The Silk Road
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The Silk Road, or roads, was a network of overland trade routes that linked China with the Mediterranean. From the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an, now Xi'an, the Silk Road went through China's narrow Hexi corridor, before spreading south to India, present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, or further west to Samarkand, Bukhara, Persia and the eastern Mediterranean.
Dunhuang was one of the Silk Road's most important oases. Near the town, on the edge of today's Gansu Province, the Silk Road split in two to skirt the rim of the Taklamakan Desert. The roads met again 2200 kilometres away at the oasis of Kashgar
Dunhuang was one of the Silk Road's most important oases. Near the town, on the edge of today's Gansu Province, the Silk Road split in two to skirt the rim of the Taklamakan Desert. The roads met again 2200 kilometres away at the oasis of Kashgar
Tarim Basin
The Tarim Basin is China’s largest inland basin located in south of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region between the Tianshan Mountains, Kunlun Mountains and Arjin Mountain. Stretching 1,500 kilometers from east to west and 600 kilometers from south to north, it covers an area of 530,000 square kilometers. At an altitude of 800 to 1,300 meters, the basin slopes down from west to east, forming a typical sector-like pattern from its margin to its center, where is located the world famous Taklamakan Desert bordered by mountains, Gobi and oases. The Tarim Basin is surrounded by high mountains with its annual precipitation less than 100 millimeters. The climate here is extremely dry, as the rainfall is less than 50 millimeters for most of time.
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