A Journey to the end of the Great Wall - Jiayuguan Fortress

An Adventure Awaits – Travel to the End of the Great Wall of China

The sun is beating from your right.  You are wearing a cap and scraf around your mouth to shield you from the sand.  Even though it is blowing sand, there is a chilling breeze as it is in late fall. 

You are riding a huge camel.  Out in front are a few more camel riders.  You turn around and you see behind a trail of 20 more camel riders.  On both sides of you are snow covered mountain ranges. 

You are thirsty and take sip of water from your water pak.  This whole scenery is surreal and you imagine what it would have been like a thousand years ago as similar caravans made its way through this desert.

There is a major difference as the caravans then carried silk, spices, and exotic foods ready to be traded.

This is a far cry from your daily mundane office job and certainly not your usual workout.

Then you hear it.

The lead camel rider, your tour guide, calls out we are almost there. 

You pear over your camel and you see it for the first time.

You see the majestic Jiayuguan Fortress.

Globalization is where businesses and other organizations gain influence in multiple countries and regions beyond their home country.  The ancient Silk Road was the start of globalization. 

The Silk Road started from China in the east and it branches to India and Pakistan in the South, Iran in the West and Europe in the Northwest. 

The Chinese built the Great Wall in their northern and northwest frontiers not just to keep out invading barbarians but also to protect their enormously profitable Silk Road.

The Great Wall starts in the Pacific Ocean in the East.  It ends at Jiayuguan Fortress in the west at a place called Jiayuguan Pass.

This pass is magnificent in looks and in strategic location.  It sits in the western end of a desert valley surrounded by mountains in the form of an eye.  If you are traveling to and from China on the Silk Road you would need to pass through Jiayuguan.  That is why the Chinese built the magnificent Jiayuguan Fortress at the very end of the Great Wall and right at this pass.

It is a great way to kill five birds with one stone.   The Fort protects against invading hordes, is a great way to control taxation of goods, keep track of what is popular, have some tourism, and provide a great rest stop for weary travelers.

The Fort Itself

The mighty Jiayuguan Fortress was built by the Ming Dynasty in 1372.

Jiayuguan Fort is a square fortress with an open court area surrounded by two layers of walls.  The inner wall has two main keeps for defenders with an additional open area called trap courts and a third wall to take out invaders trying to charge through the gates.  The outer wall has a large central keep three stories high above the outer wall and main gate called the Gate of Sighs.  The smaller keeps and at least 30 feet of space so defenders at the inner higher walls can shoot arrows and pour hot oil on enemies.

The central courtyard is open air and can house tents and barracks for additional troops during times of invasion.  There are two straight central pathways that cross each other in the middle.

Each inner wall corner and outer wall corner house a smaller tower with archer holes and an upper platform for additional archers.  The front of the fort has the wall jutting outward in the middle.

The southern side of the fort is connected to the Great Wall and it is where the Great Wall officially ends. 

Behind the Fort is Guandi Temple and the city of Jiayuguan.  If you keep heading west on G30 highway and you will eventually arrive at Urumqi.

Legendary Loose Brick of Jiayuguan Fort:

If you climb to the wall walking area and look carefully behind the main tower you will see a single loose brick sitting on top of the gate.  Legend has it the architect of the Fort had calculated he needed only 9,999 bricks to complete the Fort.  The General in charge did not believe such a precise calculation and it blew his mind that it was not a nice round 10,000 brick number.  The General demanded the architect recalculate.  To prove his point, the architect completed the Fort with exactly 9,999 bricks and left the 10,000^th brick unattached to the top of the central gate to show the General who was right where it has been left to this day.  Guess this area does not have any earthquakes.  Otherwise, look out below and don’t stand underneath the main gate!

Fun Fact:  The Gate of Sighs got its nickname because Chinese citizens who were banished from China would inscribe words and graffiti on the gates as they left the Middle Kingdom for good.

Highlights To Visit:

Jiayuguan Fort – The title of this article.

Jiayuguan City – The city is bustling with nightlife and trading in the daytime.

Qinqiang Drama – This is a Chinese drama and opera that you see as a cultural experience.

Local Products – Star jelly, hand woven carpet and rugs, jiayu inkstone, drawings done with camel hair, jiuquan cup of phosphorescent jade

Excitement Rating: 10 out of 10 for history buffs and to visit a destination less traveled by those of us in the West.

Estimated Time:  Plan on at least 7 days to give yourself an opportunity to travel to nearby attractions or to head further down the Silk Road.  For those with the time and money, keep going west and make it an around the world trip!

Travel:

Jiayuguan Regional Airport

Jiayuguan Train Station

You can fly into Jiayuguan airport (Airport Code JGA) from other major hubs in the city. Your best bets are flights from Beijing, Xian, and Lanzhou.  There are no direct flights from the United States or Europe.  You can also go by train as there are two main train stations in town.  The best option is going by flying to Lanzhou and taking the Lanzhou-Xinjiang High Speed Railway.  This high speed train is also a gateway to visit other cities in the area including the famed Urumqi.  If you want a more leisurely stroll, tka ethe city traditional railway from Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and even as far away as Guangzhou.  Note, this will take substantially more time, up to several days more depending on where you are coming from.

There are tours that will take you straight there with professional guides giving you the history of this historic area.

Potential Concerns:

Traveling to Jiayuguan Fort from the U.S. or Europe is quite far.  Most likely, you will need a connecting flight.  Further, it can get quite hot and arid in the summer and cold in the winter with heavy winds.  Road conditions can be a concern as well.   Don’t let distance stop you from adventure in life!

Facts:

Jiayuguan City next door has approximately 300,000 people.

A mixture of 10 Chinese recognized minorities live here alogn with the majority Han.

Summary:

Jiayuguan Fort is a mystical place that sends chills down our spines.  Imagine you are heading east instead on the Silk Road a thousand years ago and the sun is setting, the stars are coming out and it is getting really cold.  You know in this secluded desert glen there are wolves and not just the animal kind.  There are bandits and other raiders in this part of the world and you are worried for your full caravan.  You had spent a small fortune and loaded your 30 camel long caravan with goods from Constantinople (modern day Instabul) and your anxious to make it to China to sell your wares.  All of a sudden you see the flaming torches of Jiayuguan Fort.  It is a beautiful beacon of light in this desolate and remote part of the Gobi Desert.  You are grateful to arrive and take refuge in an otherwise inhospitable and dangerous area. We hope you get a chance to visit to this SecludedGlen.com destination.