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| See You Again, Dunhuang ! My Last Visit to Mogao Cave in May 2006 |
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| Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu |
Day 20 Monday Sept 15 2025 (Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu) D-2 - devoted a 1/2 day starting from early morning (06.30) for a visit to Digatal Exhibition Center (ticket buying) & the highlight of Mogao Grottoes (UNESCO) visit. In the afternoon, we visited The Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Spring & an evening walk to The Danghe Riverfront Scenic Area in Dunhuang City. My last visit to both these UNESCO sites were in May 2006, 19 years ago !
1) Metered taxi ride (06.30, 10km, Y$27) from our hotel to Digital Exhibition Center to queue (expect large crowds in early morning) & buy our Mogao Cave entrance tickets over the counter first before boarding the shuttle bus from the Digital Exhibition Center to Mogao Cave (no direct sale of entrance tickets in Mogao Cave Scenic Spot).
2) Courtesy Counter, Digital Exhibition Center, Dun Huang - senior citizens like me took a queue at this counter at 07.00 (ticket sales start at 08.00) so be patience if you are looking forward to turn your dream into reality to visit this thousand year old Mogao Cave (UNESCO World Heritage site) in Dunhuang ! No concession tickets (only China citizens eligible) for foreigners hence senior citizen like me paid Y$100 (Class B, 4 caves viewing only) for an entrance ticket !
3) People Mountain People Sea (Big Crowd) - long queue of visitors jostling for a place despite an ordering queuing system in place to get into the front entrance (08.30) !
4) Shuttle bus ride (20 minutes, 15km) from Digital Customer Service Center > Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu; my 2nd visit after a lapse of 19 years (last visit was in May 2006), so this "See You Again, Dunhuang" words I spotted inside the shuttle bus stirred my memory to my 2006 Dunhuang visit - this time the infrastructure & facilities in this UNESCO site has vastly improved & upgraded !
Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, Gansu - also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples, 25 km southeast of the Dunhuang City, an oasis located at a religious & cultural crossroads on the Silk Roads in Gansu Province, China.
5) Mogao Cave front entrance - the best is yet to come - first thing first, s snapshot or selfie before entering & queuing to designated caves for viewing !
6) The magnificent & majestic Dunhuang Grottoes - The One Thousand Five Hundred (1,500) year old Mogao Caves / Grottoes in Dunhuang - a national treasure & a nation's pride ! No photography taking inside the caves - so just queue & view the interior art statutes / objects - do as Romans do as soon as you enter each cave under strict supervision by local officials !
7) Mogao Grotto No 130 (705 > 789 AD) - pictorial presentation, background & history !
8) Old pictures of Dunhuang wall mural art photographed 100 years ago !
9) Mogao Grotto No 148 - pictorial presentation & a write up on the history (705 > 786 AD) & background. How time has flown !
10) Ni Hao ! Final Exit from this point means the show is over & no return or a 2nd visit to the caves !
11) Dunhuang Academy, Selected Ancient Artifacts in the Collection of the Dunhuang, Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu
12) Panning For Gold - Selected Ancient Artifacts in the Collection of the Dunhuang Academy, Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu
12) Pictures on the old sites of Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, Gansu
13) Thousand Year of Making - The Architectural Beauty of Dunhuang Cave Art
14) Mogao Cave No 419 (Replica)
15) Mogao Cave No 220 (Replica)
16) Mogao Cave No 285 (Replica)
17) Mogao Cave No 249 (Replica)
18) Mogao Cave No 275 (Replica)
19) General exhibits, Main Corridor, Mogao Cave, Dunhuang, Gansu
20) Mogao Grottoes No 220 (Replica) - the replica gives an alternative insight of the art mural & design as no photography is allowed for each cave visit !
21) Mogao Cave No 25 (Replica)
22) Mogao Cave No 3 (Replica), Dunhuang, Gansu (Year 1271 > 1365)
23) Pictures on the restoration works of Mogao Grottoes during the early years
24) General exhibits, Main Corridor, Dunhuang Academy
25) Pick-up Point for shuttle bus to return to the Digital Exhibition Center, Dunhuang.
26) Exiting the Digital Exhibition Center & we took a public taxi (each pay Y$5) for our return trip to Dunhuang city. Thus ending my UNESCO World Heritage site to Mogao Grottoes re-visited & feeling good, since my last visit in May 2006 !
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