Pantuo City & Ban Chao Memorial Park
盘橐城（班超纪念公园）
The ruins of the royal city of the Shule Kingdom, where the Eastern Han general Ban Chao was stationed for 17 years while managing the Western Regions, now a memorial park with a sculpture group of Ban Chao and his 36 followers.
Pantuo City lies near the confluence of the Tuman and Kizil Rivers, southeast of Kashgar, and was the palace city of the Shule Kingdom during the Eastern Han period. From 73 AD, the Eastern Han general Ban Chao used it as his base for 17 years to govern the Western Regions, pacifying the states and keeping the Silk Road open. His story gave rise to the idioms 'throw down the pen and take up arms' and 'you cannot catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair'. The site is now Ban Chao Memorial Park. It features a city gate in the style of the Han dynasty, a stone sculpture group of Ban Chao and his thirty-six warriors, a Ban Chao memorial hall and surviving rammed-earth city walls. The park is not large, and a visit takes about an hour. It suits visitors interested in Silk Road history. Admission prices and opening hours should be checked on site, and a taxi from the Old City takes about 10 minutes.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00 am–7:30 pm (Beijing time; check on site)
Nearby sights
- Mausoleum of Yusuf Khass Hajib
- Gaotai Ancient Residences
- Century-old Pottery Workshops
- People's Square & Mao Statue
- Kashgar Grand Bazaar
- Kashgar Old City
- Han Bazaar Food Street & Night Market
- Century-old Teahouse