Dǎngchéng

Dangcheng stands in the valley of the Dang River, among the mountains south of the Dunhuang oasis. Streams fed by glaciers gather in the high ranges and flow northwest through Dangchengwan before turning toward Dunhuang. The river was known by several names in earlier times; its present name is shortened from the Mongolian Danggin Gol. Once it leaves the mountains, its waters reach the oasis amid the desert, linking this remote valley with the fields and settlements of Shazhou.