Jiayuguan, Gansu Province

Xuanbi Great Wall

悬壁长城History & Culture

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,…

Xuanbi Great Wall, Jiayuguan

Key facts

Opening hours
9:30—18:00
Time needed
1–2 hours
Getting there
A chartered car for a day covering Jiayuguan Pass, the Xuanbi Great Wall and the First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall costs ¥150–180. A taxi from the city centre costs about ¥40.
Guidebook rating
3 / 5

From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 748. Open in Google Maps

About 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.

Frequently asked questions

What are the opening hours of Xuanbi Great Wall?

Xuanbi Great Wall is open 9:30—18:00.

How do I get to Xuanbi Great Wall?

A chartered car for a day covering Jiayuguan Pass, the Xuanbi Great Wall and the First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall costs ¥150–180. A taxi from the city centre costs about ¥40.

How long should I spend at Xuanbi Great Wall?

Plan on 1–2 hours for Xuanbi Great Wall.

Where is Xuanbi Great Wall?

Xuanbi Great Wall is in Jiayuguan, Gansu Province, in the Northwest of China.

More places in Jiayuguan

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

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

Great Wall Museum

Great Wall Museum

Here you can gain a systematic and comprehensive understanding of Great Wall culture. The exhibition is divided into four sections: "Great Walls of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods," "Great Walls of the Qin and Han Dynasties," "Great Walls of the Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Liao and Jin Dynasties" and "The Ming Great Wall." Three thousand years of Great Wall construction are presented through charts, models, text panels and colour images, giving visitors an overall and visual understanding of Great Wall culture in a short time.

Free · 0.5–1 hour

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.

Peak season full ticket ¥110; low season full ticket ¥90; sightseeing shuttle ticket ¥10 · 2–3 hours