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Jiayuguan is the symbolic Western end of the Great Wall and so one of the defining points on the Northern Silk Road. This was where the power of Han China dissolved into what the Chinese believed where the barbarian lands to the West. To be cast out of the magnificent fort here into the unknown was considered a fate worse than death for corrupt officials and other criminals who would be leaving Chinese civilisation behind forever. This prosperous city also has a restored section of the Great Wall as well as some tombs to visit making it a worthwhile stop in between Dunhuang and Lanzhou. Click here to find out more…