Dunhuang

Dunhuang
Dunhuang
	"Dunhuang" in Chinese characters
Chinese	敦煌
Postal	Tunhwang
Literal meaning	"Blazing Beacon"[citation needed]
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Dūnhuáng
Wade–Giles	Tun1-huang2
IPA	[twə́n.xwǎŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Deon1-wong4
IPA	[tɵn˥.wɔːŋ˩]

Dunhuang

敦煌市
Tunhwang
Dunhuang 敦煌市 Tunhwang
County-level city
	Dunhuang
	Dunhuang City (red) in Jiuquan City (yellow) and Gansu
	Dunhuang Location in Gansu Dunhuang Dunhuang (China)
	Coordinates (Dunhuang municipal government): 40°08′28″N 94°39′50″E / 40.14111°N 94.66389°E
Country	China
Province	Gansu
Prefecture-level city	Jiuquan
Municipal seat	Shazhou Town
Area
• Total	31,200 km2 (12,000 sq mi)
Elevation	1,142 m (3,747 ft)
Population (2020)
• Total	185,231
• Density	5.9/km2 (15/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (CST)
Postal Code	736200
Website	www.dunhuang.gov.cn

Dunhuang (listen^ⓘ) is a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027,^[1] though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800.^[3] Sachu (Dunhuang) was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for the nearby Mogao Caves.

Dunhuang is situated in an oasis containing Crescent Lake and Mingsha Shan (鳴沙山, meaning "Singing-Sand Mountain"), named after the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes, the singing sand phenomenon. Dunhuang commands a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern Silk Route and the main road leading from India via Lhasa to Mongolia and southern Siberia,^[4] and also controls the entrance to the narrow Hexi Corridor, which leads straight to the heart of the north Chinese plains and the ancient capitals of Chang'an (today known as Xi'an) and Luoyang.^[5]

Administratively, the county-level city of Dunhuang is part of the prefecture-level city of Jiuquan.^[6] Historically, the city and/or its surrounding region has also been known by the names Shazhou (prefecture of sand) or Guazhou (prefecture of melons).^[4] In the modern era, the two alternative names have been assigned respectively to Shazhou zhen (Shazhou town) which serves as Dunhuang's seat of government, and to the neighboring Guazhou County.

^ ^a ^b 敦煌市历史沿革 [Dunhuang City Historical Development]. xzqh.org (in Chinese). 2016-06-27. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
^ "酒泉市第七次全国人口普查公报" (in Chinese). Government of Jiuquan. 2021-06-01.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ 敦煌市 2019 年国民经济和社会发展统计公报 [Dunhuang 2019 Economic and Social Development Statistical Report] (PDF) (in Chinese). Dunhuang People's Government. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
^ ^a ^b Cable and French (1943), p. 41.
^ Lovell (2006), pp. 74–75.
^ 行政区划 [Administrative Divisions] (in Chinese (China)). Dunhuang People's Government. Archived from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

[xzqhdh-1] 敦煌市历史沿革 [Dunhuang City Historical Development]. xzqh.org (in Chinese). 2016-06-27. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

[2] "酒泉市第七次全国人口普查公报" (in Chinese). Government of Jiuquan. 2021-06-01.^{[permanent dead link]}

[2019_Econ_Social_Dev_Stat_Report-3] 敦煌市 2019 年国民经济和社会发展统计公报 [Dunhuang 2019 Economic and Social Development Statistical Report] (PDF) (in Chinese). Dunhuang People's Government. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

[Cable_and_French_1943,_p._41-4] Cable and French (1943), p. 41.

[5] Lovell (2006), pp. 74–75.

[govdh-6] 行政区划 [Administrative Divisions] (in Chinese (China)). Dunhuang People's Government. Archived from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

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