The Legend of the Two Swallows (Fortress)
by mke1963
One of the most endearing legends of the Jiayuguan Fortress is that of the two swallows. It is said that during Zhengde's reign (1506-1521), two swallows lived in the archway of the eastern gateway. They were well-known to the guards who watched them flit in and out and around the surrounding desert. One night, the swallows returned late and found that the doors were closed. They flew around the gateway all night, butcould find nowhere to perch. They tried hammering on the doorway by flying against it, but the guards were not allowed to open the gate, on pain of death. Eventually, the two exhausted swallows died of exhaustion and fell by the gate where they were found in the morning. The sad guards and soldiers erected a memorial to them, and today it is said that if you strike a stone against a stone by the eastern wall you will hear the twittering of swallows.
Background to the Wei Jin period - Part II
by mke1963
Among these battles and flows of refugees, in 399 Fa Xian set off on his long journey to India, returning to China in 414 with precious Buddhist scripts that he then translated. Seventy-five years later, the Northern Wei established total control over northern China, and in 494 the northern capital moved from Datong to Luoyang, by which time the Toba people had become as Chinese as the Chinese themselves. This period of China saw the development of the great grotto complexes first near Datong then later at Luoyang. The Northern Wei absorbed the Liang terrritories and united the greater part of northern China, from Anxi and Dunhuang to the Bohai Bay and Shandong. It all seemed too good to last; and so it was to prove. In 534, one north-eastern clan broke off to become the Eastern Wei, then later the Northern Qi. Meanwhile, the north-western elements broke off to form the Western Wei , to become the Northern Zhou 22 years later in 557 with their capital at Chang'an.
It's all a complicated history of warring regimes, each with its own systems and customs, but while the emperors make it to the history books, life at local level was precarious. People were tied to local administrations and what went on at the imperial courts was largely irrelevant. Religion, especially Buddhism, and philosophical debate provided a degree of sanctuary for the peasants and traders. Among the carnage, the arts and sciences filtered down from the courts to the lower level towns and officials and so to the countryside estates and oasis towns. Local warlords and barons copied the styles and fashions of the court, and patronised the arts and religion at local level. The Wei Jin period is quite remarkable for its diversity and for the consequent social and artistic development, brought about, ironically, not by peace but by war and struggle for survival. The records of this time, painted quickly onto small bricks as part of funerary tributes has become one of the great art treasures of China, still unknown and largely unappreciated.
Heishan Rock Carvings
by mke1963
To the north-west of Jiayuguan, along the Shiguan Gorge that passes through the Overhanging Great Wall are a number of old carvings in the layers of thick black basalt rock.
In fact, you do not need to make the lengthy trek to the main gorge to see some of the carvings, although this is where the older Xiongnu (Hun) carvings can be seen. Just 1km along the gorge from the Great Wall, near the fragments of the old Ming barrier wall across the valley, there are Mingand earlier carvings of signs and religious symbols.
If you haven't the time, there are recreations of some of the biggest and clearest carvings at the grungy scuplture park at the Overhanging Great Wall, and the rather overgrown Heishan Sculpture Park at the Jiayuguan Fortress Resort Area (to the right of the commercial area).
Tough place to conquer
by victorwkf
Jiayuguan great wall pass was designed in such a way that it will take a lot of effort to conquer. For example, there are 2 high walls to cross before reaching inside, and the defenders would stand high up to shoot arrows and pour boiling oil at the enemies.
Visitor Centre at the First Signal Tower
by mke1963
Great design, poor function.
The visitor centre at the First Signal Tower has been constructed underground and has the potential to be a great facility. Unfortunately, the undergound bunker, virtually invisible at the surface and approached by a sloping ramp, is like some kitsch 1970s B-movie bad guy's haunt with mock stone waling inset with dinosaur skeletons, fake cattle skulls and wagon wheels. A glass floor sits over a fake Han tomb, and a glass-floored observation platform mainly provides a view of the incredibly insensitive 1980s tourism developments on the other side of the gorge. It is no surprise that every single tourism brochure and guide-book photograph of the First Signal Tower you will ever set eyes on was shot before these hideous huts and tents were built.
To add insult to injury, but with the definite possibility of injury thrown in for good measure, a Flying Fox zipwire has been installed, allowing tourists to cross the 150 metre gorge from the visitor centre.
Oh dear, China!
Sign in with Facebook
Jiayuguan town centre, China
1st Beacon Tower
Main entrance
City ramparts and fortifications