The Jade Gate Pass and the South Pass (阳关; Yáng Guān ), 78km west of Dūnhuáng, were originally military stations, part of the Han dynasty series of beacon towers that extended to the garrison town of Lóula’n in Xīnjiāng.
Admission includes entry to a small museum (with scraps of Silk Road silk ); a nearby section of Han-dynasty Great Wall (101 BC), impressive for its antiquity and lack of restoration; and the ruined city walls of Hécāng Chéng , 15km down a side road.
For caravans travelling westward, the Jade Gate marked the beginning of the northern route to Turpan, while the South Pass was the start of the southern route through Miran. The Jade Gate derived its name from the important traffic in Khotanese jade.
