoes.
File:The Gobi desert near Donghuan.jpg|Lonely monuments in the desert near Donghuan
File:Han Dynasty Granary west of Dunhuang.jpg|[[Rammed earth]] ruins of a [[granary]]
</gallery>

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==References==
*Baumer, Christoph. 2000. ''Southern Silk Road: In the Footsteps of Sir Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin''. White Orchid Books. Bangkok.
*Beal, Samuel. 1884. ''Si-Yu-Ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World, by Hiuen Tsiang.'' 2 vols. Trans. by Samuel Beal. London. Reprint: Delhi. Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 1969.
*Beal, Samuel. 1911. ''The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang by the Shaman Hwui Li, with an Introduction containing an account of the Works of I-Tsing''. Trans. by Samuel Beal. London. 1911. Reprint: Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. 1973.
*Bonavia, Judy (2004): The Silk Road From Xi'an to Kashgar. Judy Bonavia – revised by Christoph Baumer. 2004. Odyssey Publications.
*Cable, Mildred and Francesca French (1943): ''The Gobi Desert''. London. Landsborough Publications.
*Galambos, Imre (2015), "She Association Circulars from Dunhuang", in Antje Richter, ''A History of Chinese Letters and Epistolary Culture'', Brill: Leiden, Boston, pp 853–77.
*Hill, John E. 2004. ''The Peoples of the West from the Weilue'' 魏略 ''by Yu Huan'' 魚豢'': A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE.'' Draft annotated English translation. [http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html Weilue: The Peoples of the West]
*Hulsewé, A. F. P. and Loewe, M. A. N. 1979. ''China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty''. E. J. Brill, Leiden.
*Legge, James. Trans. and ed. 1886. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: being an account by the Chinese monk Fâ-hsien of his travels in India and Ceylon (AD 399–414) in search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Reprint: Dover Publications, New York. 1965.
*Lok, Wai-ying. (2012). The significance of Dunhuang iconography from the perspective of Buddhist philosophy: a study mainly based on Cave 45 (PDF) (PhD Dissertation). The University of Hong Kong. 
*[[Julia Lovell|Lovell, Julia]] (2006). ''The Great Wall : China against the World. 1000 BC — AD 2000''. Atlantic Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-84354-215-5}}.
*[[Victor H. Mair|Mair, Victor]]. 2019. [https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=44747 Greeks in ancient Central Asia: the Ionians]. [[Language Log]], 20 October 2019.
*Skrine, C. P. (1926). ''Chinese Central Asia''. Methuen, London. Reprint: Barnes & Noble, New York. 1971. {{ISBN|0-416-60750-0}}.
*[[Aurel M. Stein|Stein, Aurel M.]] 1907. ''Ancient Khotan: Detailed report of archaeological explorations in Chinese Turkestan'', 2 vols. Clarendon Press. Oxford. [http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/ National Institute of Informatics / Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books – Digital Silk Road Project]
*[[Aurel M. Stein|Stein, Aurel M.]] 1921. ''Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China'', 5 vols. London & Oxford. Clarendon Press. Reprint: Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass. 1980. [http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/ National Institute of Informatics / Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books – Digital Silk Road Project]
*Watson, Burton (1993). ''Records of the Grand Historian of China. Han Dynasty II''. (Revised Edition). New York, Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|0-231-08167-7}}
*Watters, Thomas (1904–1905). ''On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India''. London. Royal Asiatic Society. Reprint: 1973.
*Zheng, Binglin (鄭炳林), and Guoxiang Gao (高國祥). ''Dunhuang Mogaoku bainian tulu: Boxihe Dunhuang tulu'' (敦煌莫高窟百年圖錄 : 伯希和敦煌圖錄). Lanzhou Shi: Gansu renmin chubanshe, 2008. ISBN 978-7226036280

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Dunhuang}}
*[http://idp.bl.uk/ The International Dunhuang Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720084858/http://idp.bl.uk/ |date=2011-07-20 }} – includes tens of thousands of digitised manuscripts and paintings from Dunhuang, along with historical photographs and archival material
*[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=dunhuang Dunhuang at the British Museum] (accessed 30 Jan 2018)
*[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=qian+fo+dong Qianfodong at the British Museum] (accessed 30 Jan 2018)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091212104821/http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/casi_ill.html Dunhuang Collection at the National Museum of India]
*{{cite web |url=http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/cities/china/dh/dh.html |work=Silk Road Seattle |title=Dunhuang |publisher=[[Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities]], University of Washington |location=USA}}

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