Tashi Travel Guide

In the next courtyard to the Daodelou, is a small restaurant in a non-descript house. Just go straight ahead where the road turns 90 degrees to the north. The food is simple but very good. The toilets, however, are dire (and that is saying something in China!) My colleague, a veteran steely-eyed desert traveller refused to use it.

The ruined city lies 50km south of modern-day Anxi, on the southern edge of the oasis, 6km south of the village of Qiaozicun. If driving from Dunhuang, turn right where the modern road (#313) turns sharply left and enters the oasis just 10km before Anxi. The road heads through some low hills and comes out onto a plain, crossing a very wide rivercourse on an embankment several kilometres long. Although the road is asphalted, the embankment has been washed away at several points and it can get bumpy and sandy. The old fortress of Pochengzi (not to be confused with the fortress of the same name in Inner Mongolia to the north of Jiuquan) is passed (see separate review) and the road winds in and out of the oasis until the small town of Tashi is reached. This place is also known as Suoyangxiang (as it is the main administrative township in the area), and the road to old Anxi is left at the roundabout. You can't miss the roundabout (trust me on this!), while straight ahead is the route on to the Yulin Grottos. (not visited yet because I never have the time when I am here, sadly). A few kilometres further on, the road comes to a T-junction where you will see either a building site or a brand new museum looming out of the gravel plains. The village of Qiaozicun is left, and the entrance to Suoyang is right about 1.5km up the road.
It is possible to continue on to Yumen Shi and Jiayuguan from here but it is an arduous 4 hour drive (summer 2006) because access to the #312 highway is very difficult, so it is necessary to follow a gravel track alongside a major irrigation channel the whole way to Yumen Shi. I have the GPS coordinates for this route if you need them....and I would highly recommend using a GPS unit for this route because it involves travelling three sides around a huge rectangle to get onto the right road.

The cynomorium plant, that gave Suoyang its name (see separate Local Custom tip) can be bought from local villagers in this area and also from the visitor centre at Suoyang Fortress. Its more expensive at the visitor centre but the funds raised help to protect local heritage.

What to pay: Around RMB125 to 150 for a largte piece.

The cynomorium plant that gives Suoyang its name is still found on the site although in less quantities than in the old days. The guides know where to find them, growing on the roots of certain hongliu and other shrubs. Deep holes in the sand show where they have been dug up by villagers or staff. The tiny visitor centre at Suoyang sells the suoyang for about RMB150 per piece. The management office makes four times as much per year from selling the suoyang than it earns from ticket sales!

Suoyang has a serious insect problem unfortunately, which is taxing the minds of local tourism and EPB staff who would like to find an environmentally-friendly solution. The chaobing fly - and there are swarms of them - mean that you have to keep walking or moving at Suoyang. Their bite is particularly unpleasant, and leaves something inside your skin. This can cause secondary infections, so if ou are bitten do use antiseptic cream as well as anti-histamines.
The flies are less obvious in the early morning and most active when it is hot. it takes about 2 hours to get from Dunhuang to Anxi, so a 6.30 start from Dunhuang is advisable to see as much of Suoyang before the flies come out en masse. Don't let the flies put you off going there though: we were at the site from 8.30 until 2.30 in the afternoon and didn't get bitten by a chaobing all that time, although we did suffer a few bites from mosquitos and other flies. It is important to wear long trousers and long sleeves though! We also used plenty of insect repellant as well!

The village of Qiaozi is a quiet place with many old buildings and farmhouses, but it is best known for its charming Qing era wooden tower, the Daodelou, used for ceremonial events in the old days. Now it slumbers alongside aome old poplars in a courtyard at the centre of the village. It is managed by the Suoyang Fortress Management Office if you want more information, but it is not open to the public.