China’s breathtaking western region, comprising Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang Silk Road travel, occupies a mind-boggling swathe of remote territory inhabited by a variety of peoples and cultures. This region lies at the edges of Chinese consciousness and on the road less travelled, and the sheer physical distances involved are daunting – the city of Kashi (Kashgar) is closer to Baghdad than it is to Beijing.

Tibet (Xizang in Chinese) comes to us with high expectations – fabulously remote, exotic and other-worldly. Chinese political control and a huge influx of Han migrants has changed the character and appearance of Lhasa and other towns, a process accelerated now that the new railway from Golmud is complete, but Tibet’s unique landscape and high altitude environment still exercise a powerful hold on the imagination, and the idiosyncratic religious culture still casts an undeniable spell. To the north, and culturally part of Tibet, Qinghai is an immense swathe of mountain and desert largely devoid of people.

Emerging from the city of Xi’an Xian travel guide, the legendary Silk Road soon passes into Gansu, the province that bridges the gap between classical Han China and the remote west. Lanzhou, its capital, has the feel of a frontier town, an enticing glimpse of what is to come. Labrang Monastery at Xiahe, to the south, is one of the most magical places in China, and the best place to see Tibetan culture outside Tibet itself, while in the far west are the magnificent Mogao Caves.

From Gansu China tour deals the route leads westwards to Xinjiang before -dividing into two strands, one north and one south of the formidable -Taklamakan Desert. This trade link from China to the shadowy -barbarian lands beyond brought wealth and worldliness to the remote oasis towns. Xinjiang, once known as Chinese Turkestan, is a gigantic expanse of glaciered mountains, waterless basins and intoxicating emptiness. Highlights include the wonderfully atmospheric desert cities of Turpan and Kashi (Kashgar), and – in contrast to the rest of the region – the lush -mountains to the east of urumqi.

tags: China tourism