Dunhuang Discovery: Desertscapes and Grottoes

A fertile oasis at the edge of the unforgiving Taklamakan Desert, Dunhuang has been a haven for weary travelers along the Silk Road for millennia. 

It was near this desert outpost that the storied trade route’s southern and northern branches converged, bringing together a melting pot of traders, pilgrims, and monks from across central and southern Asia. Today, the area is backdropped by otherworldly desertscapes and dotted with forts, cave temples, towers, and bustling markets — a desert sanctuary reminiscent of a bygone time.

Dr. Neil Schmid is the Scholar-in-Residence at the Dunhuang Academy and he is one of the world’s leading authorities on medieval Buddhism’s visual culture. He studied Chinese and East Asian Studies at Georgetown University, Waseda University in Tokyo, L’Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris, and finally earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. He specializes in the Silk Road and Buddhist Studies with an emphasis on the archaeological sites of Dunhuang.

Dr. Schmid currently lives and works in Dunhuang, taking WildChina clients on behind-the-scenes tours of the Mogao Caves when he gets the chance – guiding them back through history to discover the origins of Buddhist art and what the ancient carvings and paintings mean.

What’s Included

What’s Excluded

We’re on the ground with you

During the planning phase, our team of specialist travel advisors based in China will design every detail of your trip with you. When you’re on the ground, they will then orchestrate your entire journey, maintaining close contact with each of your guides throughout your trip to ensure you’re having the best journey possible. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, and an expansive network of operational partners across the country, we are committed to ensuring that your journey is safe, reliable and comfortable from beginning to end. 

Your trip, your way

Flexibility is our highest-ranking compliment. With over two decades of experience, we’ve run just about every type of journey you can imagine. No request is too strange, too extreme, or too exclusive. Our team regularly pulls off unprecedented logistical feats; nearly any time frame or budget is within our realm. No matter how you wish to experience China, we are here to bring that dream to life. 

We embody passion

WildChina’s guides are carefully handpicked for their knowledge and charisma, then meticulously trained to maintain our exceptional service standards. They are expert storytellers and passionate natives of the regions where they guide, having the perfect combination of local insights and service know-how to bring you seamless once-in-a-lifetime moments all across China. 

The little things, the big picture

We firmly believe that supporting local people and economies allows you to experience the soul of a destination, while also protecting and cultivating China’s cultures. From watching artisans hand-make shoes in Yunnan, to picking organic vegetables for dinner on a local farm in Fujian, our tours are designed to showcase and protect China’s heritage, both natural and human.