In a desert area of northwest China’s Gansu Province, tourists wearing traditional hanfu robes trudge along with camels, together with visitors from different countries conversing in different languages.

The scene is reminiscent of the ancient times.

Around 2,000 years ago, Dunhuang was a key hub on the ancient Silk Road. Chinese silk and tea passed through this gateway en route to other countries, while agricultural products such as grapes, carrots and pomegranates made their way into China.

“Dunhuang is a very famous city in history. When I talk with my customers, almost everyone who has studied history knows about the city and how splendid it used to be,” said Wang Xia, a 52-year-old taxi driver.

Busy again

However, Wang remembers a time, about 40 years ago, when the city was tiny and quiet, with a small population. There were no tall buildings and no railway stations.

“The ecological environment was not very good, because the city was hit by sandstorms from time to time,” she recalled.

In the 1990s, the local government began reclaiming land in the northern suburbs and encouraged migrants to come and stay. Between 1990 and 1996, close to 2,000 people from elsewhere in Gansu moved to Dunhuang.

“More people settled in the city and tall buildings were erected,” said Wang.

Dunhuang began attracting more and more visitors, many of whom were foreigners. When Wang became a taxi driver in 1997, she often met tourists from Japan and South Korea.

Liu Xuexue, 36, developed an interest in history at an early age. She found a job at the Dunhuang Museum in 2011, initially as a caretaker.

As the number of tourists grew, she was taught how to introduce the exhibits to visitors from across China. In 2015, she became a guide at the museum.

“The number of tourists has increased over the years, with more than 10,000 a day during the peak season,” she said. “What’s more, their knowledge about Dunhuang is increasing, and they often ask great questions.”

With its top attractions including the Mogao Caves and Crescent Spring, the city with a population of just 200,000 welcomed 7.24 million visitors from January to late September this year, up 21.54 percent year on year, according to the local culture and tourism bureau.

Hub for international exchanges

Dunhuang is attracting visitors and scholars from around the world who are keen to delve into its historical significance and witness its modern cultural revival.

American researcher Neil Schmid, for example, developed a fascination with Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves during his first visit in 1987. His dedication culminated in joining the Dunhuang Academy in 2018, where he continues to promote Dunhuang’s significance globally.

“The amazing thing about Dunhuang materials is that there is such a wealth. It has so much material,” said Schmid, adding that there are many beautiful paintings among the materials.

Pronkina Olga, a 38-year-old Russian professor at the Gansu University of Political Science and Law, is a huge fan of Dunhuang and has a strong bond with this ancient city on the Silk Road.

Her connection with Dunhuang began 17 years ago in her hometown in Russia, where she first saw a mesmerizing performance of Dunhuang dance inspired by local murals. This experience sparked her passion for Dunhuang culture and ultimately led her to China to study it more closely.

In 2015, Olga began translating works about Dunhuang and visited the Mogao Caves for the first time, an encounter that fueled her desire to delve deeper into Dunhuang studies. Four years later, she realized her dream of becoming a PhD student at the Institute of Dunhuang Studies of Lanzhou University.

“I hope to contribute to Dunhuang studies by translating more works and fostering cultural dialog between civilizations,” Olga said.

Schmid and Olga are certainly not the only foreigners interested in Dunhuang.

The Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo has been held since 2016, and this year more than 800 representatives from 50 countries, regions and international organizations gathered for the seventh edition.

Dunhuang has served “for thousands of years as a meeting point of the East and the West along the ancient Silk Road,” said Kyle Dillingham, the violinist of American band Horseshoe Road, who performed at the expo.

“We could be the very first to bring country music to this city.”

It was the third time that Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO regional office for East Asia, has represented his organization at the expo. He noted that Dunhuang has become a major stage for cultural exchanges to revitalize the Silk Road.

Dunhuang in development

An ever-prosperous Dunhuang is also a magnet luring people to migrate there from other parts of China.

Hou Yanghong, a 37-year-old inheritor of the intangible heritage of Dunhuang stone powder painting, was originally from north China’s Shanxi Province. She first encountered Dunhuang’s rich cultural landscape while volunteering as a teacher in 2008.

Captivated by its artistic charm, she dedicated herself to mastering the ancient craft. Her once-small studio has now grown into a thriving heritage base, welcoming more than 10,000 visitors annually.

“Many visitors pause to paint their own murals, immersing themselves in Dunhuang’s culture,” Hou said. “This is a form of inheritance driven by a deep sense of cultural connection.”

Wang Xia, the taxi driver, has witnessed the city’s facelift while cruising the streets.

“Compared with the bumpy lanes of decades ago, the roads are flat and broad now,” she said.

Local governments have been finding ways to improve the environment of Dunhuang, which now has a forest coverage rate of 3.54 percent and a grassland vegetation coverage of 17.3 percent, according to the city’s forestry and grassland authorities.

At the same time, cultural elements from the Mogao Caves murals have been adopted to decorate the city. The pedestrian paths feature bricks laid in lotus and pomegranate patterns, while in the city center, there stands a statue featuring a fairy playing the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument that appears in the murals. Elements from the murals, such as floral patterns, have even appeared on the local students’ school uniforms.

Dunhuang has become a cultural symbol for China, with its murals inspiring athletes in the Olympic arena. Chinese coach Sun Dan once led the rhythmic gymnasts to the city for a closer look at the movements of the flying apsaras, a typical image in the murals, before bringing the performance to the Tokyo Olympics, where they finished fourth in the group all-around event.

“In recent years, Chinese people have had more interest and confidence in their own culture,” said Liu Xuexue, the guide.

She noted that she has never stopped learning.

“I would like to share the development of Dunhuang with a broader audience,” she said.