40 Best Sights in The Silk Road, China

Start your tour of the city with a visit to the center of Muslim life in Kashgar. One of the largest mosques in China, the ornate structure of yellow bricks is the result of many extensions and renovations to the original mosque, built in 1442 as a prayer hall for the ruler of Kashgar. The main hall has a ceiling with fine wooden carvings and precisely 100 carved wooden columns. When services aren't being held, you are free to wander the quiet shaded grounds and even to enter the prayer hall. Women are permitted to enter but as this is an active site of worship, dress modestly.

The streets around the bazaar were once full of donkey carts and flocks of sheep. Men in embroidered skullcaps and women in heavy brown wool veils remain, preserving this bustling Central Asian street market. You can bargain for Uyghur crafts, such as decorated knives, colorful silks, and carved jade. Small shops are tucked into every nook and cranny. The international bazaar itself has been heavily expanded, and now includes a newly built minaret, which you can experience for Y50. The stalls, while interesting enough, are aimed firmly at tourists; more authentic options are available along the streets nearby, filled with traditional ironmongers and Islamic butcher shops.

This remarkable 2,000-year-old underground irrigation system allowed the desert cities of the Silk Road to flourish despite an unrelentingly arid environment. In the oasis cities of Turpan and Hami, 1,600 km (990 miles) of tunnels brought water—moved only by gravity—from melting snow at the base of the Heavenly Mountains. You can view the tunnels at several sites around the city. Most tour guides take visitors to the largely educational Karez Irrigation Museum. Although the karez are widely regarded as the greatest Uyghur engineering achievement, most visitors are completely underwhelmed by what are essentially narrow dirt tunnels.

This park gives you a picture-perfect view of the snowcapped Heavenly Mountains (Tian Shan) and the ever-expanding Ürümqi cityscape. An array of incongruously grouped objects—including an eight-story pagoda built by the emperor in 1788 to suppress an evil dragon—are reached via a long set of stairs. Arrive in the early evening for the pleasure of seeing the city bathed in the setting sun's golden light. Ignore the cheap carnival rides near the entrance. The park entrance is hard to find, and few tourists venture here, so take a taxi.

South of Dunhuang, where the oasis gives way to desert, you'll find a gorgeous sweep of sand dunes named for the light rattling sound that the sand makes when wind blows across the surface. At 5,600 feet above sea level, the half-hour climb to the summit is difficult but worth it for the views, particularly at sunset. Nestled in the sand is Crescent Moon Lake (月牙泉, Yuèyá quán), a lovely pool that by some freak of the prevailing winds never silts up. Camels, sleds, and various flying contraptions are available at steep prices; try your bargaining skills.

Also known as Yongning Gate, this is the most impressive of the 13 gates leading through Xi'an's 39-foot-high city walls. This was the original site of Tang Dynasty fortifications; the walls you see today were built at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, and they include the country's only remaining example of a complete wall dating to this dynasty. Head up top to watch the sunset, or even a bike ride around the city fortifications. Biking the entire 13.7-km (8½-mile) route atop the walls takes about 90 minutes. Rental bikes are Y45 for a single and Y90 for a tandem lasting 100 minutes, and you must put down a Y200 deposit. Open-air electric cars cost Y80.

The tomb—consisting mainly of a large burial mound—may pale in comparison to the Terracotta Warriors Museum, but history buffs will enjoy it. According to ancient records, the underground palace took more than 40 years to build, and many historians believe the tomb contains a wealth of priceless treasures, though perhaps we will never know for sure. You can climb to the top of the burial mound for a view of the surrounding countryside, although most visitors hurry off to see the Terracotta Warriors Museum after watching a mildly amusing ceremony honoring the emperor who united China. The tomb is in Lintong, 30 km (19 miles) east of Xi'an, by the Terracotta Warriors Museum.

Xining's most important site is the Taoist Tulou Temple or North Monastery, at the northwest end of town. Construction on this series of mountainside cloisters and pavilions began more than 1,700 years ago during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Climbing the stairs to the white pagoda at the top gives you a view of the entire city sprawled out beneath you. Unfortunately, at the time of publication, many of the cliffside temples have been closed to visitors, leaving only a few temples at the bottom of the hill and views from adjacent hills for you to enjoy. To get here, take a taxi.

Laid out in 1958, the park covers the slopes on the Yellow River's north bank. Beautiful views of Lanzhou and the river are a leisurely walk or cable car away. It's more of a carnival than a place to relax, but it's a great place for people-watching.