Jiayuguan travel guide
嘉峪关
Jiayuguan Pass bears a plaque reading “The First Majestic Pass Under Heaven.” Similar plaques hang at Shanhai Pass and Juyong Pass, but Jiayuguan, facing the boundless Gobi, has a bearing all its own.…
5 places · In the guidebook: pages 743–749
Jiayuguan, Gansu Province · AI illustration for China Trip
Quick itinerary
Jiayuguan in 2 days
- Day 1
- First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall→
- Jiayuguan Fort→
- Great Wall Museum→
- Cantilevered Great Wall
- Day 2
- Xincheng Wei-Jin Tombs
The feel of the place
- Majestic Pass on the Gobi
- Jiayuguan Pass bears a plaque reading “The First Majestic Pass Under Heaven.” Similar plaques hang at Shanhai Pass and Juyong Pass, but Jiayuguan, facing the boundless Gobi, has a bearing all its own. Standing on the gate tower and looking into the distance, you see the Qilian Mountains stretching along the Gobi until they vanish at the horizon. Looking back through history, foreign cavalry once thundered in amid clouds of dust, and homesick soldiers gazed at the rolling beacon smoke on the horizon and sounded their horns. It is hard to imagine how many heroic souls this Gobi has buried; even the wind brushing your face seems to carry the spirit of battle.
tip: Jiuquan
Jiuquan city administers Dunhuang City, Yumen City and Guazhou County, among others. Jiuquan is 21 km from Jiayuguan City, and Dunhuang lies 406 km west of Jiuquan. Most travellers visit these places as one route, so Jiayuguan and Jiuquan are covered together here, with the focus on Jiayuguan City.
Jiayuguan Railway Station
address: West end of Yingbin Road
Jiuquan Railway Station
address: 12 km south of the city centre
Jiayuguan Long-Distance Bus Station
address: Intersection of Shengli Road and Lanxin Road
transport: Take bus 2 from the railway station and get off at Liuchalu (Six-Fork Junction)
Jiuquan Long-Distance Bus Station
address: Xiguan Road
tip: Jiayuguan Highlights
1. Jiayuguan is a very clean city, and its street lights at night are especially lovely. The liveliest parts of town are the Xiongguan and Shangcheng areas. Take bus 1 directly from the railway station; the ride takes just over ten minutes.
2. Do not miss the sunset from the Jiayuguan gate tower.
3. The Taolai River valley beside the First Beacon Tower is spectacular, and a zip line carries you across to the far bank. It's thrilling.
Preparation and Information
Climate and Best Time to Visit
Jiayuguan City has a temperate arid climate with large annual temperature swings. The average annual temperature is about 6°C, and annual precipitation is over 80 mm. January is the coldest month, with an absolute low of -28.6°C; July is the hottest, with an absolute high of 38°C. May to October is the best time to visit Jiayuguan City.
Things to see
Jiayuguan Fort
This is the best-preserved Great Wall pass in existence. Built in 1372, it was the westernmost fort of the Ming Great Wall and is known as the end of the Great Wall. It was built to stop remnants of the Yuan dynasty raiding the people of the interior from the west. The fort's north and south walls are 160 metres long, its east and west walls 154 metres, and its walls 10 metres high. It is a large defensive complex made up of an inner city, a barbican, an outer city and a 17-metre-high watchtower. Regrettably, as the sites have been developed, the man-made traces have grown increasingly evident, and the original wild charm has faded.
2–3 hours · Peak season full ticket ¥110; low season full ticket ¥90; sightseeing shuttle ticket ¥10
First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall
Standing 8.3 metres high, the tower rises from a cliff nearly 80 metres above the Taolai River. It is rightly called the most perilous beacon tower under heaven.
1–2 hours
Xuanbi Great Wall
Known as the Xuanbi (Hanging Wall) Great Wall because of its steep slope, it is sold together with the ticket to the Jiayuguan Pass gate tower. It looks majestic, but it is a later reconstruction; the original Great Wall here no longer exists.
1–2 hours
Youji General's Mansion
This was the place where the Youji (guerrilla) generals who guarded Jiayuguan during the Ming and Qing dynasties handled military affairs and government business. The front courtyard centres on the council hall and highlights scenes of generals and civil and military officials commanding defences against invaders and issuing official documents. The back courtyard vividly recreates the daily life of the general and his family.
1 hour
Getting there & around
Getting In and Out
Transport is decent, and it's not as difficult as you might expect.
By Air
By Train
Jiayuguan Railway Station is on West Yingbin Road, 5 km southwest of the city centre. Trains running between Ürümqi and Lanzhou, as well as trains to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an, pass through the station.
By Road
Jiayuguan Bus Station runs daily services to Lanzhou, Zhangye, Wuwei, Yumen Town, Ürümqi and Linxia. Jiayuguan City and Jiuquan are very close and linked by public bus. The station has three buses a day to Dunhuang, a journey of 6–8 hours, costing ¥85.
Getting Around the City
Jiayuguan's urban area is very small, and there are few sights within the city itself, so the bus network is not extensive. Bus 4 runs from the railway station to Jiayuguan Pass; bus 12 runs from the railway station to the South Railway Station; and bus 1 runs from the railway station to the North Bus Station (汽车北站). The fare is a flat ¥1.
Jiayuguan Airport
By AirFlights to Beijing, Lanzhou and Xi'an operate every week. Visitors from other parts of China can transfer via Lanzhou. Because flights are few, there is no airport bus on a fixed timetable to and from the city, but there is an airport minibus costing ¥15.
- Phone:
- 0937-6287788
Eat & drink
Roast whole lamb again, though the portions are so large that you'll feel the limit is not your wallet but your stomach.
Jingtie Market in Jiayuguan is on the east side of Xinhua Middle Road. It is an open-air snack market under canopies, and its most popular item is grilled lamb. It's best to go with a few friends, because skewers here are sold in lots of at least 10.
Shopping
Grape Wine
The unique sandy Gobi soil and meltwater from the Qilian Mountains provide excellent raw material for Jiayuguan's winemaking. The wine is rich and mellow, with a sweet aroma.
Jiayu Stone Inkstone
Jiayu stone inkstone was added to the third batch of Gansu Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011.
Luminous Cup (Yeguang Bei)
Luminous cups are sold in Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Zhangye and other places. Made from black jade mined above 4,000 m in the Qilian Mountains, they are as thin as paper, can be filled to the brim without spilling, and ring with a pleasant sound.
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 743–749. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version