Yangguan Historic Sites
Yangguan Historic Sites
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4.0
59 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
23
Average
11
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0
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1
Ian Anderson
Shanghai, China158 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Worth a visit for the desert landscape and feeling of centuries of history. A former Silk Road Customs post/fortress on a pass on the former Chinese border. About an hour from Dunhuang city and can be combined in a day trip with Yumenguan which was Yangguan’s private competitor. We had to cancel the latter due to a sandstorm, which are apparently more frequent in the afternoons
Written May 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eVe 🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬
Singapore, Singapore1,268 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
Yangjuan gives me a poetic and yet lonely sad feeling. If you read the history behind this place, it said when one leaves the gateway, there is no return.....After you took the internal bus, you will come to the more authentic part of Yangguan ruins, walkable but you may take over 45 minutes. Immerse yourself there and try to feel the air around it.
Written November 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PablosXanderpants
Victoria, Canada247 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
This place has appeared in many major historical events in the past, especially between 100AD and 900AD. It's a ruin now, but you can imagine what it was like during its prosperous time. Highly recommended for history lovers!
Written October 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanos F
Athens, Greece887 contributions
Jun 2015
There is an old Poem saying....."Past the Yangguan out to the west, old friends there'll be none." and describes characteristically what Yangguan once was for old China... the western frontier. After that the ominous but majestic deserts awaited the adventurous traveler. Still you can feel it when you are looking ahead at the lookout spot near the tower. The reconstructed old frontier Chinese Town is really beautiful, therefore some scenes of historical movies and tv series were shot here. Walk a little inside the town and you will forget about the modern world. Wear even some costumes in order to take your souvenir picture...Not everyday you have the feeling that you play a part in a movie. Museums are interesting but the town and the look out spot are more imposing especially if you belong to the nostalgic ones.
Written January 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YorkHiker
Yorkshire, UK1,390 contributions
Aug 2015 • Solo
I prefer Yangguan to some of the other desert sites. Yangguan comprises:
1) Small ruined mud tower of Yuanguan with excellent desert views.
2) Silk Road museum - no photos allowed.
3) Great Wall museum (excellent) - no photos allowed.
4) Reconstructed walled Silk Road town with siege weapons.
5) Reconstructed ruined city gate.
6) Reconstructed nomad camp.
While the mud tower of Yuanguan is tiny, the views from the tower out into the desert and hills are of sand dunes is an image of the Silk Road I won't forget. The two museums are also surprisingly good.
I'm glad I paid extra after my desert tour to go here. Much more worthwhile than Xiqian 1000 Buddha caves if you have to decide between the two.
1) Small ruined mud tower of Yuanguan with excellent desert views.
2) Silk Road museum - no photos allowed.
3) Great Wall museum (excellent) - no photos allowed.
4) Reconstructed walled Silk Road town with siege weapons.
5) Reconstructed ruined city gate.
6) Reconstructed nomad camp.
While the mud tower of Yuanguan is tiny, the views from the tower out into the desert and hills are of sand dunes is an image of the Silk Road I won't forget. The two museums are also surprisingly good.
I'm glad I paid extra after my desert tour to go here. Much more worthwhile than Xiqian 1000 Buddha caves if you have to decide between the two.
Written August 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kyushin
Daegu, South Korea30 contributions
Oct 2018
You are told by guides that a city once thrived here and is now buried under the sands, only remnants of a Han gate remain, but it is a pivotal location where one left China and entered the "unknown" regions of the Silk Road. You can get a good feel for what it must have felt like so many centuries ago.
Written November 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hock8
Shenzhen, China75 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
All the sights on a tour outside Dunhuang are beautiful but it takes hours of driving to reach the places in the remote areas. The historic sites and landscapes are beautiful but not much in between. Pack a lunch as eating is on your own for the most part.
Written July 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jameshuang
Taipei, Taiwan2,004 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
This is the 2nd pass of the two most west fortresses (Yuan Guan Pass and Yumen Pass) of the ancient Silk Road. Yuan Guan Pass (陽關) got its name because it is located south of Yumen Pass. Yuan in Chinese means sunny and also means south. It was built at the same time as Yumen Pass by the order of Emperor Wudi (漢武帝) of Han dynasty. It was used for consolidating the border defense as well as developing the remote western region (西域). Yuan Guan Pass is 80 km (50 mi) away from Dunhuang city in the southwest region. In 629, the famous Xuan Zang (玄奘), a great Chinese Buddhist monk pilgrimaged to India in search of Buddhist scriptures, and returned via Yuan Guan 16 years later. Today most of the Yuan Guan was eroded and buried under sand. It is impossible to recover with current technology. Chinese government lists it as a protection area. The only remain is the broken beacon tower.
We came here after visiting Yumen Pass in the late afternoon. A private owned Yangguan Museum was built onsite based on the old Yang Guan of the Han Dynasty. Yangguan Museum first opened to the public in 2003 with exhibitions showing the history, culture, weapons, buildings etc. of the Yng Guan. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the exhibition hall. While waiting for the guide (included in the ticket), we went to the top of the city wall and saw several defense and attack weapons on display. The tour also included a ride on a small tour bus to the mountain side of the Yang Guan ruins. It also provided us a good chance to see the broken beacon tower. After the tour bus dropped us off, it took us few minutes walking to the site where the original Yang Guan was built. Once we were on top of the hill, we realized why the Yang Guan was built here. There was nothing but endless desert and it was a good defense spot.
Due to the climate and underground springs, this area also is a hometown of tasty grapes. We actually visited a small village (二墩村) in the middle of desert in between Yumen Pass and Yang Guan. The day we visited was in the middle of the grapes harvest season. We bought 4 bunches of grapes and they were delicious. I think it might be the low humidity that causes the high concentration of sugar. We also found there were many huge barn-like buildings used for making raisins utilizing the nature desert climate. Don’t forget to taste those juicy and sweet fruits when you visit Dunhuang.
We came here after visiting Yumen Pass in the late afternoon. A private owned Yangguan Museum was built onsite based on the old Yang Guan of the Han Dynasty. Yangguan Museum first opened to the public in 2003 with exhibitions showing the history, culture, weapons, buildings etc. of the Yng Guan. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the exhibition hall. While waiting for the guide (included in the ticket), we went to the top of the city wall and saw several defense and attack weapons on display. The tour also included a ride on a small tour bus to the mountain side of the Yang Guan ruins. It also provided us a good chance to see the broken beacon tower. After the tour bus dropped us off, it took us few minutes walking to the site where the original Yang Guan was built. Once we were on top of the hill, we realized why the Yang Guan was built here. There was nothing but endless desert and it was a good defense spot.
Due to the climate and underground springs, this area also is a hometown of tasty grapes. We actually visited a small village (二墩村) in the middle of desert in between Yumen Pass and Yang Guan. The day we visited was in the middle of the grapes harvest season. We bought 4 bunches of grapes and they were delicious. I think it might be the low humidity that causes the high concentration of sugar. We also found there were many huge barn-like buildings used for making raisins utilizing the nature desert climate. Don’t forget to taste those juicy and sweet fruits when you visit Dunhuang.
Written November 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F8124KTlucyb
70 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
There is little to see here. There is the usual camel and horse riding options. The reconstructed buildings essentially only contain a shop and Dicos chicken. There are opportunities to do pottery and archery. As far as Silk Road iconography, there is a bit of the pass left. The view is great but the site as a whole is underwhelming.
Written September 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
irazhar
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia201 contributions
Jul 2019
The remains left very little but the view from the fort vast flat land . You imagine the warriors riding to attack the fort.
Written October 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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