Trip Overview
When: October 2020 (autumn - ideal weather for desert driving)
Duration: Day 6 of 11-day road trip
Route: Dunhuang → G215 → Aksai → Dangshan Pass → Lenghu → S305 → G315 → Mangya (Hua Tugen Town)
Distance: 558 km (347 miles), approximately 7.5 hours driving plus stops
Travelers: Family with seniors
Transportation: Self-drive rental car
Essential Foreigner Info
Getting There: This is a remote western China route. Fly to Dunhuang Airport (DNH) or drive from other cities. The nearest major airport to Mangya is Golmud (GOH) in Qinghai, about 5 hours away.
Driving in Remote Western China: This route crosses the Qaidam Basin, one of China's most sparsely populated regions. Gas up before leaving Dunhuang - there are limited fuel stations between cities. Road conditions are generally good but some sections have loose sand. The "dangerous road" section over Dangshan Pass (当金山口) has sharp turns but is manageable for experienced drivers.
Money Matters: Cash is essential for small towns and remote gas stations. Most restaurants and hotels accept mobile payment (WeChat Pay/Alipay) in cities.
Language: Very limited English in this region. Mandarin is essential. In ethnic areas like Aksai (Aksa Kazakh Autonomous County), Kazakh language is spoken.
What to Bring: Sunscreen, sunglasses, windbreaker, face mask (sand storms are common), ample water, snacks. Temperatures range from 25°C/77°F to below 0°C/32°F depending on altitude and time of day.
Day 6: Dunhuang to Mangya - Crossing the Qaidam Basin
October 11, 2020 (Day 6) - We said goodbye to Dunhuang after two wonderful days. Today's destination: Mangya (茫崖), a county-level city in Qinghai's Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Our route: Dunhuang → National Highway G215 → Aksai County → Lenghu Town → Provincial Road S305 → Huangmugua (黄瓜梁) → National Highway G315 → Mangya (Hua Tugen Town).
According to GPS, the total distance is 558 km requiring 7 hours and 33 minutes of driving. Factor in lunch and sightseeing, and we'd be arriving close to sunset.
9:10 AM - We left our Dunhuang hotel, heading west on Yangguan Middle Road. At 9:13, we passed the iconic "Rebound Pipa" (反弹琵琶) statue - a landmark of Dunhuang. At 9:16, we crossed the Dang River via Xidaqiao Bridge onto Yangguan West Road. The riverside scenery was beautiful, and we noticed a uniquely designed hotel called "Jinjiang Star."
After leaving the city, we joined National Highway G215 heading toward Yang Pass (阳关) - the same road we took yesterday to visit Yumen Pass and Yang Pass.
9:35 AM - We passed the "Dunhuang Ancient City" film studio. Soon after, a tall "lighthouse" appeared on our right - the famous Dunhuang "Super Mirror Power Station," China's first 100MW molten salt tower solar thermal power plant. This "lighthouse" is actually the solar receiver tower, surrounded by 12,000 heliostats that concentrate sunlight onto the tower to heat molten salt and generate electricity. Even at night, the stored heat can power the plant. Dunhuang's dry climate and intense sunshine make it perfect for solar power. This is currently the world's largest solar thermal power station, and its radiant tower top has become a landmark of modern Dunhuang.
9:47 AM - We arrived at the entrance to Western Thousand Buddha Caves (西千佛洞). We turned off the highway to try visiting again - yesterday we arrived at 6 PM and found it closed. The Western Thousand Buddha Caves are carved into the north wall of the Dang River Canyon. The canyon sits on the Gobi Desert - you can't see it from a distance, only approach to discover this hidden valley beneath the flat desert.
Parking lot... we couldn't find the entrance. Yesterday we mistook the exit for the entrance. After asking, we learned the entrance is at the west end of the parking lot, near three notice boards, with a downhill path leading to the canyon floor. Unless you look carefully, you'd just see three boards without noticing the hidden path.
Western Thousand Buddha Caves (西千佛洞) got its name because it's located west of the famous Mogao Caves (莫高窟). Created around the same time as Mogao, it has 22 caves, 34 painted sculptures, and over 800 square meters of murals spanning Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Shazhou Uyghur, to Yuan Dynasty - an important part of Dunhuang art, designated as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit.
Visitor Info: Current opening hours (peak season): 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM (ticket sales stop at 4:30 PM). Full price: 30 RMB (~$4.20). Seniors 70+ are free.
Walking down the path into the deep canyon, the ticket office is just a small wooden house - visitors must be few. The canyon is lush with towering trees blocking the sky, indicating abundant water sources here.
Managed by the Dunhuang Research Academy (same as Mogao Caves), the focus is on research and conservation. The caves are normally closed; the temperature inside is quite cool. A young woman in a down jacket led us through, opening each cave door with a key and locking it after our visit.
The caves are small, mainly containing murals that didn't leave much impression on me. However, the Dang River Canyon itself is quite spectacular - the valley walls are as smooth as if cut by a knife. Looking across the river, the opposite wall looks like a long, high wall.
10:45 AM - We returned to surface level. X.J. flew the drone for an aerial view. From above, the Western Thousand Buddha Caves area is a small green oasis amid the vast Gobi Desert. The surroundings are expansive and barren, almost nothing grows - except here, where lush greenery thrives. However, because these tall trees grow within the canyon, from the parking lot we only see the treetops appearing as insignificant "little trees."
From the parking lot, we could also see the Dunhuang Solar Thermal Power Station. From this angle, two light spots are visible - the plant has two molten salt absorption towers.
11:02 AM - We left the Western Thousand Buddha Caves, continuing west on G215. Soon we reached the Y445 (Yanggan Road)/G215 intersection. From here, continuing west would take us to Yang Pass, which we visited yesterday. Today we turned left, heading south toward Aksai.
Since arriving in Lanzhou and renting the car, I'd been retracing routes I took in 2008. But from this point onward, everything was new territory - never traveled before.
Heading south on G215, the Dang River Reservoir appeared on our left, with a railway on our right running to Golmud (格尔木) in Qinghai. 11:21 AM - We passed the S302 intersection (to Subei Mongol Autonomous County). From here, we entered true desert territory. Sand dunes rose on both sides of the road, with the railway paralleling our route on the right.
11:40 AM - We exited the desert. "Yadan" (雅丹) formations began appearing by the roadside - Yadan landforms are a precursor to desertification.
11:42 AM - We arrived at Hongliuwan Town (红柳湾镇), Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County. This is a small green oasis in the desert, and the county government seat. A massive sign reads "1954 (阿克塞哈萨克族自治县)" - 1954 is the year Aksai was established as a county.
History Note: The county government was originally in Buluo Zhuanjing Town (博罗转井镇) at the foot of Dangshan Mountain. In 1998, it moved to Hongliuwan Town. Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County is under Jiuquan City (酒泉市), Gansu Province, located at the border of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. The vast 31,000 square km territory has only 10,000+ residents, with Kazakhs comprising 35%, mainly engaged in animal husbandry.
We entered the county town. G215 becomes an urban road, and the scenery changes immediately - green is visible everywhere. In the town square stands a tall statue of a warrior on horseback, presumably a Kazakh hero.
11:45 AM - We passed the "Aksai People Welcome You" archway, then arrived at the G215/G571 intersection. There's a "Qingzhen Dunlaishun Restaurant" (清真敦来顺餐厅) here. We stopped for lunch - each of us had beef noodles plus a plate of scallion-fried lamb. Compared to the same dish we had at Dunhuang Night Market the day before, this was much better value.
12:20 PM - After lunch, we headed toward Dangshan Mountain. The scenery changed dramatically as soon as we left town - everything was empty around us, trees became very sparse.
The further we drove, the more desolate it became. On both sides of the highway stretched endless views, sparse vegetation, not a single tree. The road's front was dominated by "Dangshan Mountain" (当金山), where the Qilian Mountains (祁连山) and Altun Mountains (阿尔金山) meet. These two long mountain ranges in China's northwest use this valley through Dangshan as their boundary - Qilian to the east, Altun to the west. National Highway G215 crosses over Dangshan Pass (海拔3648米), connecting the Hexi Corridor (河西走廊) with the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Continuing forward, we entered the fan-shaped alluvial slope at the foot of Dangshan Mountain. Perhaps due to snowmelt from the mountains, the slopes have relatively lush grass - likely local Kazakh pastureland.
12:40 PM - We saw a bayside parking area and stopped. This is where the highway surface extends outward to form a long strip area for large vehicles, with only a trash can as facility.
12:47 PM - We arrived at the foot of Dangshan Mountain. On the roadside was a detour leading to Buluo Zhuanjing Town (博罗转井镇), the former county seat of Aksai. After the county government moved, it became deserted. At the entrance stands a steel frame structure resembling a movie projector with red characters "Film and Television Base" (影视基地). The movie "The Ghouls" (九层妖塔) was filmed here.
From the highway, the former county's buildings still stand, but with no people - now a pile of ruins. The relocation was due to poor drinking water quality. The new county town is Hongliuwan where we just had lunch. After relocation, Buluo Zhuanjing Town was abolished, buildings abandoned to the wilderness. Later, the "The Ghouls" production crew noticed this unmanaged ghost town and chose it as their filming location. They demolished many houses for filming and added things that weren't originally there - like traffic posts and gas stations - turning it into a unique tourist attraction.
Foreigner tip: We were short on time, so we only viewed from afar and took photos without entering this "ghost town."
Right after the Buluo Zhuanjing Town intersection is the "Changcaogou Police Checkpoint" (长草沟公安检查站). There's also the "G215 Emergency Response Point" (G215线应急保畅点) with restrooms and temporary parking. However, although notices required vehicles to stop for inspection, no one was on duty. We stopped and called out but got no response, so we boldly "ran the checkpoint."
From here, we entered the mountains proper. Dangshan Mountain runs east-west; its north slope connects to the Hexi Corridor with large elevation differences, steep peaks, and dangerous terrain. The south slope connects to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with smaller elevation differences and relatively gentle slopes.
We climbed along a mountain valley with a small river - though currently without water. The dangerous valley twisted and turned, with the road following the mountain's curves and steep switchbacks. We saw multiple emergency runaway ramps along the way.
Reality check: The G215 section from Dangshan Pass to Aksai County is nicknamed "Devil's Highway" and listed among China's ten most dangerous road sections. However, comparing to our 2019 trip across Western Sichuan (川西), crossing the Hengduan Mountains, this felt like "small fry."
12:57 PM - We crossed paths with the railway, then crossed again. The railway runs toward Da Qaidam (大柴旦) and Golmud (格尔木) in Qinghai.
1:08 PM - We drove through Dangshan Pass (当金山口), entering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The view became very broad, with low hills all around - I couldn't tell we were at the pass of such a big mountain.
After crossing Dangshan Mountain, we immediately entered the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin (柴达木盆地). Everything we saw was Gobi Desert - the scenery grew more desolate as we went. Initially, the Gobi had occasional grass patches, then nothing at all. However, this environment is perfect for wind power. At 1:35 PM, we saw a massive array of wind turbines - hundreds of them.
The Altun Mountains (阿尔金山脉) stand on the right side of the highway. They form the boundary between Xinjiang's Tarim Basin (塔里木盆地) and Qinghai's Qaidam Basin (柴达木盆地). The main peak in the eastern section (Altun Mountain) has an elevation of 5,828 meters with year-round snow. As we drove, we could see two snow-capped ice peaks in the distance to our right.
2:06 PM - A large body of water appeared ahead on the left. Based on the map, it's "Da Sugan Lake" (大苏干湖). This lake is about 60 km from Dangshan Pass and still under Gansu's Jiuquan City Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County jurisdiction.
Continuing forward, at 2:28 PM wind turbines appeared again. Soon we arrived at a three-way intersection roundabout where G215 turns left and south. At 2:42 PM, we saw a "Lenghu Wind Power Station" (冷湖风电站) sign, indicating we've entered Qinghai - this area is under Lenghu Town (冷湖镇), Mangya City (茫崖市), Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (海西蒙古族藏族自治州), Qinghai Province.
Mangya in Qinghai is similar to Aksai in Gansu - vast territory with sparse population. It borders Gansu's Aksai to the east and Xinjiang's Ruoqiang County (若羌县) to the west. Total area is nearly 50,000 square km, but population is only 60,000+, administering three towns: Lenghu, Hua Tugen (花土沟), and Mangya. The city government is in Hua Tugen Town.
Continuing south, the ruins of former "Lenghu City" suddenly appeared on the right side of the road. At 2:50 PM, we entered this abandoned city. First catching our attention were two stone monuments at the city entrance. The first is a vertical stone: "Lenghu Oil Base Site" (冷湖石油基地遗址), signed by "China Petroleum Enterprise Spirit Education Base" and "Lenghu Patriotic Education Base." The second is a horizontal stone with an essay about this oil ghost town's past.
The essay introduces: Lenghu Oilfield was an important oil base in China, once having tens of thousands of oil workers and their families working and living here. In 1959, the State Council decided to establish "Lenghu City" here. However, after the 1960s, as China's oil development strategy shifted east and local oil gradually depleted, Lenghu Oilfield's operations became increasingly difficult. Especially after 1977 when Gaskule Oilfield (尕斯库勒油田) in Hua Tugen was successfully developed, and in the 1980s when Qinghai Oilfield's "Dunhuang Oil Base" was built, the oil workers and families here moved west and east respectively. The bustling oil town gradually grew quiet, eventually becoming an empty city.
However, history won't forget that Qinghai's oil industry originated from Lenghu, which also made indelible contributions to economic development in Gansu, Qinghai, and Tibet, and to national defense construction in the northwest frontier.
Driving into town, we saw a vast expanse of abandoned buildings. The roads were wide and crisscrossing, rows of houses neatly arranged - but all houses had no roofs, and all wooden components like beams, doors, door frames, and window frames were gone. Only rows of adobe walls remained neatly standing by the road. This was once where tens of thousands of petroleum pioneers brought their families to contribute to the nation's oil. Now it's empty, just this large area of ruins.
Some walls still have inscriptions like "This is our home." Some former residents have returned to visit. The newest message we saw was "Song Family Former Residence 2019.9.7" - the owner visited here a year ago.
Time travel to over 50 years ago - before Daqing Oilfield was discovered, Lenghu Oilfield was listed among China's four major oilfields along with Karamay (克拉玛依), Yumen (玉门), and Chuanzhong (川中). This town was once bustling with life, with schools, hospitals, cinemas, hotels, and shopping malls - becoming a municipal-level administrative unit in China at the time.
Today, some buildings still have inscriptions giving clues to their original purposes. We saw "Mining Area Trade Company" (矿区贸易公司), guessing "Mining Area" should have "Lenghu" before it - it was probably the department store of the time. There's also a large building that looks like an auditorium or cinema, with walls still bearing words "Glory to the great leader Chairman Mao."
Facing these incomplete writings, I couldn't help but feel deeply. Although the town has been abandoned, those passionate words from the past silently remind future generations not to forget that era of "offering oil to the motherland."
In front of the "Mining Area Trade Company" is an open square where X.J. flew the drone. From the aerial view, the town's roads are straight and wide, houses grouped in blocks forming residential districts - showing the prosperity of the past.
We didn't explore deeply, just wandered casually in the area near the town entrance. The T-junction in the first photo is the town entrance. In the third photo, the person walking in the upper left corner is me.
3:22 PM - We left the oil town. Looking back, the ruins under snow mountains have a kind of desolate beauty. Actually, the town's abandonment wasn't entirely bad - oil workers moved west because of the Gaskule Oilfield development, resulting in today's Mangya City with better work and living conditions. The completion of Dunhuang Oil Base caused most staff families to move east, now living better lives.
Moreover, "Lenghu" itself simply transformed. Although oil resources are depleted, wind power is inexhaustible. Looking beyond the ruins, massive wind turbines are slowly turning under the snow mountains. I'm confident Lenghu still has a bright future - as locals say, "Lenghu is not cold!"
Leaving the ruins, we continued south on G215. Ten minutes later, we drove through modern Lenghu Town - one of Mangya's three towns (the others are Hua Tugen and Mangya). The town has only a few hundred permanent residents, but facilities are relatively complete with hotels, restaurants, and good street greening. I could hardly imagine this is a Gobi desert town with hundreds of kilometers of uninhabited surroundings.
We passed through the town. At the exit is a rainbow-shaped "Mars Town" (火星小镇) gate, implying the area around the town is like Mars surface. Deep in the nearby desert there's also a "Mars Camp" (火星营地), a famous local attraction.
3:36 PM - We exited the town. At the town exit, the road divides. The left branch continues G215 southeast toward Golmud. We turned right off the highway onto Provincial Road S305, heading southwest toward Huangmugua and Mangya. As soon as we left town, the scenery changed dramatically - just now it was clean, orderly city streets, instantly transforming into desolate desert highway.
Road signs show: Huangmugua is 147 km away, Hua Tugen is 285 km away. Our destination is Mangya City (Hua Tugen Town). X.J. estimated another 4+ hours of driving.
The car raced across the wasteland. Looking around, no vegetation visible, land severely desertified, sand blowing, road often covered with fine sand causing wheels to slip. Roadside warnings read: "Sandy section, drive carefully."
3:44 PM - We discovered a large Yadan (雅丹) landform area ahead. Clusters of tall earthen mounds spread across a wide, long valley, each mound extending and arranging along the valley's direction. From afar, they look like a massive fleet sailing on a wide river. "Yadan" is also called "Wind Erosion Forest" - a unique wind erosion landform.
Standing at a high point and looking out, we saw many tire tracks within the Yadan area, clearly accessible for exploration. So we drove off the highway into the Yadan valley, carefully following previous tire tracks. In this uninhabited area without mobile signal, caution is essential - if the car gets stuck in sand, that's big trouble.
Up close, these tall mounds have various shapes - some like castles, some like warships, some like animals. There's even one that looks like Egypt's Sphinx. The natural craftsmanship is truly astonishing.
4:02 PM - We left the Yadan area and continued on Provincial Road S305. Next, we passed through a large salt-alkali wasteland, the ground covered with a thin white salt crust - presumably what Baidu Maps calls "Da Yantan Independent Nature Area" (大盐滩独立自然区).
Further ahead, the salt marsh was behind us, and endless Gobi Desert and sand dunes reappeared in our view.
4:33 PM - We saw a simple dirt road on the left heading due south into the desert depths. Soon we saw a sign for "Ebo Liang" (鄂博梁). That dirt road heading into the desert is clearly "Mars One Highway" (火星一号公路), leading to "Mars Camp" (火星营地).
5:34 PM - We arrived at the Huangmugua (黄瓜梁) triangular roundabout. Provincial Road S305 ends here. The roads ahead on both left and right are National Highway G315 (西莎线). Turning right goes west to Hua Tugen Town (茫崖市区). Turning left goes east toward Yuka (鱼卡) direction (Da Qaidam). We're turning right, heading to Mangya city center. Two days later, we'll return through here, heading east to Da Qaidam.
"Huangmugua" is a high ridge in the desert. Looking from the ridge toward Lenghu, Provincial Road S305 is relatively high with flat ground, visible as far as the eye can see. The G315 toward Mangya shows a downward slope with undulating ground.
We drove toward Mangya, encountering frequent curves and downhill sections.
6:08 PM - We arrived at the Old Mangya Parking Area (老茫崖停车区). There's an orange-red "Old Mangya Work Area" (老茫崖工区) compound and a public restroom - nothing else, just endless Gobi.
However, I later learned that during the early stage of the Qaidam Basin oil campaign, many oil workers were stationed here. They named it "Mangya" (茫崖) meaning "vast frontier." After the campaign ended, oil workers left, population gradually decreased. The Mangya town administrative agency moved west, rebuilding a new Mangya Town about 50 km west of current Hua Tugen Town (the Mangya city government location). Hence, this place was renamed Old Mangya.
We stopped for the restroom. Although in the desert, the public toilet was quite clean - apparently managed by someone.
Continuing west. At 7:08 PM, we saw the "Welcome to Mangya City" (茫崖市欢迎您) sign. On the right side of the road, strange-shaped earthen mountains appeared, always accompanying us. The slopes are covered with dense, thin gullies running down like petals of a chrysanthemum - hence early oil workers called these gullies "Flower Earth Gully" (花土沟), giving Hua Tugen Town its name.
However, geologically these gullies are actually a type of Yadan landform, created by years of Gobi wind and sand eroding the earthen mountains.
As the sun set, the strange, jagged mountains bathed in golden light created absolutely magnificent scenery.
7:20 PM - The sun set. We entered the oilfield area. Mangya is a city that prospered because of oil. By the road and on hillsides, everywhere we could see tireless "nodding donkeys" (磕头泵) - the pump jacks - working diligently.
6:30 PM - We entered the city. We finally arrived at Mangya before dark. We checked into "Pinghua Building" (平华大厦) on Kunlun Road - a three-star hotel. Dinner was at a roujiamo (肉夹馍) fast food restaurant near the hotel. Each of us had a large bowl of wonton (馄饨) and a roujiamo - not bad.
At this season, Mangya's evening temperature is close to 0°C (32°F). The hotel room had good heating, but no humidifier - the air was slightly dry.