Memories of Northwest China revived by a stunning film release

A poster of Blades of the Guardians. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

Blades of the Guardians, a vivid film production by Yuen Woo-ping, was screened recently in Edinburgh and London as part of a UK Chinese Film Festival.

The story is set during the relatively short Sui Dynasty (581-618). The leading role features a bounty hunter along with his nephew heading across a desert on horseback. Released in China on February 17, 2026, much of the photography was undertaken in Xinjiang and Beijing.

The scenery's beauty is stunningly illustrated while reflecting the hostility of desert terrain across China's northwest. Life there was centered on isolated oases dependent on water sources. Incorporating elements of history, it depicts an area of often lawless conditions, providing hideouts for warring tribal groups and bandits. Blades of the Guardians features fast-moving scenes of martial arts, with large swords the principal weapons of the era.

The film's screening in Edinburgh occurred within the classical Cameo Cinema. A large attendance of invited guests included representatives of China's film and media sector along with dignitaries from the city council and business sector. I was honored to be there, thanks to an invitation from Edward Tsang, chairman of the Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Scotland.

I wondered if members of the audience who had never been to China or perhaps only visiting Shanghai could have imagined that the country was home to such incredible scenery — certainly not the standard perception that many would have. For me, it brought back passionate memories of my own travels across that vast region.

In the mid 1990's, particularly driven by a background in geography, my ambition was to travel through such extensive desert lands. I desired crossing remote, but indeed dynamic landscapes that historically formed a natural barrier between China and Central Asia posed a logistical issue. The only feasible route, for me, would be by following the fabled Silk Roads.

The Bell Tower of Xi'an, 1997.[Photo by Bruce Connolly]

The film increasingly centered on a small group of travelers who had coalesced together. They were heading eastwards towards Chang'an (today's Xi'an). The City of Perpetual Peace historically was a gateway to or from the trade routes. Inhabited since Neolithic times, Chang'an served as China's capital over several dynasties.

By the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the city had a population of around one million, making it then one of the world's largest cities. Renamed as Xi'an during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it has retained some of its historic legacy. This is symbolized by intact 14th-century city walls along with architectural icons such as the Tang Dynasty Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Bell and Drum Towers. Xi'an is also famed for its Terracotta Warriors sculptures, initially excavated in 1974. Dating from around 200 BC, they reflected the armies of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

Walking along the city walls, looking over the older districts of Xi'an, it was possible to imagine moments of its past. Travelers arriving after long journeys from Central Asia entered through heavily defended gates. They would discover bustling scenes with so much happening along streets where porters carried goods suspended from bamboo shoulder poles. Rising alongside cheap inns would be small, crowded restaurants. Smoke from cooking on wood or coal fires would help enhance the scene. It would also be noisy, both from diners talking loudly over their meals and staff calling potential customers to come in.

Such moments can still be found today within Xi'an's bustling Muslim food streets accessed through the Drum Tower Gate. This contemporary scenario reflects the early migration of Muslim traders eastwards from Central Asia into China.

From Xi'an, the trade routes westwards would head steadily up alongside the Wei River, reaching Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province. That city sits very close to the deserts, but it receives vital water from the Yellow River flowing down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Beyond Lanzhou, the main route would follow a tributary, the Huang Shui, towards Xining, today's capital of Qinghai province. From there it would head through hilly terrain towards Zhangye, within the Hexi Corridor and seemingly endless desert.

On the grasslands of Inner Mongolia near Hohhot in 1997.[Photo by Bruce Connolly]

For my travels through Northwest China, I would start from Beijing with Xi'an as my ultimate destination. From the railway, heading over Beijing's Badaling Pass toward Inner Mongolia, the landscape is increasingly dry. That was until reaching the Great Bend of the Yellow River, following a strip of land south of the Gobi Desert. There, cultivation and settlement were possible.

Baotou, the largest city in the area, was a major location along the northern Silk Road. Camel caravans arriving there would rest before heading slowly towards Beijing. When the railway from Beijing reached Baotou in 1923, it started carrying freight and passengers south to the Capital.

Tourists enjoy camel rides on the sand dunes south of Baotou, Inner Mongolia, in 1997. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

Today, high-speed trains cover the journey from Beijing in under four hours. South of the Yellow River rises a stunning landscape of high sand dunes. One of China's most accessible deserts, Xiangshawan's famed Singing Sand Dunes attracts many tourists. They can experience camel rides into that dry wilderness and even, as I did, stay overnight in a traditional ger tent.

Water wheel alongside the Yellow River, Shapotou, Ningxia, 1997. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

Farther along the river valley sits Ningxia, a region where, particularly around Shapotou, there are outstanding examples of the desert being tamed and turned into a green landscape. There still remain some large historic wooden wheels that once lifted water from the river for essential irrigation. Also, at Shapotou, visitors can travel on sheepskin rafts. For over 2000 years, they were used to transfer goods and people from Lanzhou to Baotou.

Sheepskin raft on the Yellow River, Shapotou, Ningxia, in 1997. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

Lanzhou is where I would travel deeper into China's northwest, heading along the lightly populated Hexi Corridor. Squeezed between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the south and the Gobi Desert to the north — the main trade route between Central Asia and China — I would be carried along a railway opened in 1966 that connected it with Xinjiang.

My initial destination, Jiayuguan, had been a strategic oasis town guarding Juyong Pass. I wanted to visit its 14th-century fortress at the western end of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It was an amazing experience to walk through its massive western gate before heading into a desolate, empty desert.

Karez water tunnel, Turpan, 1996. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

Beyond Jiayuguan, the railway transported me across a lightly populated landscape at the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. It is home to the vast, inhospitable Taklamakan Desert. Travelers were warned not to enter for fear of never escaping it. I was heading towards one of China's finest oasis towns, Turpan, renowned for its extreme summer temperatures.

With very little rainfall, it historically relied on a unique water transfer system. West of the town rises the glacier-capped Tianshan Mountain range. Meltwater is carried through extensive tunnels down to Turpan. Known as the Karez, this historic system dates back many centuries.

The abandoned town of Jiaohe, near Turpan, Xinjiang, 1996. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

The area is also famed for being the home of some of China's finest grapes. Another attraction is the abandoned desert towns, such as Jiaohe. I particularly appreciated Turpan's traditional, bustling market area where I would learn much about the everyday lifestyles of Xinjiang. Turpan, I could easily have stayed longer, but I wanted to reach those dramatic alpine mountains rising above the desert.

A street of food vendors in the old market of Turpan, 1997. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

A local bus carried me up from low-lying Turpan, stopping at Dabancheng, before reaching Urumqi. Situated in a pass between two mountain ranges, the city was historically a major stop on the Silk Road, connecting Urumqi with nearby Central Asian countries.

Another bus took me from outside Urumqi's Renmin Park, heading around the Tianshan range before climbing up a steep highway. Increasingly, the scene was forested where Kazakh encampments provided tourist accommodation.

The Lake of Heaven (Tianchi), 1997. [Photo by Bruce Connolly]

Finally, the road emerged onto a stunning high valley dominated by 5445-metre-high Bogda Shan (Mountain of God). Glaciers around its summit shimmered in the bright sunshine. Directly in front of me, stretched the calm waters of Tianchi. I had finally reached one of the most beautiful landscapes in China — the Lake of Heaven.

The author is Bruce Connolly, a photographer and writer from Scotland who has lived in China for over 30 years.