Loulan is an ancient city in Lop Nur, which was founded in the 2nd century BC as the capital of ancient State Loulan of China tourism. It once occupied very significant position on the Silk Road. In those days, crowds of merchants and travelers doing brisk trades there. But this fully developed city vanished in the middle of the 6th century AD, and it is now known as the Middle Kingdom's "Pompeii" all over the world. A Swedish explorer whose name is Sven Anders Hedin first discovered it at the beginning of last century. Then adventurers from America, Britain, Japan and Sweden set foot here for several times, and many invaluable relics were taken to foreign lands.

Loulan Kingdom, one of the 36 kingdoms in the Western Region during the Han Dynasty, was built in 176 BC and flourished for over 800 years. At its heyday, the kingdom ruled over a vast region to the Yangguan Pass in the east, reached the Yani Ancient City of Silk Road travel in the west, stretched to Aerjin Mountain in the south and Hani in the north. Loulan City served as the capital and economical, political and cultural of the Kingdom. As one of the major stops on the old Silk Road, the city was a center for the trading of silks, teas, fruit and jewels with the inland. Merchants also used Loulan as a stopover in their travels. The weary trade caravans plodding on the trade route would have a short refreshing stay and exchanged their merchandise with the local products in this oasis.

The Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless zone with endless "forests" of mounds rarely seen in other parts of the world. The scene here is desolate, with scattered ruins of the Silk Road accompanied by vast petroleum and mineral resources deep below the earth. The area still possesses a shroud of mystery, clearly the lure which has attracted so many visitors from oversea countries. Get more information about Classic China tours.