Jiayuguan Attractions - Things to Do

Jiayuguan Pass

Located in northwest of Gansu Province, Jiayuguan is the pass of the famous Silk Road. It adjoins the historical and cultural city Jiuquan on the east, the petroleum city Yumen on the west, the snow-capped Qilian Mountain on the south and the vast Badain Jaran Desert on the north.

It has a temperate continental desert climate, with an average temperature of 6.7°C (44°F) – 7.7°C (46°F). In a word, it has a very cold winter and a hot summer; seldom rains; and has abundant sunshine. Therefore, tourists have lots of things to do there all the year round.

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.

Jiayuguan Pass
 

Overhanging Great Wall

Six kilometers (3.73 miles) southwest of the city, it is situated in the middle of the narrowest valley. The Great Wall on both sides of the pass crosses the Gobi, neighboring the Overhanging Great Wall on the north and the First Fire Tower of the Great Wall on the south. The Jiayuguan Pass represents the western starting point of a section of the Great Wall constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Overhanging Great Wall

The Overhanging Great Wall is an important part of the defensive work of the pass. Built in the year of 1539 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), it is 11 kilometers (6.83 miles) from the downtown area, and located 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) northwest of the Pass. The main body of the Overhanging Great Wall was built with gravel and soil, including three fire towers. Its outline seems similar with the Beijing Badaling Great Wall, so people nickname it 'West Badaling'.

The First Fire Tower of the Great Wall

The First Fire Tower of the Great Wall is also named 'Talai River Fire Tower' (Talaihe Dun in Chinese). It is on the bank of the Talai River, 7.5 kilometers (4.66 miles) from the Jiayuguan Pass. Standing on it, visitors can appreciate the grandeur of an ancient civilization when they see the marvelous view of the vast Gobi.

First Fire Tower of the Great Wall

Wei-Jin Art Gallery

Wei-Jin Art Gallery

The Wei-Jin Art Gallery is 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the downtown. Surrounded by vast Gobi, it is made up with more than one thousand ancient tombs of Wei-Jin Period (220-420). The murals on the bricks of the tombs are very vivid, including the patterns of farming, taking mulberry, animal husbandry, hunting, banquet, playing music, playing chess, etc. Through these murals, you can understand the politics, economy, military, transport means and many other aspects of the Wei-Jin Period very well.

Besides the above attractions of the city, you can find many other places well worth a visit. For instance, you can go to see the famous July 1st Glacier (Qi Yi Bingchuan) discovered on July 1st, 1958, visit Local Museum with the theme of showing Great Wall culture and history, or join the activities provided by Jiayuguan Glider Base in the airport.