BLAZING A RAIL THROUGH CHINA'S SCENIC NORTHWEST

New rail links provide an opportunity to experience the natural, the man-made and the historical wonders of the ancient silk road.

Last month, a railway linking Dunhuang, Gansu province, and Golmud, Qinghai province, officially went into full operation. Along the 671-kilometer route, trains can give you a front-row seat to view the moving sands of the Kumtag Desert and the snowcapped Qilian Mountains, among other stunning landscapes. There are 25 stations along the line.

The railway crosses Qilian Mountains through a tunnel stretching more than 20 kilometers.

The railway intersects with existing lines, including the Lanzhou-Qinghai Railway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, to form the first circular railway network in the northwestern region.