Xuanquanzhi, Archaeological site in Gansu, China

Xuanquanzhi is the excavated site of a Han dynasty relay station in Xindiantai village, Mozhen town, Dunhuang, Gansu, 64 km from Dunhuang city and 60 km from Guazhou, near the Huoyan mountains south of the Qilian range. Its full name was Dunhuang Commandery, Xiaogu County Xuanquanzhi; a sefu headed it, about 37 staff served it, and it could receive over 500 people at once.

Xuanquanzhi was established in 111 BC, the sixth year of Emperor Wu of Han's Yuanding era, and served as a relay station for envoys, officials and foreign guests. According to the Hou Hanshu, such posts were set every thirty li in the frontier commanderies. It was abandoned during the Wei and Jin periods.

The name Xuanquanzhi comes from springs flowing from the nearby cliffs. The station was run by a sefu (overseer) with about 37 staff and could host over 500 people at once, receiving envoys, officials and foreign guests. Finds include a 2,000-year-old letter written on silk, 18 by 8 cm, and paper from the Western Han period.

The site lies in Xindiantai Village, Mozhen Town, Dunhuang, Gansu, about 64 km from Dunhuang city and 60 km from Guazhou, near the Huoyan Mountains south of the Qilian range. Plan transport for this remote stretch of the Hexi Corridor in advance. The excavated remains are open to the elements, so conditions vary with the season.

Among the finds was a 2,000-year-old letter written on silk, 18 by 8 cm, sent from the frontier toward the interior of the Han empire. The site also yielded over 400 fragments of paper from the Western Han period, among the earliest paper finds in China.