|
 Jiayu
Pass stands in the
southwest section of the
city Jiayuguan in Gansu
Province. The
snow-covered Qilian
Mountains spread for
hundreds of miles to the
south, and the Dragon’s
Head (Longshou) and the
Horse’s Mane (Mazong)
mountains rise to its
north. The walls on both
sides of the pass extend
across the desert to
join the mountains. It
was a strategic
passageway on the route
to the western regions
(west of China’s Yumen
Pass, including what is
today’s Xinjiang and
Central Asia).
The existing building
was constructed in 1372.
It is a square structure
with a circumference of
733 meters, divided into
outer and inner
 sections.
The outer wall was built
with mud except for the
western section, which
was made of bricks. The
double walls indicate
the important strategic
position of this pass.
Jiayu Pass is the
western starting point
of the existing Great
Wall which then crosses
deserts and follows
mountain ridges for more
than five thousand
kilometers until it
reaches the sea coast in
eastern Liaoning
Province.
Visitors may go to Jiayu
Pass by either plane or
train from Lanzhou and
stay at the local
hotels. |
