Jiayuguan and the Fake Wall

In Jiayuguan, which is far less touristy than Xi'An, we stayed the rather rundown "Youth Hotel". The rooms weren't exactly superb, but costed only 40RMB per night per person (= about 4 euros) - a good deal. The atmosphere was a bit grim: the knowledge that rooms could also be rent by the hour should give you an idea why. But after having spoken with other travellers, it still seems one of the best budget options in town.

We didn't stay too long in the hotel, and had a look around in the town. There was a local market, with the usual fruits, vegetables, chickens and food stalls. Here we had a tasty dinner in a local restaurant: very spicy mutton- and beefskewers, with even more spicy noodles and vegetables.

The next day, we were up to some sightseeing.
Jiayuguan is very famous in China for its fortress, a stronghold at the end of the Great Wall - so we headed that way. As with many Chinese tourist spots, historical sites are to some extend transformed into a fun fair, with a tasteless park, concrete statues and the like - not really things we were very eager to see. As the entrance fee was rather exorbitant (10EUR per person), we decided to take the cheap way out and just walk around the whole site. We ventured into the desert, and had a great (free) view on the fortress and the Great Wall.

We then explored a bit beyond the site and ended up in a tract of traditional Chinese countryside, which was really charming. We came across sheep and a donkey amidst colourful corn-, onion-, potato- and rapeseedfields.

Later on, we headed to a second sight: the "Overhanging Wall", a bridge-like stretch of the wall 'hanging' above a river. Rebuilt and not really interesting at all. We could also walk on a bit of the wall, winding its way up a hill overseeing the desert. From afar it is actually quite impressive, but knowing that that part had been rebuilt in 1987 (which wasn't posted anywhere, however), gave it more of a "Fake Wall of China"-feel.
A mandatory 'culture park' with statues of pink camels and concrete Silk Route traders, made the whole experience quite unearthly. The view from atop the wall over the desert and the nearby oasis was however worth the climb.

Back in the town, as we set out for dinner, we came across a group of elderly Chinese women performing a rather complicated local dance with small drums, joyfully observed by the local elderly men. This seems to be a common practice in Jiayuguan (and other places in China), as the previous day we also saw two groups like this, one performing with fans and another with scarfs. Hanna was cheerfully invited to join the dancing, to the great amusement of the locals.