Sign in with Facebookjiayu pass , the west end of the Great Wall ,
a nice small city , but with splendid jiayu pass as the west end of the GreatWall ,located on the famous silk road .
I got there years ago , the jiayu pass is about less than 10 kilometers from urban .
Xiong Guan Hotel
No.31 Xinhua Middle Road, Jiayuguan, Gansu, 735100, China
More about Jiayuguan
Photos
Corridor of soft sleeper compartment
The Hanging Great Wall
Overhanging Great Wall (on the hill in distance)
Wasteland
Travel Tips for Jiayuguan
The Great Desert - Part I
Beyond Jiayuguan, to the west lies the great desert. Jiayuguan was really the end of China in Ming times. Although Dunhuang and isolated oases and towns existed beyond the lonely fortress, this was it: the end. Beyond here was a great emptiness and the barbarians and the uncivilised world. Even today, Chinese people are uncomfortable with the world beyond their borders. I am sure many Chinese will strongly disagree with this, but I have sufficient experience travelling overseas with Chinese and in discussions with many people inside China to hold this view. I mean it as no disrespect; there is certainly a fascination with the outside, but it is always put in a China context. Some have, in recent years, seen it in an aggressive light, calling it "aggrieved nationalism", but that is regularly disputed.
Nevertheless, in days gone by, the Chinese simply did not trust the people beyond their borders, and given the remarkable acientific achievements in early China, there was perceived to be little need for foreign goods, many of which were inferior to domestic solutions. Today, this tends to manifest itself as an undying belief that eventually Chinese products and services will be superior to those developed elsewhere. Maybe. Maybe not.
But back in earlier dynasties, to leave China was a truly terrifying experience and even those who chose to do so, generally returned as quickly as they could. To be exiled was even worse, and those that were sent beyond the borders tended to stay fairly close by in the hope of being readmitted to the fold in due course; many were. China doesn't easily forget its sons and daughters, no matter how badly they have behaved in the past.
Just pack whatever you want
I know it's impossible to pack this but I wish I can pack this back home. On the way I saw camels, donkeys and many other animals on the desert. I was there in winter, I need heavy jacket. Not sure You need more films You can try the desert
Jiayuguan Fortress - Part I
Shortly after Emperor Hongwu proclaimed himself the first Ming Emperor in 1368, he sent General Feng Sheng to the West to wipe out the remaining troops of the defeated Yuan dynasty. He ended up at Suzhou in Gansu, where he was tasked by the emperor with closing off the narrow pass that allowed entrance to China. The old Han Great Wall passed by to the north and could be closed off by running a new wall from the Heishan Mountains to the north down to the deep Taolaihe river gorge. On a slight ridge lay the perfect location to build a military fortress. It commanded a great view of the entire 17km wide pass and lay beside a spring and a permanent stream. The first fortress was built in less than 12 months.
The stone flags under the tower gateways are huge - each one 2 metres long and half a metre thick. They were brought from a quarry at Mozigou in the Heishan and it was a difficult task to bring the huge slabs to the fortress. Cleverly, they decided to move them the 10km in the depths of winter by pouring water on the roadway. The water froze solid and the slabs were slid along the road to the building site with ease.
One of the most cunning ideas for easing the construction process came from a child goatherd, who suggested using goats, each carrying two adobe bricks tied at either end of a strap over its back. The bricks were being manufactured some 20km away where the soil was suitable for brickmaking,and the use of wagons over the stoney desert was time-consuming. The idea was a good one, and huge herds of goats were employed in the army of builders.
The Entrances to the Jiayuguan Fortress
Perhaps the most spectacular part of the fortress is the method of entry. There are two outer gateways, both facing south, after which there is a sharp turn to get to the main gate, so preventing a direct frontal attack. Each outer gate has a small attic tower above for observing those coming and going. It is behind one of these attic towers (at the western end) where the single extra brick lies - see separate review.
The huge entrance archways were designed to impress and are lined with huge slabs of stone at the lower level. The doors themselves are wooden, thick and lined with heavy iron sheeting for ptotection against fire-arrows.
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