Trip Overview
When: Late September 2020 (ideal autumn weather for desert travel)
Duration: 3 days
Travelers: Family of three (couple with young daughter)
Transportation: Self-drive Honda Elysion (hybrid SUV)
Route: Jiuquan → Mogao Caves → Crescent Spring → Yadan Devil City → Jiuquan
Why This Trip Matters
I've always dreamed of travel, but work keeps me busy. My daughter's childhood happens only once—I need to show her the world beyond our city. This family road trip to Dunhuang (敦煌) wasn't just tourism; it was a learning journey through one of China's most historically significant regions. This is what meaningful travel looks like: quality time with family while exploring ancient civilization.
Day 1: Jiuquan to Mogao Caves to Crescent Spring
We packed our Honda Elysion—spacious enough to feel like a moving home—and headed west from Jiuquan (酒泉) toward Dunhuang. The journey passed by the "Son of the Earth" (大地之子), a massive 15-meter-long baby sculpture lying in the desert, arms outstretched as if cuddling the earth itself.
Mogao Caves (莫高窟): A Millennium of Art
The 400+ km drive felt short thanks to family excitement and conversation. Our first stop: the Mogao Caves (莫高窟), a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's been called the "Cave of a Thousand Buddhas."
Ticket Reality Check: Type A tickets (covering 8 caves) require booking 10+ days in advance. We only had Type B (4 caves), which runs hourly—no advance booking needed. Just bring your ID card and scan in. Pro tip: Book early if you want the full experience.
After the shuttle bus (20-minute ride), we walked 10 minutes to the caves. Along the way, Buddhist pagodas dot the landscape—tomb sites of monks who once guarded these grounds.
Will a young child appreciate ancient Buddhist art? Honestly, I wasn't sure. But travel is a silent teacher. Walking through these caves, my daughter absorbed history organically. When she encounters these caves in textbooks years later, she'll remember Dad explaining the stories. That's the magic of experiential learning.
It's surreal—these vibrant murals have existed for a thousand years. Looking at them, I imagine the craftspeople who carved and painted here. Did they ever imagine their work would survive millennia?
Kids will be kids—even at the gift shop, my daughter wanted ice cream. But first, I quizzed her about the caves. Answer correctly to earn your treat. She actually remembered quite a bit!
Crescent Spring (月牙泉): Desert Oasis
Next, we drove to Crescent Spring (月牙泉)—the natural wonder that appears in textbooks. We arrived around 4 PM to catch the sunset. Money-saving hack: The ticket is valid for three days. If you're staying nearby, one ticket covers multiple visits.
Getting Around: The gate is a 20-minute walk from the spring. Save energy or take the sightseeing cart (20 RMB round-trip) or ride camels (100 RMB).
Mount Singing Sand (鸣沙山) is exactly what it sounds like—sand that "sings" when the wind moves it. Crescent Spring sits perfectly in the center, shaped like a crescent moon. For centuries, wind and sand have rushed past, yet the spring never dries. It's one of nature's most paradoxical miracles: "mountain and spring together, sand and water coexisting."
Riding camels toward the spring, I half-expected a Lawrence of Arabia moment. The song "Camel Bell" (驼铃) played in my head: "Climbing peaks to gaze at homeland, yellow sand stretches endlessly..." The desert delivered.
Climbing Reality: Those sand dunes are slippery! Only a few rope ladders help you ascend. It's a workout.
Chinese writer Yu QiuYu's description of Crescent Spring is poetry: "Vast desert, flowing water—nothing extraordinary. But this one湾 in the dunes, this stillness amid chaos, this scene in barren land, this slope's descent—these capture nature's rhythm and creation's artistry."
Sitting on the dunes with my daughter, watching the sun dip below the horizon, she asked: "Why is there a little lake in the desert?" I explained: "Because it's Crescent Spring, protected by special plants that keep the water from disappearing. It's been here for thousands of years."
As evening fell,灯火阑珊—lanterns flickered on. But the best moment? Just sitting there with family. Every second counted.
Day 2: Yadan Devil City
Day two brought another adventure. Long stretches of highway connected attractions, with sparse gas stations. Thankfully, our hybrid Elysion is fuel-efficient—one tank lasted 872 km. Less time hunting for gas stations means more time with family.
The Honda SENSING driver-assistance system (L2 autonomous driving) was a lifesaver on these long stretches—almost like having a co-pilot.
Yadan Devil City (雅丹魔鬼城): Earth's Alien Landscape
Our final destination: Yadan Devil City (雅丹魔鬼城), located at the Gansu-Xinjiang border in the Lop Nur region. These bizarre geological formations result from wind erosion over millennia.
Name Origin: At night, when wind whistles through these formations, it sounds like ghost wails—hence "Devil City." During the day, they're just magnificent.
These formations are in their final stages—wind continues eroding them until they collapse. What we see now is nature's slow-motion art.
I expected my daughter to find this boring—just rocks, right? Wrong. Her curiosity exploded. She wanted to photograph every strange shape!
The scale defies description. Some formations reach 30 meters high; some are just 4-5 meters. The "city" contains walls, streets, towers, squares—it's like a lost civilization frozen in stone.
Practical Info: Entrance is 50 RMB, shuttle bus is 70 RMB (visits 4 stops only). For a deeper experience, hire a off-road vehicle at the third stop—500 RMB per vehicle for a more exclusive route.
Reflections: Family, History, and the Road
Walking the Silk Road with family—sometimes in vast deserts, sometimes in thousand-year-old caves—I realized this trip was more than sightseeing. It was about balance: history and modern technology, past and present.
Travel time is fleeting. When you're lucky enough to travel with family—especially with a child—time seems to speed up even more. Maybe that's because we're all so present in the moment.
I love road trips. I love family. I love every second spent with them. Thank you, Honda Elysion, for making this journey possible. More than a vehicle, you gave us togetherness—memories with my daughter, my partner, exploring China's ancient wonders.
Practical Tips for Your Dunhuang Trip
1. Mogao Caves Tickets: Type A requires 10+ days advance booking. Type B is available same-day but visits fewer caves (4 vs 8). Book ahead if possible.
2. Crescent Spring: Tickets are valid for 3 days—use them!
3. Yadan Devil City: Entrance 50 RMB + 70 RMB shuttle. For better access, book a private off-road vehicle (500 RMB) at stop 3.
4. Driving: Distances are vast. Check tire pressure before departure. Sand and wind are common—protect your car and yourself.