Classic Cultural Trip in Leisure
This tour takes you to visit essential cultural relics in Jiayuguan, including the famous Jiayuguan Pass, Overhanging Great Wall and Wei & Jin tombs. You will visit the Great Wall in Jiayuguan to better understand its strategical location and learn more history of Great Wall of China, and see lifelike murals of ancient daily life scenes of Wei and Jin Dynasties nearly 2,000 years ago, marvel at the underground tombs’ structure and layout, admire ancient Chineses’ great skills and superb intelligence.
Highlights of this tour
Welcome to Jiayuguan, Gansu, a small city in the middle of Hexi Corridor and a popular stopover destination between Zhangye and Dunhuang. Your tour guide will meet you at Jiayuguan Railway Station (or Jiayuguan South Railway Station, Jiayuguan Airport), and then escort you to check in at your hotel in Jiayuguan city center by a private car. Get some rest and eat your lunch.
In the afternoon, drive about 20 minutes to visit the Jiayuguan Fort. Before entering the fortress, firstly, take a short visit to the Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum within the scenic spot to have an integral and intuitive understanding of Jiayuguan Great Wall and the Great Wall of China, get some interesting facts via the exhibited pictures, models, sculptures, relics, etc.
Next, walk to visit the Jiayuguan Fort, the westernmost fortress of Ming Dynasty Great Wall with a long history of more than 600 years. Covering more than 25,000 square meters, the fort is the most grandiose pass along the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, which was built in three layers defense construction for 168 years. The city wall is nearly 11 meters high, consists of outer and inner walls moat, watchtowers and other military buildings. Enter into the inner walls via large gates in the east and the west. Walkways lead to the top of city wall, allowing horses to climb up in the ancient time. Enjoy wild frontier landscape and imposing snow-capped Qilian Mountains on the gate tower.
Leave Jiayuguan Fort, and drive to visit the Xuanbi Great Wall (Overhanging Great Wall) which is located about 8km northwest of the fort. The nearly 500-year-old walls was originally built on lofty cliffs to strengthen defense of Jiayuguan with a length of 15km. Stretching down sharply along the ridge, the walls look like an overhanging cantilever, a similar style with Badaling Great Wall in Beijing. The existing 750-meter-long wall has the highest altitude of 6 meters and maximum tilt of 45 degrees. Climb up to higher abutment to get excellent views of the surrounding lands and mountains.
After the Great Wall tour, drive back to Jiayuguan City, accommodate in downtown and have a good rest.
After breakfast, drive about 20 minutes from Jiayuguan City to the First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall. It is the original starting point of China's Great Wall. First see the symbolic mound and listen to its strategic influence in history. Then, take a scenic tourist shuttle bus to view the Taolai Grand Valley. From a glass observatory platform under your foot, see the Taolai River winds far with cliffs towering on both sides. Walk across an iron cable bridge and have a quick visit of the barracks.
Leave the First Beacon Tower, drive about 1 hour to the Wei and Jin Tombs, which is in northwest suburb of Jiayuguan City, about 30km northeast of the beacon tower. It is a less-crowd cultural site composing of thousands of ancient tombs. Tomb No.6 is opened for public visitors only.
Start visit with a small exhibition hall to know the historical background of the tombs. Then take a shuttle bus to Tomb No.6, the richest and most representative tomb among all 18 tombs having been excavated. Walk through a passage to the underground grave, see the three burial chambers, which were courtyard, living room and bedroom of the previous grandees, and take a close look at colorful brick murals painted more than 1,500 years ago. The frescoes are very interesting and unique, vividly record the ancient daily life scenes, including feast, agriculture, cooking, pasturing, etc. The Painting of Courier is the earliest work of such type and the logo image of China Post.
After visiting the tomb, you will be driven to the airport or railway station in Jiayuguan to catch your flight or train leaving or for continuous trip to else destination. Tour ends!
Tips: It takes less than 15 minutes to drive from the Wei and Jin Tombs to Jiayuguan Airport, about 30 minutes to Jiayuguan Railway Station and 40 minutes to Jiayuguan South Railway Station.
Located in the northwest of Gansu and the westernmost of Hexi Corridor, Dunhuang is the most brilliant pearl along the ancient Silk Road. The city has sealed huge art treasury and created oasis in the desert. You can closely see the fantastic Buddhist sculptures, murals in World Cultural Heritage - Mogao Caves, visit Crescent Lake surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, view unique Yardang landform, ancient passes and more impressive scenery here.
You can take a 2-day brief trip to Dunhuang covering top highlights. On the day 1, you can go to Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent LakeE together, witness the wonder of nature, try some exciting activities, like desert camel riding, sand sliding, motorcycling, etc., later return to Dunhuang city to hunt for local flavors at Shazhou Night Market. Day 2 is fully for your Mogao Caves tour. First watch introduction movies about the caves in the Digital Exhibition Center, and then visit specific caves in Mogao Grottoes one by one, learning Buddhist story, Chinese culture and history, which you can’t help admiring this precious land of art.
Zhangye is located in central Gansu along the Hexi Corridor between Lanzhou and Jiayuguan. It is full of history and legends, and diverse in natural scenery. Here you can see the world famous Rainbow Mountains (the Danxia Landform), beautiful deserts, mysterious canyons, vast grasslands, lofty snow mountains, etc.
You can take an in-depth Danxia landform exploration with morning visit to Binggou Danxia and afternoon visit to Danxia Geopark in the Day 1; On the Day 2, you can visit the Giant Buddha Temple first, then go to visit Matisi Temple. After that, you still have enough time to take a flight or train to next destination.
Lanzhou - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang
Jiayuguan / Dunhuang
Tianshui - Lanzhou - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang
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“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
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