The snow-covered landscape of the Xuanquanzhi site in Dunhuang, Gansu province, on Jan 14. [Photo by Wang Binyin]

As recent snowfall has frosted the Xuanquanzhi site in a silver andwhite, the frozen, tranquil beauty has surprised many people.

Located in Dunhuang, Gansu province, the Xuanquanzhi site is one of the many post houses established over 2,000 years ago when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220) took power.

The site is famous for the bamboo slips unearthed there. Composed of fortresses, warehouses and stables, it was founded to connect Central China and the Western Regions along the Silk Road.

In 2001, the Xuanquanzhi site was put under State-level protection. The "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014, while the Xuanquanzhi site was noted as the only post station in the region.