Dunhuang City is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, where Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang converge. It sits on the largest oasis at the lower reaches of the Dang River and Shule River, serving as a major gateway on the Silk Road exiting the Yumen Pass and Yang Pass. During the Spring and Autumn periods, it was inhabited by the Yuezhi and Wusun nomads. Initially occupied by the Xiongnu during the early Western Han Dynasty, Dunhuang was established as Dunhuang Commandery during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, becoming one of the four commanderies of Hexi. From 400 to 405 AD, Dunhuang served as the capital of the Western Liang dynasty founded by Li Bing. It was reestablished during the Northern Wei Dynasty as Dunhuang Town and later as Guazhou. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it was renamed Mingsha County. The Sui Dynasty restored Dunhuang Commandery, and during the early Tang Dynasty, it became Xish Prefecture. In the seventh year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenguan era (633 AD), it was renamed Guazhou, and in the second year of the Jianzhong era (781 AD), it was named Tuofan. In the fifth year of the Dazhong era (851 AD), Zhang Yichao from Dunhuang regained control of Guazhou and Guazhou, and since then, Dunhuang has been under the rule of the Guiyi Army until the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty (1022-1063). From the Song Dynasty to the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, it has always been called Shazhou. In the twenty-fifth year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1760), Dunhuang City Museum has collected nearly 300 types of cultural relics, including more than 90 first-class items. It is the largest, oldest, richest, and most well-preserved treasure trove of Buddhist grotto art in the world.
