URUMQI, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in June launched a project to preserve the site of the ancient Loulan, dubbed "Oriental Pompeii," investing some 9.42 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars).
Loulan was a prosperous settlement built around 2,000 years ago to serve traders transiting through the ancient Silk Road. However, with time, references to Loulan mysteriously disappeared. The site is today located in the wilderness of southern Xinjiang's Ruoqiang County.