酒泉市

Why this place

Jiuquan is the oasis city at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, and it is the base for Dunhuang and for the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The oases around it grow wine grapes and produce the region's fruit, and the desert and mountains are on either side.

What to see

• The Jiuquan park and the 'Gansu wine' of the oases around it
• The Yumen Pass and Yumenguan, the Han-dynasty frontier gates in the desert west
• The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, visitable on organised tours
• The Qianfodong caves at Dunhuang, 4 hours west

What to eat

• Jiuquan is known for its 'night market' and its lamb skewers
• The local wine — the Jiuquan oases produce a large share of China's wine grapes

Best time

May–October