Archaeologists search for ancient pass in China's far west

LANZHOU, Jan. 12 (Xinhua ) -- Chinese archaeologists have started a search for Yangguan, an important landmark on the ancient Silk Road that was fortified more than 2,000 years ago, the local cultural heritage authorities said Friday.

Yangguang, China's then westernmost outpost, was established by a Western Han Dynasty emperor around 120 B.C. It has been included in many Chinese poems ever since.

Relics along the ancient pass have been buried in sand in northwest China's Gansu Province for more than 1,000 years, and the exact location has been a mystery.

Chinese archaeologists had been trying to find Yangguan since the 1930s but have always failed.

A joint team consisting of experts from Gansu Provincial Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Institute, Dunhuang Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Lanzhou University hope to find the location, with the help of remote satellite sensing techniques. Enditem