In the middle of somewhere: The Kizil Caves

Late autumn scenery around Aksu, Xinjiang is just one more reason to visit the Kizil Caves.

Why here? The surrounding nature is indescribable, especially in the autumn when all the different colors coordinate as if planned. Sand-colored cliffs are the backdrop for white birch trees, whose stubborn yellow leaves refuse to join the feathery grass below. Though perfect for anyone wanting to feel the fullness of nature, this place more than 200 kilometers from Aksu, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, does not readily make sense as to why it's the site for the famed Kizil Caves.

One can only assume things must have been different back then. So much has changed since the 4th century when this area was part of a network of roads we now know as the Silk Road. Was there once a city here? Or did the monks who chiseled out these hollows intentionally choose a place so obscure?

The cave complex doesn't seem to be particularly interested in visitors – or at least not anyone who isn't devoted enough to climb up there, and this is probably why they are in such great shape considering their age. Fortunately, decades of efforts to connect the public with these treasures have brought about staircases, making it easier for tourists like the members of the A Date with China international media tour to enter them with a guide.