The pass once protected Dunhuang from invaders coming from the west; and though it has been reduced

The pass once protected Dunhuang from invaders coming from the west; and though it has been reduced to a heap of rock with traces of design and architectural details, the view near the pass remains breathtaking: bleak but beautiful desert stretches as far as the eye can see.
Yangguang Pass (阳关道), 70 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang. There's no public transportation between Dunhuang city and Yangguan Pass. A return trip by taxi costs around RMB 300 (US$47) for up to four people.
Yadan National Park is spead over 400 square kilometers and littered with various rock formations that are analogous to abstract art -- they're actually the product of lake erosion millions of years ago.
Yadan National Park (敦煌雅丹国家地质公园), 180 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang. There's no public transportation between Dunhuang city and Yadan National Park. A return trip by taxi costs around RMB 500 ($63) for up to four people.
There are 492 caves that contain some 2,100 colored statues and 45,000 square meters of murals. If joined together, they would cover a length of 30 kilometers, or the equivalent of 1,000 basketball courts.
Dunhuang station is served by trains only from cities in northwest China. However, Liuyuan station (柳园站), approximately sheraton universal hotel 130 kilometers from Dunhuang, links to Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing and Chengdu. Shuttle buses and taxis connect Liuyuan station and Dunhuang.