Vykort 28 GWoC
Efter helgens bravader, kom det näst sista vykortet på vår vandring på den kinesiska muren.
Snart i mål!
The town of Dunhuang is situated in an oasis at the west end of the Hexi Corridor and the start of the Southern Silk Route. On the edge of the city is a crescent-shaped lake called Yueyaquan (aka Crescent Moon Lake) and the Singing Sand Dunes, that emit melodic sounds when the wind blows.
Vykort 27 GWoC
När det endast återstår 304 km, alltså 3 209 km avverkade, kom det tjugosjunde vykortet.
Located west of the Hexi Corridor on the edge of Gobi Desert is the small city of Yumen. Today it is an industrial city, primarily focused on oil drilling, wind power-generation and large-scale factories. However, 2,100 years ago, when it came under Han Dynasty control, it was a thoroughfare for merchants, warriors, diplomats and missionaries to trade goods and exchange knowledge, technology and religious beliefs.
Vykort 26 GWoC
Det tjugosjätte vykortet kom efter 3 082km.
Further into the desert and at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor is Jiayu Pass, the first fortress at the western end of the Ming Wall. Together with Shanhai Pass near the sea and Juyong Pass near Badaling, they are the most important passes along the Great Wall.
Vykort 25 GWoC
Idag kom vårt tjugofjärde vykort från vår färd på muren.
Zhangye is a city that sits in the centre of the Hexi Corridor and was an important outpost on the Silk Road. It was also a border town, protecting inner China from the nomads in the northwest. Across centuries, dynasties and nomadic tribes engaged in warfare in the area, such as the Han against the Xiongnu, Western Xia conquering the Uyghur Kingdom or the Mongols exterminating Western Xia.
Vykort 24 GWoC
Vår vandring går vidare och vi har fått vårt tjugofjärde vykort från den kinesiska muren.
In ancient times, Wuwei was an important town along the Hexi Corridor, a significant trading route that connected central China to the western regions. This 620mi (1000km) passage was linked by Wuwei, as its eastern terminus, to Yumen Pass, in the west. The Corridor, an arable plain, was long and narrow, sandwiched between the inhospitable plateaus of Mongolia to the north and Tibet to the south. It became a hub for the ancient silk road.
Vykort 23 GWoC
Vårt nästa vykort kom denna söndag!
The amazing discovery of the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors was the accidental work of a small group of farmers digging a well. Imagine their surprise when, instead of finding water, they dug up a head made of terracotta.
Vykort 22 GWoC
Då har vi passerat drygt 60% av den totala sträckan, närmare bestämt 2216 km och vår tjuguandra vykort kom!
Zhongwei is a small city located on the northern bank of the Yellow River. North of the city and on the edge of Tengger Desert are remnants of the Great Wall. It was built during the Qin Dynasty (210 BC – 259 AD), when China was unified for the first time and served as a minor pass during the Ming era.
Vykort 21 GWoC
Efter dagens utförda sträckor, kom vykort nummer 21!
57% av den totala sträckan avklarad.
Totalt 2021 km!
Yinchuan was the capital of the 11th century Xixia state (modern-day Ningxia) and was occupied by the Western Xia Dynasty. The people of Western Xia were originally Tibetan and when the capital was established as part of the empire, the native Chinese were so dissatisfied that the entire population emigrated.
Vykort 20 GWoC
Vår vandring på den kinesiska muren fortsätter och vårt tjugonde vykort kom ikväll.
In ancient times, Yulin used to be the northernmost border of China. Various walls were built throughout the centuries with the earliest dating to the 5th century BC right up to the 15th century AD, covering the rule of several dynasties. Some preserved walls and forts can still be found in Yulin and nearby cities but the most significant is Zhenbeitai Tower, the largest watchtower on the Great Wall.
Vykort 19 GWoC
Tre timmar efter avklarat 40%, kom även vykort nummer 19.
I det här tempot kommer vi att vara klara innan sommaren!
Remember Laolongtou, Old Dragon Head, at the beginning of this journey? He was drinking from the sea whilst the rest of his serpentine body, aka the Great Wall, contoured over the lofty mountain peaks and across valleys in a constant up and down motion. I am still searching for the tail.