Yumen Pass

玉门关

The ruins of a Han dynasty pass made famous by the line 'The spring wind does not blow past Yumen Pass.' A small square fortress stands alone on the Gobi, with the Han Great Wall and a granary fort nearby. A World Heritage Site.

The Yumen Pass ruins lie on the Gobi about 90 km northwest of Dunhuang city. Established under Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, it was a gateway on the northern route of the Silk Road. It takes its name from the Hotan jade from the Western Regions that passed through it, and in 2014 it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.'

The site includes three parts: Xiao Fangpan City (the main pass fortress, a square rammed-earth castle about 25 meters per side), Da Fangpan City (the granary fort, a Han military grain store site about 11 km from Xiao Fangpan City), and the Han Great Wall ruins (sections of wall and beacon towers built from reeds and gravel, in fairly good condition). Entry costs about 40 yuan. Inside the site, you need to take the shuttle bus between the points.

Most visitors make Yumen Pass the first stop on a one-day western Dunhuang route (city, Yumen Pass, Han Great Wall, Yardang), which costs about 300 yuan per car for a chartered vehicle, or you can join a one-day tour. The site has a Yumen Pass Museum that presents excavated bamboo and wooden slips.

Since the site is little more than a few sections of ruined wall, the experience lies in the desolate beauty of the Gobi and the historical mood of the poems 'West of Yang Pass, no old friends remain' and 'The spring wind does not blow past Yumen Pass.' It's worth reading some frontier poetry and Han dynasty Western Regions history beforehand.

Note: There's no shelter on the Gobi, and the wind and sand are strong, so bring a mask and sunglasses. There are no supplies on the route, so bring water. Do not climb over the fences to approach the ruins.

Yumen Pass

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