The Jiayuguan Pass, known as the "Strategic pass Under the Heaven",
is at the western end of the Great Wall. The Jiayuguan Pass was one
of great strategic importance. The existing Jiayuguan Pass walls
were built in the time of Ming Dynasty. The construction of these
walls began in 1372. It was not until 1539 that they became a
complete defense system, which had three defense lines, the
entrenchment, the outer wall, and the inner wall.
The inner wall is 10.7 meters high and encloses a city section of
about 25,000 square meters. It has two gates, namely the Rouyuan
Gate in the west and the Guanghua Gate in the east (Rouyuan means
appeasement and Guanghua means brilliance in Chinese). Both of the
two gates have defensive enclosure structures.
On the walls there are 14 pavilions. Inside the wall, there
are also many spots of interest, such as the General's Mansion, the
Well Pavilion, and Wenchang Pavilion. Outside the eastern gate,
there is a Guanyu's Temple (in honor of General Guanyu who lived in
the period of Three Kingdoms), a memorial archway, and an opera
tower.
The overall layout of the section in the inner wall is integrated
and well-organized.
The walls at the Jiayuguan Pass linked with the Great Wall, formed
a strongly fortified defensive system. There are many legends
concerning the construction of the walls: "goats carrying
bricks on their backs", "the foundation brick", "transporting wall
stones on an icy path". All of these stories give people a sense of
mystery.
Take a taxi to the pass and the fare is about 10 Yuan.How to Get to there?
