Jiayuguan

Known as the 'mouth of China' because of its position at the end of the Great Wall of China where it guarded the western boundary of Ming Dynasty China. The narrow river passage heading southeast from here is known as the Hexi Corridor and is nicknamed the 'throat of China'.

Jiayu guan tourist area Three parts - Pass, Xuanbi Wall and The first Pier, ticket for all parts ¥110 in high season (student half).

• 🌍 Jiayu Pass, ☏ +86 937-6396110. 4/1-4/30 08:30-18:005/1-6/30 08:00-18:007/1-10/10 08:00-18:0010/11-11/15 08:00-18:0011/16-4/15 08:00-18:00. A rather modern and rebuilt part of the last fortress at the Great Wall towards the west. Includes the generic camel rides and archery stores to distract from the rather meager attraction. Take bus no.4 to last stop, north of the town. Western terminus of the Ming Great Wall of China, trapezoid-shaped fortress overlooking the Gobi Desert. Looking over to the mountain is almost the best part of this trip. Taking the electric cart to the site entrance is only required for those with severe walking problems as it is only 4-5 minutes walking. Renting bicycles is not required either. Off-season is half price. There is an interesting man called "Chief of The Pass" (关长). You can have a free photo taken with him or pay him a small fee to write you a handwritten "passport" (Like a passport in ancient times). ¥110. (updated Jul 2023)
• Great Wall Museum. Inside the area of Pass, no ticket required. Dedicated solely to the Great Wall. 
• Overhanging Wall. Xuanbi Wall (悬壁长城) About 7km far from the Pass, you can walk from the Pass to the East (1hour) along the road or take taxi. The views from the top are great, and ignoring the town, it gives a feeling of how remote a place this once was. There are two parts to the Overhanging Wall. The first has a fort and two towers. The second has two towers, no fort, but the climb is higher. They are 100m apart. This is generally more authentic than the Pass but it depends on what kind of sightseeing you prefer. 
• . First Pier of Great Wall (长城第一墩;changcheng diyi dun) ¥20, cable car over river Beida (¥31). About 7km to West from the Fort, take taxi at train station, 4km. 
• Wei Jin Tombs. Tombs of town from the Wei and Jin periods with nice paintings inside. Only one tomb is open to the public. It includes three small rooms. Nevertheless it is very interesting and you will not be disappointed. Photography is forbidden inside the tomb. At the entrance of the tomb compound is a small museum with some coffets. A trip from the city and back (including visit) takes about 1,5 - 2h. 
• 🌍 Jiayuguan City Museum (嘉峪关城市博物馆), 1379 Wu Yi South Road (五一南路1379号) (take bus no. 3, 5 or 9 North Bus Terminal (9路公交北站); the museum is next door the municipal government building), ☏ +86 937 6330550. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Monday (except when Monday is a public holiday). Free. (updated Mar 2024)

• Supermarket (Just opposite the Jinhua Jiulou Restaurant). 

• Night Market (富强市场) (FuQiang Market) (North corner of Jiayuguan, easy to find, head north along Xinhua South Road, the main street, it is on the right after the crossing where the Jiayuguan Hotel is.). There are vendors on the street selling food, and lots of little street restaurants. Grilled lamb skewers, 1.5 - ¥2 per skewer. (updated Jul 2023)
• Jinhua Jiulou, Xinhua South Road (Opposite the Jiaotong Hotel, behind the little park). The staff do not speak English, but the food is great. 
• Aili-Bakery (Xinhua Zhonglu, 100-200m south-east of the roundabout, east-side of the road). Bakery-Cafe with free and fast Wifi-Connection. Coffee is rubbish, but pastry is ok... 

• Huili Business Hotel (Huili Business Hotel), West of Xiongguan Square. The Huili Business Hotel (Jiayuguan Huili Shangwu Gongyu) is located in downtown Jiayuguan, west of Xiongguan Square. All 141 rooms are equipped with independent air conditioning, digital TVs, computers and broadband internet access. 
• Jiayuguan Yuda Hotel (Jiayuguan Yuda Hotel), West Yingbin Road (Yingbin Xi Lu). The Jiayuguan Yuda Hotel (Jiayuguan Yuda Dajiudian) is located in the vicinity of Yingbin Lake and is only 3 kilometers from Jiayuguan Railway Station. On offer here are various rooms equipped with all standard amenities including air conditioners, international direct dial phones and mini bars. 

• Internet Cafe - On Xinhua Nan Lu. From the Xiongguan hotel walk north about 15m. There is a lane going behind the buildings on the right. On the right hand side, there is a stairs. The internet cafe is on the first floor. This is a big place, good speed, flat screens, but a little smokey. ¥2 per hour.

• July 1 Glacier (Qiyi Glacier) - enormous 500 meter glacier, day trip tours available, renting a taxi costs about ¥500 (2009) for the 130 km trip. The road is long and the conditions are not great, make sure you rent a good taxi. 3–5 hours, to the 4,300 m base. Then a climb up to the glacier.

Another way to get to the glacier is to take a train to Jintieshan for 4.¥5 each way - departs at 7am, returns at 5pm. It takes about 2 hours. From there you need to go by taxi for about another hour (we were quoted ¥100 per person in Aug 11, but negotiated it down, feel we could have got it down to half price). For the price the driver will wait and bring you back to the station again in time for the 5pm train back to Jiayuguan.

Entrance is ¥101, or 51 for students.

• visa-extension - head south Xinhua Zhonglu for about 3 km until you reach a statue with a horse. Turn left for 200-300m. The PSB is on your left. (opposite the station). Friendly staff, takes 2–3 days.