Architecture on the Road
Visiting Jiayuguan Pass and the Overhanging Great Wall
The city of Jiayuguan, located amongst a string of oases along the Silk Road that crosses the western part of Gansu Province, is home of two of the most famous historic heritage landmarks of China: the Jiayu Pass and the Overhanging Great Wall.
These two sites hold great importance for Chinese history: the Jiayu Pass is the westernmost limit of the Great Wall, extending 21,196 km eastward from Liaonin Province.
Having visited several sections of the great Wall around Beijing, I wanted to see a unique stretch of the Wall that crosses the Gobi Desert and was built by rammed earth. How cool is that?!?
The Jiayu Pass (Jiāyùguān Chéng – 嘉峪关 城), located about 8 km north from the homonymous city of Jayuguang, marks the western-most limit of the Great Wall.
The pass is strategically located in the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor, and for centuries, it as a busy hub for the commercial and military routes of the Silk Road.
The fortress is surely magnificent; a fundamental example of Civil engineering of Chinese Architecture.
The fortress is characterized by a bastion formed by a moat and two sets of inner and outer walls, with an area of approximately 3.5 km2.
There are two entrances, to the east and west, both surmounted by a 3 story tower.
At the corners, there are 2 story high watchtowers.
Inside the bastion there are a few smaller buildings: Temple of Guan Yu, a military office, a few smaller pavilions today hosting several activities (such as painting and calligraphy studios), a Museum of the Pass and the Great Wall, and an Opera Hall.
What makes Jiayu Pass so striking in my opinion is the setting: surround by desert to the North, rocky mountains to the South, and an oasis to the side. The scenery accounts for a big part of the charm of this beautiful military architecture.
The Pass today is one of the most important Cultural Heritage sites of the area and a huge tourism attraction. Expect to find actors wearing costumes or armor, the usual souvenir shops, and several military themed activities and games for kids.
Approximately 7 km from the Jiayu Pass, it is possible to visit a one of a kind section of the Great Wall: the Overhanging Great Wall (Xuán bì chángchéng 悬壁长城).
Originally built during the Ming Dynasty in 1540 over the slope of the Black Mountains, this stretch consists of layers of gravel and rammed Earth.
The Wall is called “Overhanging” because of its peculiar look; perched on the rocky mountains, the Wall it is said to look like “a dragon overhanging the slopes.”
The stretch of the Wall still left today is only 750 meters long and has three post towers, and was restored in the ’70s.
I planned to visit the Jiayu Pass and the Overhanging Great Wall as a full day stop in the city of Jiayuguan during a trip along the Silk Road of Gansu. The dedicated time that turned out to be way too much for my purposes.
I arrived at the Jiayuguan Railway Station at 6:30 am, in time to see the city waking up.
It was still too early to do much, so I walked around the station a little, looking for some breakfast. I have to admit I was not impressed by my first look of Jiayuguan; a modern, grid-like, anonymous looking city.
Because of the short time I had available (or what I thought would be a short time) and the relatively short distances, I decided to look for a taxi driver for the day to get me to the main spots.
I hired the kindest lady, who took me on a comprehensive tour of what Jiayuguan offers.
The good thing about getting to the city so early is that I was at the entrance of Jiayu Pass before opening time (which is at 8:30 am). The temperature was pleasant (not later in the day – it was July), and despite a few early morning tour groups, it was devoid of tourists and enjoyable to visit.
I could tell from the number of staff wearing costumes and games all around the fortress, that later in the day there would be ‘historical’ performances or entertainment activities for the little ones.
I found the fort to be quite beautiful, especially because of the setting. The sandy and rocky desert and the snowy mountains in the background really played a big role in the charm of this structure!
After exploring the fortress, I was taken by my driver to visit the Overhanging Great Wall.
As much as I found it extremely cool that the sandy Wall was built with rammed earth, I found it rather underwhelming.
The remaining and restored section of this part of the Wall is indeed really short (around 750m) and quite fast to cover (took me less than 1h), and nowhere near as epic as the Great Wall in Beijing.
On a positive note, I was the only one climbing, so I can say I had the entire Overhanging Wall all for myself.
Around 11 am, the activities I expected to fill the entire day were already finished. Having my departure train from the city center around 6 pm, I asked my taxi driver what else was interesting to see.
She took me to the site of the “First Fire Tower of the Great Wall,” located about 10 km south of the city (which anyway was included in the Jiayuguan combo ticket).
The First Fire Tower of the Great Wall is an earthen mound standing at the edge of the Taolai River gorge. In ancient times, this lonely hill was actually one of the most important beacon towers of the Great Wall. Today, nothing of the ancient glory is left in this dry land, only a commemorative stone.
The site was developed into a tourist attraction, with an exhibition hall about the First Tower, the Taolai Old Inn (a reconstruction of an ancient courtyard using rammed earth and wood), and a reconstruction of Ming Dynasty barracks.
After a quick walk around the complex (which is honestly not impressive at all), my driver and I made it back to Jianyuguan Railway Station, where I eventually waited for my train for the rest of the day.
The city of Jiayuguan, located in Gansu Province, hosts 2 Railway Stations (Jianyuguan Railway Station 嘉峪关站 and Jianyuguan South Railway Station 嘉峪关南站), and a local Airport (嘉峪关国际机场).
The Jiayu Pass is located approximately 6 km west of the city center and can be reached by bus or with a quick taxi ride.
By bus
From Jiayuguan Raiway Station, take bus 4 or 6 to the terminal station (1rmb).
The entrance ticket to Jiayu Pass ranges from 90 to 110 rmb (according to seasons) and also includes the Overhanging Great Wall and the First Fire Tower of the Great Wall.
The Overhanging Great Wall is located approximately 7km north-west of Jiayu Pass.
Because there is no direct public transport to and between the sites, a taxi ride is the only solution.
I am always happy to see new places, and Jiayuguan and the Overhanging Great Wall were a good stop along my route through Gansu Province, so I am glad I checked it out.
I have to admit though, this was by far the least impressive stop along my trip of the Silk Road, and one of the most underwhelming sites I visited in China (of the very famous ones).
The Jiayu Pass is quite interesting and it was very fortunate for me to be there so early in the morning, so I could enjoy it at a leisurely pace and with a nice temperature.
The Overhanging Great Wall was indeed unique, but certainly not conveying (at least to me) the extraordinary and grand feelings that I experienced climbing other parts of the Wall.
The First Fire Tower of the Great Wall could have been completely skipped, but in that moment it seemed a better way to spend my free time instead of aimlessly walking around the blocks of the Railway Station.
I planned an entire day to tour these sites and hired a driver to make it quicker… and eventually managed to finish all the sightseeing in half of the time expected. If I had taken the public transport, it would have surely been a lot slower to get around, and considering the extremely hot temperatures in the middle of the day, I am still happy with my choice of taking a cab.
I hired the driver for a half day, so she waited for me while I was in the sites (cost me approximately 150 rmb), but in hindsight, I could have hired a driver for each separate trip, probably cutting my costs in half.
In conclusion, I found a day in Jiayuguan worth it as a stop along a bigger route through the region, but in my opinion, a bit underwhelming only by itself.
Surely, the thing I enjoyed the most about Jiayuguan were the views of the surrounding mountains and the Gobi desert.
FRom the same province
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Un gradito ritorno sulle vie della Cina. È sempre un piacere viaggiare con te ! Sempre lieta di leggere dei tuoi viaggi soprattutto in un momento on cui È impossibile viaggiare…