The Impregnable Pass Under Heaven
The National AAAA Tourist Scenic Zone

A variety of scenic spots are included in this Scenic Zone such as Jiayuguan Pass Town, The First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall, Overhanging Great Wall and Great Wall Museum and so on. Jiayuguan Pass Town, the western starting point of the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty, was initially built in 1372, is reputed as the“Impregnable Pass Under Heaven”or“The Frontier Throat”for its strategic commanding position and grand structures. The Pass Town is composed of the internal wall, the external wall and the moat. These three defence lines overlapp and link with each other. With the exposed wall jioned the No.1 Beacon Tower and the hidden one linked the Overhanging Great Wall, the solid military defence system of the western Great Wall of Ming Dynasty came into being. On the Jiayuguan's rampart stand 14 turrets, towers and strobes. Inside the Pass Town there are General's Mansion and Well Pavilion, Wenchang Palace. The Temple of Guan Yu, Archway and Theater stand outside the east entrance. The architectural composition of the town as a whole is ingenious and grand, which echoes to Shanhaiguan Pass, the eastern starting point of the Great Wall at a distance of thousands of miles away.