Cổ thành Cao Xương

The Gaochang Ruins (Gaochang Gucheng) are a vast ancient city site on the desert plain east of modern Turpan, Xinjiang, and a UNESCO World Heritage component of the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" inscribed in 2014. Founded in the first century BCE as a military agricultural colony, Gaochang grew over the next millennium into one of the most important political, commercial, and religious centers on the northern Silk Road.

The city reached its height under the Qu family in the fifth and sixth centuries and again under the Uyghur kingdom of Qocho in the ninth through thirteenth centuries. According to the historical record, the Tang monk Xuanzang stopped here on his overland journey to India and was hosted by the devout Buddhist king of Gaochang, an episode that remains one of the most famous moments in the history of Chinese Buddhism. The city was abandoned after destruction by warfare in the thirteenth century, leaving the walls and foundations visible today.

The site is built on the classic Chinese pattern of nested walls: an outer wall, an inner wall, and a palace enclosure, together enclosing roughly two hundred hectares and surrounded by a protective moat. The outer circuit measures about 5.4 kilometers in circumference, and substantial sections of the rammed-earth rampart still stand, with gates and bastions clearly identifiable. Within the walls, foundations of Buddhist temples, stupas, residential compounds, and administrative buildings can be traced across the sand-covered floor, and a large stupa-base at the center of the religious quarter remains the single most photographed feature.

A modern visitor center at the entrance handles tickets, exhibits, a small cinema, and shuttle-bus boarding. The shuttle runs out to the heart of the ruins and back, since the distance from gate to palace enclosure is too far for comfortable walking in summer heat. From the drop-off point, a marked walking loop passes the main temple complex, the palace area, and a viewpoint over the open plain.

Gaochang is best understood alongside its sister site, the Jiaohe Ruins, and the nearby Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. Many travelers visit all three on a single eastern Turpan circuit, often adding Grape Valley and the Flaming Mountains. Plan on two hours at Gaochang itself. The exposed site offers little shade, so spring and autumn are the most rewarding seasons for an unhurried visit.