Gansu

　　Gansu is a province located between the Xingjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province in Northwest China.The Gansu Corridor or Hexi Corridor which stretches 1,600 km from eastern Gansu westward through the province was part of the main passageway of the ancient Silk Road. According to historical records, it had been traversed by ZhangQian,Monk Xuan Zang and Marco Polo in ancient times. Along this Silk Road are such famous historical sites as the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang renowned as the "art treasure house of the East",the Jiayuguan Pass--the western end of the Great Wall,the labrang Monastery and the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, etc.