4.0Great Wall at Jiayuguan Pass(194 reviews) - Most Western Side Great Wall Thursday: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks
The strategic outpost at the western end of the Great Wall is the best-preserved pass.See more..
4.0Jiayuguan Fortress(168 reviews) - Beautiful Fortress at Jiayuguan Pass Thursday: 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Ancient Ruins
This is a beautifully maintained fortress that is located at a strategic location - Jiayuguan Pass which is an important passage for the ancient Silk Road and it is also the location for the western end of the Great Wall.. This fortress is a very photogenic structure in this remote area of China - large and imposing. We walked around grounds of the fortress and on the fortress walls that overlook the Pass area. A must see place while in Jiayuguan because it served as an important location along the Silk Road.See more..
4.0Yumen Pass(115 reviews) - Wonderful scenery Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Ancient Ruins
I really loved the scenery here! It takes around an hour to get here from Dunhuang. We did it as part of a tour. We also visited Yangguan Pass which is also very beautiful. I purchased the audio tour for ¥40 at the entrance. You can choose a number of languages, but I don’t suggest doing it as it’s not that informative. We got on a bus and we’re taken to 3 different sites and spent around half an hour at each place before getting back on the bus. It was a wonderful experience, made better by the clear skies and seeing the sunset! See more..
4.5Bingling Temple Grottoes(82 reviews) - A great adventure with stunning scenery! Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Religious Sites
A bit of an adventure trying to see these grottos but well worth it! The speed boat was a brilliant ride, seeing some stunning scenery along the way, and the wind blowing through your hair only added to the experience. Note - it is not a speedboat like on the films, instead a 9 seater enclosed mini boat which crashes against waves - but with the windows open you can you use your imagination and pretend! 40 minutes later we arrived and had a lovely walk around the grottos, saw the giant buddah and the amazing mountain scenery. Make sure you buy your ticket down where the boats arrive, you can't actually buy a ticket at the entrance. It is all outside, mini caves containing various religious statues. An interesting place to see off the beaten track - away from main tourist routes! A must see if you are in this area See more..
3.5Duhuang Ancient City Ruins(57 reviews) - A pleasant hour ot two Thursday: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks
I had not intended to visit but the 'old city'was in my free guide in the hotel so I thought I'd visit the old town. I pointed to the picture and the taxi took me right there....BUT it is not the 'old city' - it is a film set! The old houses are from five different regions in China and it is here that the 19th and 20th century soaps are filmed!! Once I got over my disappointment, it proved great fun..but not for too long.See more..
4.5Wei-Jin Tombs(39 reviews) - Spectacular, beautiful impressions from the Wei-Jin period Thursday: 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Cemeteries • Religious Sites
Spectacular tomb ruins from the Wei-Jin period that somehow seem to get little attention. The little museum and preserved brick paintings are stunning. Tomb no. 6 (only one you can visit) show scenes from daily life of the couple in the middle chamber (women on the left, men on the right; in three stages youth - adult - old age). The local gatekeeper can explain many details and the shop outside has souvenirs from the 80s with historic value. See more..
4.0The First Strategic Post(39 reviews) - Jiayuguan site we enjoyed the most Thursday: 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings
This is one of the sites offered on the Combined ticket for Jiayuguan. Senior discounted ticket RMB 55, with passport, 60+. Initially we didn't want to visit since it just looked like a "pile of rocks" left, bu we had still lot's of time "to kill" on that day. Are we glad we went it was definitely the highlight of our day. In the museum (which usually we ignore) they had this great photo exhibit of the great wall taken by the missionary Willian Edgar Geil in 1907/1908 and then in comparison by William Lindesay starting in 1987 at the same spots. Initially it's not visible but the the museum side is on top of a cliff with a beautiful colored river at the bottom. There is some kind of fort below with a hanging bridge to cross the river. You have a view across the steppe and see two mountain ranges, one capped with snow. It was quite enjoyable to hang out there. Since we travel between Mid Autumn Festival and National days is was very quiet there.See more..
The Dunhuang Western Thousand Buddhas Caves are much smaller in numbers in comparison with the other two Mogao and Yulin but they are worth visiting. They are much closer to Dunhuang so, no need to drive too far to visit them. We got there late in the afternoon and were able to only see a few but we were not disappointed by what we saw. They are situated on the cliff side of the Dang River. However, unfortunately the river is now dried out because of the construction of a dam which controls its flow. Some of the caves at this site are much older than the ones in the other bigger sites. Originally there were more but some were flooded by the river and collapsed. Our guide told us that their location at the end of the road explains the fact that they are older. We saw some beautiful trees with a very interesting-looking bark.See more..
3.5Bajiao Town Site(10 reviews) - Great Views! Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins
We climbed up the long stairways to get to the top to have a great view of the village. You get to see animals on the vast grassland too. It is an ancient castle of the western Han Dynasty. Great views!See more..
4.5Xijin Tomb(10 reviews) - 3 Kingdoms and Eastern Han Tombs, brick paintings Spent < 1 hour Ancient Ruins • Cemeteries
Very well preserved tombs from the late 3 Kingdoms period and the Eastern Han Dynasty. The paintings on the tomb walls and bricks are breathtaking. Visitors are guided by local guides who provide excellent background information. See more..
3.5Dafangpan City Site(8 reviews) - 広い敷地の遺跡 Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Ancient Ruins
4.5Suoyang City Ruins(7 reviews) - Impressive scale and history Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins
Remains of a fort city first established during the Jin dynasty, abandoned with the collapse of the Tang. Impressive scale and ruins, very worthwhile for those interested in history and archeology. The site is still being excavated and UNESCO World Heritage protected, so you can only get off the little bus at designated spots to see the inner city and remnants of the fort walls, barbican, buildings, a large temple complex (with a beautiful pagoda and stupas) etc. On the first viewing platform, spot heaps of stones along the inner wall that rolled down when the upper part of the wall collapsed. They were previously lying on top of the wall, soldiers would throw at invaders.See more..
4.0Dawuwei Ancient City(5 reviews) - One of the things you should see Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins
If in Wuwei you should take the path past the reconstructed city gate, either by day or by night, or why not both. At night, not sure if this is an everyday event, but I think so, there is a light and fountain show. They also play music in loudspeakers that at first might seem a little bit too much, but then actually is quite ok. Not many tourists come to these parts of China, but I think Chinese tourists come here, and the Chinese are often out and about at night so you won’t be alone, a daytime visit might suite you better if you’re not into crowds.See more..
Travelling from Wushan County in Gansu to Dangcheng County, our driver suggested a short visit to the Li Family Ancestral Hall in the Longxi County since he noticed that we were keen on heritage buildings. He confided that apart from foreign Chinese with the Li surname, very few of the local Chinese were curious of who their ancestors were nor bothered with where their ancestral hall is located. Intrigued by his narration of the history of the complex which dated back to Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, we explored the complex of palace-like buildings with their intricate architectural detials, courtyards and gardens. The Longxi County has restored and maintained these buildings and the spaces and opened it to both foreign and local visitors particularly those whose surname is "Li". Restoration and painting works are currently in full progress. During our visit, there was no admission fee and one can spend as much time as they want, wandering around and taking in the beauty of the architecture!See more..
3.5Bajiao City Ruins(2 reviews) - ancient 8 walled Tibetan village Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings
The Bajiao village is ancient and has Tibetan nomads living in it. It houses not more than a few families, it is surrounded by grasslands and the Takkar rocky mountains is right behind it. We enjoyed the time we spent there, for the beautiful countryside also for the experience spending time with the simple nomadsSee more..
This is very off the beaten track and you will need to ask a driver to take you there because it is not an active tourist site. Hidden in farm fields of corn, pumpkin and sunflowers lies the enormous and very striking ruin of this castle. It's quite near the Wei Jin Tomb site and I'm sure your driver can take you for no extra, just be sure to negotiate a flat rate for both to start. Also ask to stop and buy watermelon as it is grown here and was excellent in late July!See more..
4.0Xuanquanzhi Ruins(1 review) - 驿站遗址 Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins
