Prosperous Dunhuang

Dunhuang, located in the west of today's Gansu Province, China, is situated at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, making it a gateway from the ancient Central Plains to the Western Regions. The historical territory of Dunhuang encompassed a vast area including the regions of the Danghe and Shule rivers, which corresponds to today's Dunhuang City, Guazhou County, Yumen City, Subei Mongolian Autonomous County and Aksay Kazak Autonomous County. This region was once a crucial transfer station along the overland Silk Road, earning it the title of "crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations". Dunhuang has a profound, long- standing history: Evidence of human habitation dates back to the late Neolithic period.

The name "Dunhuang" first appeared in Records of the Historian (Shiji). Eastern Han-dynasty (25-220 AD) scholar Ying Shao interpreted it as "Dun, meaning large; Huang, meaning flourishing", referring to a place that is both vast and prosperous. "Dun is large," stated Tang-dynasty scholar Li Jifu, "and because it opens up a vast western region, it has a great reputation," emphasizing the area's significant role in the development of the Western Regions. These interpretations are largely literal; however, many scholars believe that the term "Dunhuang" may be a transliteration of the place name used by early local ethnic minorities. Regardless, the interpretation of "Dunhuang" as "great prosperity" in Han-dynasty historical texts underscores its historical significance and the crucial role it played in connecting the Eastern and Western worlds.

In 121 BC, the Western Han Dynasty established Wuwei and Jiuquan prefectures in the Hexi Corridor, placing the Dunhuang region under the jurisdiction of Jiuquan. In 111 BC, Dunhuang became an independent prefecture. Since its establishment as a prefecture over 2,000 years ago, Dunhuang has nourished the historical landscape of the overland Silk Road for two millennia.

大盛敦煌

敦煌，位于今中國甘肅省西部，河西走廊的西端，是古代中原進入西域的門戶。古敦煌的地域范圍包括黨河流域和疏勒河流域的廣大地區(qū)，即今天的敦煌市、瓜州縣、玉門市、肅北蒙古族自治縣和阿克塞哈薩克族自治縣。這里曾經(jīng)是陸上絲綢之路的重要中轉(zhuǎn)站，被譽為“東西方文明交匯的十字路口”。敦煌的歷史更是源遠流長，早在新石器時代晚期這里已有人類生活。

“敦煌”一名，最早見于《史記》。東漢應劭解釋說“敦，大也。煌，盛也”，就是指又大又繁華的地方。唐李吉甫說“敦，大也，以其開廣西域，故以盛名”，認為此地對于開辟西域有重要作用。這些都是按字面意思解釋的，也有很多學者認為“敦煌”一詞，應是早期當?shù)厣贁?shù)民族所呼地名的音譯。漢文史籍將“敦煌”解釋成“大盛”，足以說明其在歷史上的繁華程度和在連通東西方世界時起到的重要作用。

元狩二年（前121），西漢在河西走廊設武威、酒泉二郡，敦煌地區(qū)歸酒泉郡管轄。元鼎六年（前111），從酒泉郡中分出獨立的敦煌郡。從西漢設敦煌郡至今已有2000多年的歷史，敦煌持續(xù)見證了2000年來陸上絲綢之路不同時期的歷史風貌。