Yadan Ghost City, Chinese: 雅丹魔鬼城, Pinyin: Yadan Moguicheng
Picture of Yadan Ghost City
Famous for its world-acclaimed art treasury -- the Mogao Grottoes, the weathered frontier fortress, Yumen Pass, and the marvelous desert spectacle, Whistling Sand Mountain and Cresent Moon Spring -- Dunhuang is also endowed with the miraculous and magnificent Yadan landscapes.
Dunhuang Ghost City, also known as Yadan physiognomy, is located in Northwest Dunhuang of Gansu Province, bordering Lop Nur Lake in the west. It is the largest Yadan landform discovered to date, covering an area of about 400 square km. Lying at the juncture of Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region , it is about 170 km away from downtown Dunhuang.
Picture of Yadan Ghost City
"Yadan," which refers to a precipitous hillock in the Uygur language, is a kind of wind-eroded landform. Yadan landforms rise above the flat Gobi Desert, covering a vast area. Due to its eccentric landforms, the hard-to-spot roads, low-lying terrain, strong magnetism and howling sounds made by the wind, the area is also called "Ghost City" by local people.
Yadan landforms, or Dunhuang Ghost City, is 85 km from the West Yumen Pass, extending 25 km from east to west and 1-2 km from north to south. Yadan extends far beyond what is written in textbooks and is a rarity around the world in terms of the scale and configuration.
Picture of Yadan Ghost City
In geological terms, a "ghost city" is referred to as wind-eroded landforms or Yadan landforms. Triassic, Jurassic and cretaceous sedimentary rocks are washed by rainwater and eroded by wind, and, as time goes by, such dazzling landforms are created. The formation process of the Yadan landforms took 300,000-700,000 years and ranks first in the world in terms of history and content.
The buildings located in Ghost City are varied, ranging from 4-5 meters, to more than 20 meters in height, and from dozens of meters to hundreds of meters in length and width, to look like a mediaeval castle. The styles of the buildings inside are elegant and unconventional. There are city walls, streets, multi-storied buildings, squares and sculptures in the castle, all arranged in a picturesque disorder.
Picture of Yadan Ghost City
On the outskirts of the town, the buildings are sparsely distributed. Inside, however, one can see sand hills scattered randomly in different shapes, some resembling ivory towers, while others look like hay stacks.
Ghost City is divided into southern and northern districts, with every scenic spot within looking magnificent. Many world-famous buildings have their roots in this town, such as the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, the Potala Palace in Tibet, the Arab Mosque and the pyramids in Egypt. Being in Ghost City is like visiting a magnificent museum of architecture.
This unique site has drawn attention from the film industry: Many famous films such as Hero and Legend of the Touch were shot here.
Background
Apart from Dunhuang Ghost City, there are two other ghost cities in China:
Wuher Ghost City
Located in the northwest Junggar basin, 100 km form the City of Kelamayi, this ghost city covers an area of 10 square km. Research shows that there used to be a freshwater lake full of lush plants and many ancient animals, including the wuerhosauru, plesiosaurus, etc. Two diastrophisms transformed the lake into a land vast with sandstones and shales, or the "Gobi Mesa." Crude asphaltum and underground oil abound in the surrounding areas.
Nuomin Wind City Ghost City
Located in the Nuomin belt northwest of the Gobi Desert, this ghost city covers an area of over 100 square km and is bigger than Wuher Ghost City.