Shazhou Night Market (Dunhuang Night Market)

Shazhou Night Market, also called the Dunhuang Night Market, is the main night market of Dunhuang, a desert oasis city in Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, and the largest food market in the city. It stands on Yangguan Middle Road and is free to enter. The market is organised into ten themed zones with more than 100 stalls covering dining, shopping and entertainment, and it is listed as open daily from 11AM to 12AM, so it works for a late lunch as well as for the evening. Dunhuang sits at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, close to the Mogao Caves, and its cuisine reflects Silk Road influences, with noodles, lamb and local flatbreads at the center of the menu. The market is a collection of stalls and not a single restaurant, so there is no chef or tasting menu to describe; the draw is the range of local specialities in one place. Signature dishes include donkey meat yellow noodles, the emblematic Dunhuang dish of chewy alkaline noodles with braised donkey meat, jiangshui noodles, which are served in a lightly sour fermented vegetable liquid, saozi noodles topped with minced meat, niangpizi, cold rice-flour noodles in a tangy sauce, and grilled lamb chops from the charcoal stalls. Several sit-down restaurants, including donkey meat noodle shops, operate inside the market, so visitors can choose between standing snacks and a seated meal. The atmosphere is lively and touristy, with signage, music, vendors calling out to passers-by and heavy foot traffic in the evenings, especially in the high season when groups return from desert excursions. There is no dress code, though evenings can turn cool, and visitors should bring a layer outside summer. Drinks include tea, soft drinks, beer and regional fruit-based beverages; there is no formal wine programme. Prices are low to moderate, and a full evening of sampling costs little by international standards, with Alipay and WeChat Pay widely accepted alongside cash. No reservations are taken for stalls and most restaurants, so there is no booking difficulty, but popular spots build queues at dinner time. The market is the easiest food stop for visitors staying in the city center and pairs well with a visit to the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring area earlier in the day.