Gansu offers visitors space to imagine

If you have ever wondered what life would be like on Mars, you don't have to travel millions of kilometers to find out. Nor do you require billions of dollars and a massive rocket like Elon Musk.

Heck, you don't even have to leave terra firma.

You just need a car and a map of the ancient Hexi Corridor.

After hours of driving west from Lanzhou, the landscape begins to resemble that of Earth's heavenly neighbor.

Beyond the highway, as the vast Gobi Desert stretches toward the horizon, reddish sandstone hills rise from the barren earth. Unlike the Red Planet, though, this otherworldly landscape is dotted with clusters of silver-gray domes, capsule-shaped habitats and models of Mars rovers.

Welcome to Mars Base 1, an immersive Mars-themed experience center in Jinchang, Gansu province.

For centuries, the Hexi Corridor served as a gateway linking central China with the western regions. The surrounding desert inspired generations of travelers and poets, including Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Wang Wei, whose verses captured its vast horizons, solitary smoke rising over the sands and sunsets stretching across endless skies.

Today, that same landscape has taken on a new role. It is connecting people with the stars.

With its reddish rock formations, dry climate and sparsely populated terrain, the Gobi offers one of China's closest natural analogs to the Martian surface, turning a landscape once associated with Silk Road history into a place where visitors can imagine humanity's future in space.

Originally built as the set for Space Challenge, a 2018 reality TV show, and used as the location for the 2024 Chinese movie Mission to Mars, Mars Base 1 has since evolved into an experiential tourism hot spot.

"It has gradually transformed from a film set into a comprehensive destination combining science education, tourism and immersive experiences," said Dai Xiaoying, the base's senior online operations manager.

The biggest attractions are astronaut training experiences. Visitors line up to try centrifuges and spacecraft docking simulators modeled on equipment used in the training of real astronauts, offering a glimpse of the physical demands behind space exploration.

On Tuesday, dozens of primary school students from Lanzhou took part in mission-based activities that ranged from building model rockets to conducting geological surveys in the surrounding Gobi. They also explored hydroponic farming and life-support systems designed to demonstrate how astronauts might one day grow food and survive during long-duration space missions.

During a summer road trip across Gansu, 12-year-old Liu Xukai visited the base with his mother.

"My son has always been fascinated by the planets and outer space," said Wang Yali, who traveled from the Lanzhou New Area. "I came across Mars Base 1 on Douyin and thought it would give him a chance to experience in real life what he had previously only seen in videos."

The base has become a popular destination for summer study tours.

"The courses are designed to turn science from something students hear about into something they can actually do," said base manager Dai.

"Instead of simply telling them what space exploration might be like, we want them to experience various aspects of it for themselves."

For Yang Linsheng, an instructor who led the recent group, the experience is about far more than learning scientific facts.

"When they leave Mars Base 1, I hope their backpacks carry more than rocks or souvenirs," he said. "I hope they leave with curiosity, the confidence that comes from solving problems on their own and the belief that they, too, can make a difference."

The Martian setting also attracts visitors from overseas.

"We came to Mars Base 1 to experience what life on Mars might be like," said Zuban, a visitor from Yemen who toured the site with other international guests.

"The spacecraft models and astronaut training equipment were especially exciting. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in space exploration," Zuban added.

While Wang watched her son hurry from one exhibit to another, she said the journey had already fulfilled its purpose.

"Most people will never actually travel to Mars," she said. "But here, children can imagine what that future might look like."

Hu Yumeng contributed to this story.

majingna@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

How: Fly or take a train to Jinchang, Gansu province, then drive about 30 minutes from downtown Jinchang to Mars Base 1.

When: April 1 — Oct 31, open 9:30 am — 6:30 pm (daily); Nov 1 — March 31, open 9 am — 5:30 pm. A standard ticket costs 128 yuan ($18.90).

Tips: Take a jacket or warm clothing, as temperatures in the desert can change significantly between day and night. Carry drinking water and stay hydrated. Wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat, as there is limited shade.