Gobi Oasis Greets Rising Sun

This is a report on travel to the west written by Our Staff Reporters Wang Huimin and Li Zhanji, which runs as follows:

As we drove across Wuqiaoling at over 3,500 meters above sea level, we arrived at famous Hexi Corridor.

Hexi, with a long history, has left behind many cultural relics for the descendants to have a wonderful sightseeing. The bronze galloping horse (a horse treading on a flying swallow), an indication of China's tourism, which was unearthed from a Han dynasty tomb in Wuwei; the reclining Buddha (34.5 meters long), the country's largest in Wofosi (Reclining Buddha Temple) of the Western Xia Dynasty in Zhangye; the "No.1 Impregnable Pass Under Heaven" at the westernmost end of the Great Wall, that towers in Jiayuguan City; the world-famous Mogao Grottoes displayed in Dunhuang; and the most admirable Mingsha Mountain, Yueya Fountain, etc.

The abundant historical and cultural relics have enriched the lives of today's people and provided Hexi with a supporting area for developing the tourist economy.Yang Yurong, commissioner of the Jiuquan Prefecture Administrative Office, told the reporters that last year the prefecture received a total of 563,500 tourists (turnstile count) from home and abroad, earned a tourist economic income of nearly 100 million yuan, paid taxes worth over 5.898 million yuan, and registered profits valued at more than 3 million. Compared with its rich tourist resources, however, these achievements are obviously not enough. Leaving aside the desert scenery that makes the Chinese and foreign tourists gasp with admiration and the Yugu ethnic folklore unique to Gansu, take the ruins of caves and grottoes alone, the prefecture boasts more than 20 such sites. But only the Zhangye Horse Hoof Temple and Anxi Yulin Grottoes and several others are currently opened.

"Among factors that restrain the development of tourist industry, apart from ideological concepts and overall planning, the most important ones are the input of funds and infrastructure construction," said Hou Shenghua, secretary of the Jiayuguan city Party committee. Previously, Jiayuguan City had no gate tower, several points of the city walls were damaged, since 1985, the province and city have tried many ways to raise 10 million yuan repairing the city walls, only then has tourism developed to its present scale, whereas investment in Shanhaiguan has reached 300 million yuan since 1983. Heishan Gorge 12 km from the city is stamped with the footprints of Zhang Qian, Xuanzhuang and Marco Polo..Due to shortages of funds, the place has not yet widely received visitors from all corners of the world.

When the reporters covered news in Hexi, they deeply felt the inconvenience of transportation. The numerous tourist attractions are scattered in a narrow belt extending 1,600 km long from Tianshui to Dunhuang, it takes five days to drive from Lanzhou to Dunhuang for a through trip. Xu Shuanlong, director of the Gansu Provincial Communications Department, told the reporters something about the development of communications. In 1949, the province had only 3,272 km of highways and the road was rough. In 1999, the traffic mileage reached 36,212 km, and the density of highways was nine km per sq km. But to Gansu with an area of 450,000 sq. km, highways were too limited, let alone the mileage of highways at above the second grade was only 3,177 km, except for the 13 km expressway lying between two districts of Tianshui City, there is still not a presentable expressway in the province.

Tourism has been honored as a never declining "sunrise industry". For the rise of the morning sun, Gansu Province has tried every possible means to work for improvement in the traffic sector. Under the circumstance of financial shortages, Dunhuang city government has raised funds worth 4 million yuan to build a 58.5 km-long road leading to Yumenguan, it has also organized social forces to invest 4.5 million yuan in building 12 km of roads and develop the Sanweishan tourist scenic area.

The reporters have also learned that Gansu Province is planning to construct an expressway to link Baoji, Tianshui, Lanzhou and Dunhuang to lead Wuwei-Urumqi Railway line to Dunhuang, the expansion project of the Jiayuguan Airport is under feasibility studies, the reconstruction and expansion project of Dunhuang Airport is going on smoothly. Gradually, the dazzling sunlight shining forth at sunrise is becoming redder and brighter before the eyes and in the hearts of the reporters.

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