China Guide
The Northwest
Jiayuguan
To some Chinese, the very name JIAYUGUAN is synonymous with sorrow and ghastly remoteness. The last fortress of the Great Wall was built here by the Ming in 1372, over 5000km from the wall's easternmost point at Shanhaiguan, from which time the town made its living by supplying the needs of the fortress garrison. This was literally the final defence of the empire, the spot where China ended and beyond which lay a terrifying wilderness. The fort, just outside the town and perfectly restored, is one of the great sights of northwestern China, and there other forts and beacons scattered around in the desert.
Apart from the great fort, Jiayuguan today is a bleak, lonely place. Despite this its inhabitants, on the whole, manage to be a cheerful bunch. The city, laid out in a regular grid pattern, is sliced through diagonally from east to west by Lanxin Dong Lu. The centre is a large traffic circle, overlooked by the Jiayuguan hotel.
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