How to Travel to Jiayuguan Great Wall
How to get there
Jiayuguan is located about 6km southwest of Jiayuguan City, in the middle of the narrowest valley of Jiayuguan Pass. The city walls were built through the desert.
- By Public Bus
Take a bus line No. 4 or No. 6 to the Pass scenic area. It takes about 20 minutes. The bus station is on the right as you go forward when you exit from the East Gate. - Ride a bicycle
Ride a bicycle from downtown Jiayuguan City to the Pass City. It takes about 30 minutes and on the way you go over the 312 National Road Bridge. It is spectacular to look down over the dense railway network under the bridge.
Highlights on Jiayuguan Great Wall
1. Jiayuguan Museum of the Great Wall
The Museum is distinguished for its intuitive style and various collections. The oil painting of the Great Wall presents the main attractions with impressionistic and figurative art in a scroll that covers 220.5 square meters. There are 121 exhibition boards, more than 15,000 characters, 142 paintings, 20 models, 242 cultural relics, copies of 38 cultural relics, 11 three-dimensional sculptures, 110 square meters of relief sculptures, and 36 charts. Badges of the Great Wall, the Bronze Cannon in the Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty, and wooden printing plates of Jiayuguan Pass are precious materials for researching history and culture of the Great Wall.
2. The Hanging Great Wall
The Hanging Great Wall is the north section of Jiayuguan Pass. It was an important part for defense in ancient times. The city wall is situated on the Hei Mountain and is very sturdy. It is very hard to climb, although it is not as steep as Badaling Great Wall. The steps at the middle part of the Wall are quite high. The existing Hanging Great Wall is 750 meters long. Follow a track on the side of the top; you can admire the beautiful view of Hei Mountain.
3. The First Strategic Post of the Great Wall
It is the starting point of ancient Great Wall. Actually, it was a beacon tower, but only a mound remains. Scenic spots include Taolai River Ropeway, Tianxian Hanging Bridge, and a group of sculptures named “Zui Wo Sha Chang” that means ‘the people who have drunk fall on the battleground’. Taolai River is the mother river of Jiayuguan City, which is quite scenic. This splendid river derives its water from melting ice in the Qilian Mountains and flows to Jiayuguan where there is a drawbridge over it.
Tips
- Local people built a so-called pass city near downtown, which is known as the fake Great Wall. Please don’t be confused by this one.
- The shuttle bus inside the scenic area stops at two stations. One is at the western entrance of the Great Wall Museum. There is a glass view pavilion in the museum and when you stand on it you can watch the river flow under your feet. You could also cross Taolai River by cable car. The other station is in the barrack, and going across the chain bridge you will reach the other side to have a closer view of Taolai River.
- Jiayuguan city has a temperate continental climate. The best time to visit Jiayuguan is during the period from May to October. Jiayuguan International Gliding Festival falls in the mid of July every year. It is popular to climb Qiyi Glacier of Qilian Mountain in October.
- The entrance ticket is a combined one including Jiayuguan Museum of the Great Wall, the First Strategic Post of the Great Wall and The Hanging Great Wall. It costs CNY 101 during peak season and CNY 61 during off-season. The period of validity is two days.
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