Jiayuguan - The end of The Great Wall (长城 )

From Dunhuang it was a 5 hour bus journey to Jiayuguan (嘉峪关). The last fortress and western most part of the Great Wall (长城, Chang Cheng) was built here by the Ming in 1372, marking the final defence of the empire, the end of China where the Western wilderness began. Good views of the fort and a bit of the Great Wall as you pass by on the approach to Jiayuguan from the West. Off the bus, I did the usual thing and took the hotel nearest to the bus station, the girl at reception was friendly, helpful, spoke some English and I got a reasonable deal out of them. Stayed just one night in Jiayuaguan, which included an afternoon aorund town, a day sightseeing and buying a ticket for the train, before leaving on the train to Lanzhou the next evening.

First evening I tried to arrange the train ticket, one agency were too keen and handed me a ticket I didn't want !! I kept explaining I wanted to know times, options and I wanted to go tomorrow, but I was just given a ticket for 2 days time and told that was all there was !! I wasn't convinced, so, I tried someone else who said she could help, but the next morning she changed her mind. In the end I just went to the train station and bought one myself, easier than I thought and wished I had done that straight away now !! And I got to leave that night too.. Lesson learnt.. !

So train ticket in hand, now for a few sites.. The Overhanging Wall as it's called, not very authentic as it has been recently restored, but a nice windy, climbing piece of the wall to walk and view the surrounding lands (if the air is clear). The fort (城搂, Cheng Lou) at the Jiayuguan Pass lies sandwiched between two mountain ranges to the North and South and marked the passage way to/from the West, the end of Chinese civilisation during the Ming Dynasty.

Left: The "Overhanging Wall" a few km outside of Jiayuguan.
Right: The fortress outside of Jiayuguan.

Final visit of the day was to the 'First Beacon Tower'. Although the tower was built later in the sixteenth century, it's significant that it marks the far Western end of the Great Wall stopping on the edge of a cliff overhanging the Taolai river.

Left: 第一墩 (Diyi dun) 'First Beacon Tower' at the western end of the Great Wall

Right: This is really 'the end' of the Ming dynasty Great Wall.

Finally, a bus to the train station and I prepare for my first train experience in China for this trip.