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Photo: Zanhe, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Suoyang was founded in 111 BC by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and rebuilt at this site in 295 AD by Emperor Hui of the Western Jin Dynasty. The city was an important commercial and administrative center in the region up until its destruction at the hands of the Mongol ruler Mansur Khan during the 16th century. The highlight of the ruins is the Ta'er Temple, a Buddhist temple just outside the city walls, which is believed to be the King Ashokha Temple, where Xuanzang is said to have preached for one month before beginning his pilgrimage to India.
Suoyang City, also called Kuyu (苦峪), is a ruined Silk Road city in Guazhou County of Gansu Province in northwestern China. First established as Ming'an County in 111 BC by Emperor Wu of Han, the city was relocated and rebuilt at the current site in 295 AD by Emperor Hui of the Western Jin dynasty. As the capital of Jinchang Commandery, the city prospered during the Tang and Western Xia dynasties. It was an important administrative, economic, and cultural center of the Hexi Corridor for over a millennium, with an estimated peak population of 50,000. It was destroyed and abandoned in the 16th century, after the Ming dynasty came under attack by Mansur Khan of Moghulistan.
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破城子遗址
Founded during the Han Dynasty, Pochengzi, also known as Changlecheng (or Changle Town) was the county seat of the now defunct county of Changle. It was abandoned sometime during the Tang Dynasty.
大地之子
A 15-meter-long sculpture of a sleeping baby created by artist Dong Shubing in 2016.
玄奘取经博物馆
A museum about Xuanzang, a celebrated Buddhist monk from Henan Province who went on a pilgrimage to India in the 7th century and brought back many sacred Buddhist scriptures, which he translated into Chinese, winning the admiration of Emperor Taizong. Xuanzang's journey to India was the main inspiration for Journey to the West, a famous Ming Dynasty novel.
张芝公园
The park is officially known as the Cultural Production Park of the Cursive Calligraphy Master's Hometown (草圣故里文化产业园景区) but colloqiually known as Zhang Zhi Park. It is dedicated to Zhang Zhi, a second-century calligrapher who is famous for perfecting the cursive style of Chinese calligraphy. There is a museum about Zhang Zhi in the middle of the park.
红西路军安西战役纪念馆
Commemorates the Battle of Anxi, a battle that took place in Guazhou in 1937 during the Long March, part of the Chinese Civil War.
瓜州县博物馆
A small museum about the history and culture of Guazhou County.