Infrastructure investment opens up remote Qinghai

My journey in 1997 was at a time when infrastructure remained relatively basic, particularly beyond destinations such as Dunhuang, once an important staging post on the southern Silk Road route. It was accessed from from Liuyuan, a station astride the main railway from Lanzhou to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, via National Highway 215. That road, running 641 kilometers up to Golmud in Qinghai, allowed onward, though lengthy, connections to Lhasa. Today, Dunhuang is linked into the national railway network. With a backdrop of sand mountains 76 meters high, it was popular for travelers on a budget in 1997. Relaxing cafes provided comfort food along with useful travel information.

Qinghai, a vast lightly populated area bordering Tibet autonomous region, had long fascinated me. Pouring over maps, I realized how there were few roads and limited vegetation cover in the province. My plan was to go up to Golmud before heading east toward Xi’an.

Admittedly I was somewhat apprehensive about the journey. It would be by an older bus following a lonely road traversing an area bereft of facilities - one of China’s more inhospitable environments. It actually turned out to be one of the most amazing, spectacular travel experiences I have undertaken.