Although the names of the places Marco Polo mentions have naturally changed in 700 years, most of them are still in the same locations. For example Sa-chau is today's well-known city of Dunhuang, whose grottoes and Buddhist statues were extant long before Marco Polo's arrival. The province he refers to as Tangut was a large province of the Tartars (Mongols) ruled by the Great Khan, roughly covering today's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Kan-chau is today's Zhangye, and the kingdom called Erginul is the area around Wuwei, both in Gansu Province.

Throughout his book Marco Polo continually labeled the local people "idolaters", because they worshipped idols and images that he neither recognized nor understood. We know now that what he saw was most likely Buddhism, as thereis a great deal of very ancient Buddhist art in this region. It is even quite possible that he visited the Big Buddha Temple in Zhangye, today a well-known tourist site, as his description of a templehe visited there matches it perfectly: "These huge idols are recumbent, and groups of lesser ones are set round about them"

In fact, much of what Marco Polo saw is still the same today. The "wild cattle" (yaks) still roam the hills (although they are not quite as big as elephants!) and musk deer still live in the region, Few people believe these days that there are spirits that haunt the Hexi (Gansu) Corridor, but a great many of the customs and ways of life that he observed are practiced not only here but in other parts of China as well. Travelling in these parts, one gets a strong feeling for the history and continuity of this ancient civilization.

In ancient times the Hexi (West of the Yellow River) Corridor was accessible by two alternative routes from Central Asia, either through Yangguan Pass in the south or through Yumenguan Pass in the north, both leading to the ancient city of Dunhuang. Marco Polo and his party reached Dunhuang, then called Sa chau, by way of Lop Nur and Yangguan Pass. The vast waters in Lop Nur,the bustling, ancient town of Lop and the solid walls of Yangguan Pass have all been swept away by history, but Dunhuang still enjoys prosperity. Twelve years ago, one of our authors stayed for a time in Dunhuang. Then, everywhere there was yellow clay; even the houses were built of clay.There was only one main street and even a small hotel was difficult to find. Now, Dunhuang has become a city, crisscrossed by wide, clean streets with buses going to all points.

The value of the sculptures and murals in the Mogao Grottoes increases yearly .Marco polo often mentioned seeing temples and the worship of "idols" in his book.

Among the crowds quite a few Westerners and Japanese Buddhists can be seen, the latter of which take a special interest in the Buddhist tradition here. The influx of foreign tourists has made the hotel industry a booming business, with over a dozen major hotels to choose from. Even so, they are all packed out during peak seasons, leaving hardly any room for those who come too late.

We visited the Mingsha (Singing Sand) Hill to see if there had been any changes after twelve years. Indeed there were, for it seemed as if the hill had actually moved from its original position. We slowly climbed up the hill, the grains of sand warm under our feet and the breeze carrying a welcome coolness. Standing on the hilltop at twilight, the sand dunes below were studded with the moving shadows of Chinese and foreign tourists, As the curious tourists slid down the slopes of the sand dunes, sand rolled down to the accompaniment of shouts and laughter.

Perhaps this is how the Singing Sand Hill had managed to change its location.

On the distant tracks leading into the hill, camels scurried about, ready to be hired by tourists for rides to and from the sand dunes. After sliding down the hill, we found ourselves by the side of the Yueya (Crescent Moon) Spring. The water in the spring reflected the violet sky and pinkish-white clouds, while reeds nearby stirred in the gentle breeze. It was already 9:30 p.m., but the sun had not yet set. The slanting sun rays penetrated between the dunes and enveloped the hill in a golden glow.

Zhang Qian had ever reached Loulan when he visited the Western Regions as an evoy.