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Dunhuang Tour of
Yangguan Pass
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Located in Nanhu Village, along the Hexi
Corridor and 43 miles southwest to Dunhuang City in Gansu Province,
Yangguan Pass is one of the two important western passes (the other
one is Yumenguan Pass) of Great Wall in Western Han Dynasty (206BC
-24AD). The Emperor Wu ordered to build it in the purpose of
consolidating the frontier defense as well as developing the remote
western region.
In Chinese, Yang means the south. Because it is lying
to the south of Yumenguan Pass, people gave its name - Yangguan
Pass. Together with Yumenguan Pass, it has also witnessed the
prosperity of Silk Road in the past times. In Tang Dynasty (618 -
907), it welcomed the glorious return of Xuan Zang, a great monk who
pilgrimaged to the west in search of Buddhist scriptures. Many
Chinese get to know this important pass mainly from the poem
Farewell to Yuaner to Take Office in Anxi, written by Wang Wei, a
famous poet in Tang Dynasty. From the last two lines "Oh, my friend,
I sincerely entreat you to have another cup of wine; you will see no
more friends west out of the Yangguan Pass.", we can see the Yanguan
Pass has always been the place of desolation and sadness since
ancient times. In the Song (960 - 1279) and Ming (1368 - 1644)
Dynasty, because of the decline of the Silk Road, the Pass was
generally forgotten by people.
For years and years, the flowing dunes have eroded this
Great Wall pass into a broken beacon tower, standing alone in the
boundless desert. It measures 15.4 feet high and 8.7 yards wide.
Around the relic, you cannot even see the dismantled walls, because
they were all eroded by the wind and buried under earth. South to
the pass, there is a "Curio Beach". It is a small valley where you
can find lots of dynasties' tiles, coins, weapons, and decorations.
Today's Yangguan Pass is not only a historic place of
recalling the remote past, but also a hometown of tasty grapes. Come
here, appreciate the beauty of vicissitudes of the Great Wall, enjoy
the natural view combined by oasis, desert and snow peaks, and taste
the juicy fruits.
Tour Dunhuang
with Great Wall Adventure Club, the best
Dunhuang
tour agent to help
you with your hotel booking and transfers.
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