The Hexi Corridor (west of the Yellow River) is a desert plane enclosed by two sets of mountains, linking the eastern edge of the Tarim Basin to China proper. Archaeological findings in today’s Gansu Province reveal settlements dating as far back as the mythical Xia dynasty (21st – 16th Century B.C). During the Shang and Zhou periods (c.1766 -256 B.C.) the area was dominated by rival Indo-European pastoral-nomads.
As early as the fifth century B.C. the Chinese were building defensive walls along the northern frontiers. The Hexi Corridor was China’s first line of defense from western attack, and whoever held it had command over supplies and trade flowing from Central Asia to the capital Chang’an (modern day Xi’an). Over the centuries control fluctuated between the pastoral-nomads, independent feudal rulers, and other groups including Tibetans, Mongolians and Uighurs. Each group left behind their unique linguistic and cultural heritage.
Large scale Chinese intervention first arose during the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) Emperor Wu sent the envoy Zhang Qian on an expedition to the west in 138 B.C. to forge a military alliance. By 121 the region was pacified and Han troops were stationed to guard an emerging trade route. Along the route market towns began to prosper and the Silk Road was born. Dunhuang a small oasis in the Gobi, surrounded by mountains and fed by the Dang River emerged as one of the more significant urban centers. It was located at a crossroads between Central Asia, China, India, Tibet and Mongolia and controlled the narrow western entrance of the Hexi Corridor. Caravans could load up with food and supplies before setting out on the arduous trek west across the Taklamakan Desert. Similarly, traders from the west who had survived the journey could recuperate. The name Dunhuang or ‘Blazing Beacon’ describes the beacons used to communicate news of enemy movements. By the second century A.D. the population of the city had blossomed to over 76,000 and it emerged as the north-western limit of Chinese administrative control and military authority.
In periods of turmoil Dunhuang’s leaders often maintained links to the Chinese emperors as well as kingdoms in the west. For example after the fall of the Han empire in 220 A.D. many of the rulers continued to refer to themselves as governors of the Chinese state. Governors enjoyed great autonomy with powerful families dominating the oasis for generations. The most significant evidence of Dunhuang’s heritage as a cultural melting pot and prosperous trading center lies in the discovery of the Mogao Grottoes, built between the 4th and 14th centuries.
