In 25 days
"Chinese Silk Road"
Chinese Silk Road - The Oriental Taklamakan Desert
By Professor Gerhard Kreysa
Admission is free
Short Film: Mao's Car
The car of Mao Zedong is located in the Historical Museum of Beijing. The identical model that belonged to his wife is now owned by a bar operator and is available for guided tours.
Main Film: Chinese Silk Road – The Oriental Taklamakan Desert The Chinese part of the Silk Road begins in the far east of China in Kashgar and leads over Turfan, Urumqi, Dunhuang, and Lanzhou to Xi'an. In the first part of the journey, we visit the eastern part with the Taklamakan Desert. Kashgar is a vibrant city with a huge oriental bazaar. Other highlights include the animal market, the tomb of Abakh Hodja, and the Mor Pagoda. From here, we fly to Urumqi and continue to Turfan. Nearby is the ruins city of Jiaohe, where we experience a dance show with dinner. Further, we head to Aidinkol Salt Lake, the graves of Astana, the Toyuk Valley, the caves of Bezeklik, and the Emin Minaret. The Taklamakan Desert is one of the largest sand deserts in the world and borders the Kunlun and Pamir mountains. A sub-area, often experiencing large storms, is called the desert where stones can fly. Accordingly, the location is ideal for wind power plants.
The Filmmaker Prof. Gerhard Kreysa
Professor Gerhard Kreysa joined the Wiesbaden Film Club in 2012 as a restless retiree. A passionate photographer since early youth with an Exakta Varex and his own darkroom, he converted to filmmaking in 1980 with the birth of his first child and has since endured almost all formats from Super8 to AVCHD. Traveling around the world, family, now also with grandchildren, professional advertising films, documentaries, and reports on topics from technology, science, and art have captivated him. Technology and science form a special focus of his films as pop science.
Photos and Text: Gerhard Kreysa