Dunhuang
Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of Hexi Corridor at the intersection of Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In ancient times, it was an important gateway from the Central Plains to the Western Regions and an important node of the Silk Road. It was also one of the first cities to open to the outside world. The convergence and assimilation of the ancient Chinese civilization and ancient Indian, Greek, and Persian civilizations gave rise to unique Dunhuang culture and fostered the Silk Road spirit characterized by openness and inclusiveness.
As a critical node of the Silk Road, Dunhuang easily drew in envoys, military commanders and soldiers, merchants, and monks from all over the world. Silk, porcelain, jewelry, gems, camels, horses, and food, among other commodities, were conveniently traded in Dunhuang, making it a key transit point for ancient East-West trade. Many religions, ethnicities, and cultures came together in Dunhuang. Ethnic minorities in the northwest mingled and blended there, and foreign cultures from Rome, India, and Arab merged there. Historical records declared, "the coexistence of the Han people and the minorities made it no less important than a cosmopolitan city" and celebrated the pluralistic and harmonious Dunhuang culture and the splendid (now) World Heritage Mogao Caves.
敦煌
敦煌，位于河西走廊最西端，地處甘肅、青海、新疆三省（區(qū)）交匯處，是古代中原通向西域的重要門戶和絲綢之路的重要節(jié)點，也是古代中國最早對外開放的城市之一。古代中華文明同古印度、古希臘、古波斯文明在此匯聚交融， 造就了獨具特色的敦煌文化和開放包容的絲路精神。
敦煌地處絲路要道，各國使臣、將士、商賈、僧侶在此云集，絲綢、瓷器、珍寶、駝馬、糧食等商品在此交易，形成了古代東西方貿易的中轉站。敦煌是多種宗教和多民族文化的交匯地，西北古代少數(shù)民族在此交往交融，來自羅馬、印度、阿拉伯等的世界文化在此融合薈萃，奠定了敦煌“華戎所交，一大都會”的歷史地位，創(chuàng)造了多元和諧的敦煌文化，留下了美輪美奐的世界遺產——敦煌莫高窟。
