Jiayuguan Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 嘉峪关 (jiā yù guān)
Population: 252,000
Area: 2,935 square kilometers (1,133 square miles)
Location: in the northwest of Gansu Province, northwestern China
Area Code: 0937
Zip Code: 735100
GDP (2018): CNY 29.96 billion (USD 4.53 billion)
Nationalities: Han, Hui, Tibetan, Dongxiang, Yugu, Baoan, Hazake, Tu, Sala, Manchu, and Mongolian

Located in the northwest of Gansu Province, Jiayuguan borders Jiuquan to the east, Xinjiang to the west, Qilian Mountain and Zhangye to the south, Inner Mongolia to the north. The elevation of Jiayuguan is between 1,412-2,722 meters (4,633 – 8,930 feet). The central and western parts of the city are mostly Gobi, where the urban areas and industrial enterprises are located; the southeast and northeast are oases used as agricultural areas. Jiayuguan is also a new industrial city where Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company headquartered. As the traffic hub of the ancient Silk Road and the west starting point of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), Jiayuguan is also famous for the Jiayuguan Pass which is dubbed as the world's first grand pass.

The city culture is a combination of Great Wall and Silk Road. It boasts many historical relics referring to these two wonders. The famous ones include Jiayuguan Pass, the Overhanging Great Wall, the First Fire Tower of the Great Wall and Wei-Jin Art Gallery. Apart from these famous attractions, you can also find many other interesting places in this city, such as the famous July 1st Glacier (Qi Yi Bingchuan), Jiayuguan Museum and Jiayuguan Glider Base.

Jiayuguan Pass

Jiayuguan Railway Station

1. Jiayuguan Airport (JGA) is located 9km away from the city center. Passengers can easily take taxi or airport shuttle bus between the downtown city area and the airport. The airport offers flights from/ to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha, Lanzhou and Xi’an.

2. The city has two passenger railway stations. Jiayuguan Railway Station mainly operates non-bullet trains to/from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, etc. The South Railway Station is a stop along Lanzhou-Xinjiang High Speed Railway, operating high speed trains to/from Urumqi, Turpan, Kumul, Xining, Lanzhou, Jiuquan, Zhangye, etc.

 See detailed Jiayuguan Railway Station, Jiayuguan South Railway Station, Jiayuguan - Lanzhou Train, Jiayuguan - Zhangye Train, Jiayuguan - Dunhuang Train, Xi'an - Jiayuguan Train

3. The long-distance bus station is located at the cross of Jingtiexi Road and Shenglinan Road. It provides bus daily traveling to Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Hami, Urumqi, Jinchang, Yumen, Yinxia, Gaotai, etc.

4. Public bus is a convenient transport for traveling around the city. The bus fare is usually CNY1. Bus 1 is the south bound bus which heads from the centre of town to the train station. Bus 4 can take you from the train station to the the fort.

5. Most attractions in the city are available by taxi. The base fare of the taxi is CNY6 and CNY1.2 is charged per additional kilometer. The taxi fare can be bargain down if your travel journey is far.

Jiayuguan possesses a continental desert climate, warm and aridity with the frost-free period of 160 days. The average temperature is about 6.7C (44F) – 7.7C (18.1F) , of which the lowest temperature is -21C (-5.8F) in January and the highest is 34C (93F) in July. It has an annual precipitation of 100 millimeters, with rainfall concentrated in summer. The weather is sandstorm from March to May and strong wind from November to December.

 When to Go: The most suitable time is from May to October, because the weather is the most favorable of the year at that period.

 History: It has a history over 630 years. In 1372, during the Ming Dynasty, a fortress was built to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire. It was completely built up in 1540 and became a small township engaged in local trading, catering to the needs of the military garrisons stationed at the fort. The city was used to be the pass of the famous Silk Road and the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.

 Local products: star jelly, Jiuquan Cup of phosphorescent jade, handcraft carpet, jiayu inkstone, camel's hair drawing

 Local Highlights: Qinqiang Drama is popular in this place. When traveling there, you should not miss the performance of Qinqiang Drama.