Yumen Pass, also known as Jade Gate Pass, is located in Yumen City, not very far to the west of Dunhuang City. As a frontier-pass of ancient times, it is the entrance to the Old Silk Road,
There are two gates in the west and north respectively. In the southeast corner of the wall has a riding track less than 1 meter wide, leading to the top along the east wall and then the south wall. The rising and declining of Yumen Pass are undoubtedly the miniatures of Silk Road. During the golden age of Silk Road. Yumeng Pass entered an age of Yumen Pass with rich meaning and nourishment in favor of all regions.
Meanwhile, one would embark on the north route of Silk Road by going out of Yumen Pass and directly get to regions on the east coast of Mediterranean Sea through Beiting of Earlier Jushi Kingdom (the present Turpan) southwestward to Yanqi (southwest of the present Yanqi), Wulei (east of the present Luntai), Qiuci (the present Kuqa), Gumo (the present Wensum) and Shule (the present Kashgar) across Pamir Plateau. On the extremely hard road, like a water source, silk and jade moistened the heart and will of the people and carried fatigue steps into the oasis of life.
The Yumenguan Pass was once the gateway to the Silk Road. It was a strategic military outpost guarding the Western Frontier against the Huns. Built from rammed yellow earth, it was an ancient defense system, recently determined a World Heritage Site. In ancient times, this was a pass-through which the Silk Road passed and was the one road connecting Central Asia and China, the former called the Western Regions. Just to the south was the Yangguan pass, which was also an important point on the Silk Road.
Travel Tips
Address: 60 miles (97 km) west of Dunhuang, Jiuquan City, Gansu
Opening Time: 08:00am to 18:00pm
Tel:: +86 937 - 6951018
Entrance Fees: CNY 40