The original starting point of the Great Wall is located in Gansu, the First Strongest Pass in the World, and a key section of the Silk Road.
In the vast Gobi desert, amidst the Hengshan Mountains and alluvial plains, runs an ancient road – the Silk Road.
The Silk Road stretches to the pass, with narrow gorges and steep slopes, the terrain is even more perilous. Here stands a majestic fortress, known as the First Stronghold of the World – Jiayuguan.
For self-driving tourists, taking a Qinghai Ring Line is a particularly rewarding experience. Starting from Xining in Qinghai, traveling around to Gansu, the scenery along the way is breathtaking, and Jiayuguan is one of the most unmissable sights on this route.
Jiayuguan is located 5 kilometers west of Jiayuguan City, in the center of the narrowest valley. Reaching this point, the landscape is already very desolate. On the Jiayuguan city walls, the four characters 'First Stronghold of the World' are visible. This was written in 1873 by Zuotang, the Viceroy of Shaanxi, when he was recovering Ili in Xinjiang, and upon seeing the imposing fortress, he expressed his deep feelings and wrote 'First Stronghold of the World'
When I came to Jiayuguan, I chose to cycle around the wide road, experiencing a sense of freedom, and then climbed to the top of Jiayuguan to enjoy the scenery.
How many things have happened in the past, all revealed in laughter. Jiayuguan has always been an important stop on the Silk Road. After passing through it, the journey became increasingly desolate. In the Qing Dynasty, Lin Zexu, after being wrongly accused of suppressing tobacco, was exiled to Xinjiang, and when he passed through Jiayuguan, he wrote: 'At the westernmost boundary, a hundred-foot barrier, where travelers halt their horses' feet.'
Standing on the city wall, gazing into the distance, I felt a sense of desolation. China has historically had three major sections of the Great Wall built during different dynasties: Qin Great Wall, Han Great Wall, and Ming Great Wall. The Ming Great Wall is the most magnificent, with unprecedented scale and technological achievement. Jiayuguan is the starting point of the Ming Great Wall.
In recent years, I have visited the eight-span Great Wall of Beijing's Badaling, the Mutianyu Great Wall, the Shanhaikou Great Wall, the Mianyang Great Wall in Shanxi, and the Jiayuguan Great Wall in Gansu.
Jiayuguan is a World Cultural Heritage site, with a total length of approximately 60 kilometers and a history of nearly six hundred years. It is the largest and most significant pass along the Great Wall and the largest pass in China.
Looking out from Jiayuguan, the undulating Qilian Mountains are pure white, even in summer, they don't melt.
As the sun sets over Jiayuguan, the fortress appears even more majestic under a warm yellow glow. According to historical records, when Jiayuguan was first built, it was only a 6-meter-high earthen fortress covering an area of 2500 square meters. Over 160 years of continuous strengthening and construction, Jiayuguan now has a total area of 33,500 square meters, which is many times larger than its original size.
