To all friends planning to visit Yangguan Pass Scenic Area, pay attention! We've sorted out a comprehensive "Yangguan Pass Scenic Area Tour Guide" for you. Those in need, hurry up and save it!
01 Transportation Guide
Self-driving: Depart from Dunhuang urban area, head southwest. There are road signs along the way, and the drive takes about 1 hour.
Chartered car: You can choose a chartered car according to the number of people; the price varies with different car models.
West Line group tour: You can join a Dunhuang West Line group tour, which passes through Xiqianfo Grottoes, Yangguan Pass, Yumen Pass, and Yadan Landform along the way.
02 Opening Hours & Contact Information
Yangguan Pass Scenic Area is open all year round. In peak season, it opens from 8:00 to 20:00, and entry stops after 20:00. Please note that the above information may be adjusted according to seasons and holidays, so please refer to the actual disclosure of the scenic area on the day.
The average visiting time within the scenic area is about 2 hours.
Scenic Area Contact Number: 0937-8833089
03 Ticket Prices & Preferential Policies
The ticket price for Yangguan Pass Scenic Area is 50 yuan per person, with a discounted half-price ticket of 25 yuan per person. The sightseeing bus ticket is 20 yuan per person.
Preferential Policies:
Children under 1.2 meters, active-duty soldiers, retired soldiers, police officers, disabled persons, and elderly people over 70 years old (with valid certificates and ID cards) are entitled to free admission.
Tour guides with groups can enjoy free admission with their tour guide certificates and valid group task documents.
Elderly people aged 60-69, minors over 1.2 meters, full-time college and undergraduate or below students (under 24 years old in normal school age, excluding evening universities, TV universities, adult education, continuing education, short-term training, international students, etc.), journalists, and cultural relics system staff (with valid certificates and ID cards) are eligible for half-price tickets.
Tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan can enjoy the same ticket preferential policies as domestic tourists with valid documents such as "Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents", "Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents", or student certificates (the preferential objects are the same as above).
The above ticket preferential policies only apply to Chinese citizens. When purchasing tickets, valid certificates and ID cards must be presented simultaneously.
Note: According to the phased preferential policy documents issued by the local superior management department in the current year, the preferential objects that need to be implemented shall be handled in accordance with the document requirements.
04 Guided Services
Tourists in need of guided services can make reservations at the consultation service desk after entering the scenic area with a ticket.
Manual guidance:
Each tourist is equipped with an electronic interpreter. The interpretation fee is charged according to the following number of people:
1-10 people (including 10 people): 150 yuan per group
11-20 people (including 20 people): 200 yuan per group
21-35 people (including 35 people): 300 yuan per group
If tourists choose or designate an interpreter, an additional 100 yuan per group will be charged on top of the above standards.
The maximum duration of interpretation service for each group is 120 minutes. If it exceeds the time limit, an additional 50 yuan will be charged every 30 minutes (less than 30 minutes is calculated as 30 minutes). To ensure the quality of interpretation services, it is recommended that groups with more than 35 people split into smaller groups (if not split, for each additional person over 35, 10 yuan will be charged).
Electronic guide:
You can scan the guide QR code with your mobile phone to listen to the explanation, which costs 10 yuan per day.
You can rent a guide machine at the service consultation room, which costs 30 yuan per machine with a deposit of 200 yuan per machine.
All the above guided services are voluntary. If you don't have enough time, you can also visit on your own.
05 Tour Route
The recommended visiting route is: Yangguan Pass Scenic Area Parking Lot → Go to the ticket office of the Visitor Service Center to buy tickets → Check tickets at the entrance of Yangguan Pass Scenic Area → Enter the gate of Yangguan Museum → Visit the Ancient Dunhuang Military Culture Exhibition Hall → Visit the Liangguan Hansai Exhibition Hall → Visit the Silk Road Exhibition Hall → Visit Yangguan Duwei Mansion → Visit the Replica of Han Dynasty Yangguan Pass → Take a shuttle bus to Yangguan Pass Ruins Area → Visit Yangguan Pass Ruins → Take a shuttle bus back to the boarding point (you can get off midway to visit the Silk Road Ethnic Culture Garden and Silk Road Farming Culture Exhibition Hall) → Visit the Ancient-style Yangguan Barracks → Visit the Yangguan Research and Study Experience Hall → End of the visit. This route allows you to fully understand the history and culture of Yangguan Pass and enjoy the natural scenery of the scenic area.
06 Check-in Recommendations
NO.1: Yangguan Museum Tower
The first thing to do when entering Yangguan Scenic Area is to take photos at the Yangguan Museum Tower. In the morning, due to backlighting, it is recommended to take photos inside or on top of the tower.
Check-in rating: ★★★★★
NO.2: Zhang Qian Square
There are many places to take photos in Zhang Qian Square, including the bronze statue of Zhang Qian, the Han Que archway, and the museum exhibition halls.
Check-in rating: ★★★★★
NO.3: Ancient Yangguan Street
"Deep courtyards, don't let the spring beauty pass in vain." The ancient-style street is located north of the museum exhibition halls, with the architectural style of farmyards, which can create a delicate and charming photo effect.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.4: Gongde Pavilion (Merit Pavilion)
Gongde Pavilion is definitely an overlooked photo spot. With the surrounding small lighthouses as the background, you can also take beautiful photos.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.5: Yangguan Duwei Mansion
This is where the Duwei (military officer) worked daily. You can apply for a customs clearance document here, and it is a must-visit spot for tourists.
Check-in rating: ★★★★★
NO.6: Replica of Han Dynasty Yangguan Pass
The replica of the Han Dynasty Yangguan Pass is reconstructed according to the records in the Dunhuang manuscript "Shazhou Dudu Fu Tujing No.5" (P.5034): "The main gate of the ancient Yangguan Pass is 20 steps east-west and 27 steps north-south". It is one of the landmark buildings of Yangguan Pass Scenic Area. There are soldiers guarding here all year round, and it is the place to check the customs clearance documents before leaving the pass.
Check-in rating: ★★★★★
NO.7: Wang Wei Square
Recite frontier poems under the statue of Wang Wei, and appreciate the poets' sorrow of parting, lofty aspirations, and feelings for the country and family. Behind Wang Wei's statue, there is a large Gobi covered with boulders. Each stone is carved with frontier poems in seal characters. With the distant Yangguan beacon tower as the background, sitting on the stones to take a group of photos will definitely be stunning.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.8: Yangguan Pass Ruins
Coming to Yangguan Pass Ruins, you can get close to the historical relics of the Han and Tang Dynasties. There are the Yangguan beacon tower known as "the eyes and ears of Yangguan", the "Antique Beach" where "you can't return empty-handed", and the Yangguan Avenue symbolizing prosperity and brightness.
Check-in rating: ★★★★★
NO.9: Silk Road Cultural Corridor
The Silk Road Cultural Corridor is based on the cultural heritage of the golden section of the Silk Road. Relying on the thousand-year-old road remains of Yangguan, and using the junction of Gobi and oasis, it integrates historical and cultural relics with desert and oasis scenery, historical exploration, immersive experience, and spiritual roots-seeking, unfolding a long scroll of Silk Road civilization spanning 2,000 years. The Silk Road Cultural Corridor is 2.4 kilometers long, starting from Tianma Pavilion on the top of Shimen Mountain in the southeast, and from southeast to northwest, there are Xuanzang Pavilion, Yangguan Plank Road, Single-plank Bridge, Bowang Houguan, Moon Gate, Vineyard, Silk Road Ethnic Culture Garden, Silk Road Buddha, Silk Road Farming Culture Garden, and Silk Road Farming Culture Exhibition Hall in turn, with sculptures, archways, and landscape sketches interspersed, connecting the four cultural themes of military, ethnicity, religion, and farming. Being in it, you can see the blue waves of Yema Lake, the endless green oasis of Yangguan, the vast and boundless desert Gobi, and the continuous mountains along the ancient Yangguan Road. The huge visual contrast brings a strong spiritual shock.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.10: Yangguan Post
There are many torture instruments and farming tools on display here, and you can experience them for free. Take some photos or shoot small videos as souvenirs. You can also experience archery in the nearby archery range to test your strength! In addition, you can rent armors similar to those worn by Yangguan generals. Here, you can fully experience military culture and folk games!
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.11: Ancient-style Barracks
It consists of the commander's tent, military tents, barracks, gate of the barracks, training ground, archery range, racecourse, and command platform. These buildings display the border military culture and reproduce the military life of the garrison soldiers in the past.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
NO.12: Research and Study Experience Hall
Here, you can experience pottery making, beacon fire transmission, Great Wall construction, rubbing production, mural copying, etc. The hall also has a variety of Dunhuang cultural and creative products and books.
Check-in rating: ★★★★☆
07 Featured Activities
To meet the needs of different tourists, the scenic area has carefully launched a variety of packages, each with its own characteristics, providing tourists with a richer experience. Tourists can purchase them at the ticket window.
Characteristic means of transportation: At the sightseeing bus stop in the scenic area, you can choose to ride a donkey, horse, or camel to the Yangguan Pass Ruins Area, wandering on the Gobi and feeling the scene of camel bells and merchants in the past. The price is 80 yuan per person for riding a camel, 80 yuan per person for riding a horse, and 30 yuan per person for taking a donkey cart.
Archery in the drill ground: After taking the sightseeing bus back to the pass from the ruins area, follow the signs to reach the archery range. Here, you can experience traditional archery, with 1 yuan per arrow. Hitting the 10th ring can earn you 5 extra arrows.
Pottery making: After passing through the ancient-style barracks, you will reach Yangguan Pottery Kiln. It is warm in winter and cool in summer. You can not only experience pottery making and enjoy the fun of DIY but also customize pottery, mud paintings, stone paintings, etc., painted with Dunhuang murals.
Beacon fire transmission: Experience beacon fire transmission in the south of Yangguan Research and Study Experience Hall. Based on the principle of friction generating heat, use wood to make fire-drilling boards and drill rods, and stones and wheat straw as auxiliary props, without adding any combustion-supporting materials, to fully reproduce the ancient people's way of making fire by drilling wood.
Mural copying: Dunhuang murals are so beautiful that just seeing them with your eyes is not enough. After appreciating the art of Mogao Grottoes and Xiqianfo Grottoes, precipitate your impression of Dunhuang in your pen. Through line drawing and coloring practice, create your own impression of Dunhuang.
Rubbing production: As a way of cultural inheritance, rubbing has made special contributions to the inheritance of Chinese civilization. Clearly copy the patterns on the stone carvings onto rice paper, sign and inscribe your satisfactory works, and then mount them for your own collection or as gifts to friends. It is very interesting.
08 Food Recommendations
Inside the scenic area: There is a Dicos in the Yangguan Research and Study Experience Hall. Tourists who choose to dine inside the scenic area can go there.
Outside the scenic area: In the farmyards of Longle Village, Yangguan Town, you can taste local Dunhuang specialties such as poplar braised cakes, desert wind chicken, and farm stir-fries.
09 Notes
Please protect cultural relics during the tour. Do not touch, climb, or damage the ancient sites.
There may be a lot of walking in the scenic area, so it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
Since Yangguan Pass Scenic Area is located in a desert area, the climate is dry and the temperature difference between day and night is large. Please take sun protection and warmth measures.
Please carry enough water and snacks to cope with possible fatigue and hunger.
