Editor's note: Dunhuang is located in China's northwest Gansu Province. In ancient times, it was a major stop and trade center on the Silk Road stretching between China and western countries. Today, it is still a renowned tourist destination, famous for its Mogao Grottoes, Buddhist statues, frescoes and scriptures.

 

Since the late 1990s, Dunhuang has been threatened by a manmade ecological crisis. The overexploitation of natural resources and wetland vegetation degradation now see desertification approaching at a more rapid pace every year. Those people living in the central areas of the province, like Dingxi City, have thus far already experienced several rounds of immigration.

A local government report said that, if the problem cannot be solved soon, Dunhuang will face a severe ecological imbalance which subsequently may lead the city to become the second Loulan Kingdom, also known as Kroraina in history. The ruins of Loulan Kingdom near Lop Nur in northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region are now completely surrounded by deserts.

Located in China's northwest Gansu Province, Dunhuang has been under great ecological threat in recent years. Continuous desertification has already resulted in several rounds of large scale immigrations from the central areas of the province.

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