Visiting the Overhanging Wall in Jiayuguan

Trip Start Jul 20, 2004
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Trip End Jul 20, 2012


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Sunday, June 18, 2006

I got to Jiayuguan in the evening and my first task was to find the CITS office to get a train ticket to Beijing. I checked into a hotel near the bus station and negotiated a 55Y price for my room. A steep increase compared to the 25Y, I paid the nights before. I gave up on finding the CITS office, called the CITS guy instead and ordered my ticket. I shall have it the next day. Then, Starving, I wandered to the night market close to my hotel and hang out with some muslim Chinese people who were running a noodle stand. Great people with BIG smiles. I ate my noodles, took lots of pictures and smiled a lot. We communicated with dictionary and otherwise body language.

The next day, I met a Taiki from Japan at the hotel and we decided to explore the Overhanging Wall and the Fort together. The entry to the Overhanging Wall was 21Y, later, we found out that there are two separate entries, one charges 21Y and the other 10Y Jiayuguan - All smiles at the Overhanging Wall
Jiayuguan - All smiles at the Overhanging Wall
 . Eleven kilometers (6.83 miles) to the downtown Jiayuguan City and 6.5 kilometers (4.03 miles) from Jiayuguan Pass, the Overhanging Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Work began on it in 1539, and was completed in the following year. It was built using layer upon layer of stone and yellow earth. In subsequent years, the wall has dwindled from its original length of 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) to its current 750 meters (2, 460 feet). The Overhanging Great Wall is an extended part of the Jiayuguan Pass, and was once an important component in the medieval military defense system. Winding through the Gobi dessert to the steep Black Mountain (Hei Shan), the wall appears to hang over the cliff and block the vital pass of Shiguan Xiakou, which is how it got its name. It is similar in appearance to the grand Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, and is therefore also known as the Western Badaling. he Overhanging Great Wall was reconstructed in 1987, with sidesteps added to allow visitors to climb the Wall.

Crossing the steppe for about 10 minutes, we went from one part of the overhanging wall to the other. From there, we decided to follow the wall until we would eventually reach
Jiayuguan Fort, about 6 km away by dirt road. We sneaked into the fort without having to pay the 60Y entry. The fort was built in 1372 and the 17 meter high towers look as the original ones. The Ming Dynasty Jiayuguan fort was built in 1372. It was enlarged in 1539 and restored a couple of decades ago. Jiayuguan's outer wall is 733 meters (nearly a half mile) in circumference. Its two gate watchtowers are 20 meters (63 feet) tall. The Great Wall in the Jiayuguan area was the last part that the Ming Dynasty built. It was an enjoyable and historically interesting day and I was happy to have a travel companion for the day. Tomorrow, I am off to Beijing.
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