Dunhuang, Edge of the World 1, Ban Chao

This is the first of five films about people who were connected with Dunhuang, and their roles in its history. The films are largely elaborations based on legends surrounding the outpost on the western edge of China.

The first film is about Ban Chao, who was born into a family of historians, but made his name as a stategist and general at a time when the edge of the Han Empire was open to attacks from the nomadic peoples around it.

Ban Chao not only managed to defend the western border of China, but also made alliances with many of the peoples beyond the border, and also fought off a huge army coming from the Central Asian Kushan Empire.

His story stands near the beginning of the history of Dunhuang, which would become a great commercial centre on the Silk Roads, and also the site of some of the greatest art works ever produced.