Jiayuguan Fort

The Jiayuguan Fort is located approximately six kilometers from Jiayuguan City of Gansu Province. The building of the Jiayuguan Fort dates back to the Ming Dynasty, and to this day, the Jiayuguan Fort is still a well-preserved symbol of a rich history.

The walls of the Jiayuguan Pass are 11.7 meters high and 733 meters in circumference. It occupies a total of approximately 33,500square meters. The gate towers of the fort are found on the eastern and western sections and both stand 17 meters high.

The Jiayuguan Fort is popular because of a legend that dates back when it was being built. The legend of the last brick remaining is about the strict compliance of the Chinese builders to not waste any bricks on building the Fort which made them have one brick left after the completion of the construction. The one remaining brick is still kept and preserved on the western gate tower of the Jiayuguan Fort.

Old building can be found outside the eastern gate tower of the fort. Similar structures like temples, pavilions, and warfare buildings can be found outside the walls. These buildings were built during the Qing Dynasty.

The overhanging great wall is one of the main attractions found in the Jiayuguan Fort. Located four miles northwest from the fort, the overhanging great wall was built in 1539 during the Ming Dynasty. Using yellow earth and local gravel, the wall was built painstakingly layer by layer. Only 832 yards of the wall remain. Parts of the wall were damaged during war and most of the sections have succumbed to the weather overtime.

Daily bus trips are available which leaves from the train station in Jiayuguan. Other transportation is also available, either by plane or by via long bus rides.

Jiayuguan Fort