Top Tourist Attractions in Gansu: First Majestic Pass (Jiayuguan)
In the vast Gobi desert, amidst the Hengshan Mountains and alluvial plains, lies an ancient road – the Silk Road.
The Silk Road stretches to the passes, with narrow gorges and steep slopes, the terrain is even more perilous. Here stands a majestic pass, known as the First Majestic Pass – Jiayuguan.
For self-driving tourists, taking a Qinghai Ring Line is a particularly happy experience. Starting from Xining in Qinghai, it circles through Gansu, with stunning scenery along the way, 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. By this point, the landscape has become very desolate. On the Jiayuguan city walls, the four characters 'First Majestic Pass' are in full view. This was written in 1873 by Zuotang from Shaanxi, when he was recovering Xinjiang after the Yili rebellion, and upon seeing the imposing city walls, he felt a profound sense of admiration and wrote 'First Majestic Pass'. This added to the imposing grandeur of Jiayuguan.
When visiting Jiayuguan, I chose to cycle around the site, renting a bike at the entrance and enjoying a leisurely ride along the wide road, and then climbing up to the top to enjoy the scenery.
How many things in the past, all reduced to laughter. Jiayuguan has always been an essential stop on the Silk Road. After passing through it, the journey became increasingly desolate. During the Qing Dynasty, Lin Zexu was wronged and exiled to Xinjiang after the ban on tobacco, and when he passed through Jiayuguan, he wrote: 'First Majestic Pass at the westernmost edge of the sky, a thousand miles of travelers pausing their horses' feet.' The majestic pass remains the same, and the historical figures of the past fade away with the passage of time.
Standing on the city walls, you can’t help but feel a sense of loneliness. China has produced three major sections of the Great Wall, Qin, Han, and Ming dynasties. The Ming Great Wall is the highest and most sophisticated section, and Jiayuguan is the starting point of the Ming Great Wall.
In recent years, I have visited the eight-mile Great Wall in Beijing, Mutianyu Great Wall, Shanhaiguang Great Wall, and the Great Walls in Shanxi, such as Langya Pass and Yanmen Pass, as well as Jiayuguan Great Wall in Gansu.
Jiayuguan is a World Cultural Heritage site, with a total length of about 60 kilometers and a history of nearly six hundred years. It is the largest pass on the Great Wall and one of the largest passes 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 pass appears even more majestic in the warm yellow light. According to historical records, when Jiayuguan was first built, it was only a 6-meter-high earthen city with a land area of 2500 square meters. It was continuously reinforced and expanded over 160 years, and today, the city walls cover a total area of 33500 square meters – many times larger than before.
