Silk Road relics under threat

Dunhaung offers more than famous caves

He is more than a preserver and boss. He is also a driver, buyer and messenger. Every week, he drives to Dunhuang, taking several employees back to their homes for a monthly visit. And when he returns, the car is loaded with food to feed the staff in the desert the following week.

When the employees have an emergency back home, He has to drive them back.

"Whenever I have a problem, I just call He," says Chen Wanying, who has been working on the site for three years.

"It's very hard to get people to work here," He says. "Few young people would place their future in the desert. Even the older ones, they have to stay with their families."

He has had several opportunities to work in other places but chose to stay at the Yuman Pass. His wife Bai Ling also works at the site.

"This place needs him," says Bai. "Here, we have a bigger family. We live and work together 24 hours a day and keep each other company in the desert."