Situated 75km northwest of Dunhuang, the Yumenguan Pass (玉门关) was a strategic pass on the ancient Silk Road. It was so named because the jade of Hotan in nowaday's Xinjiang region was transported to central China through this pass. In his poem Go North of Great Wall, the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan had the famous line, "Beyond the Yumen Pass the breath of Spring has never crossed". The mention of Yumen in the poem has made the pass more famous. Today, there is not much left and the only visible architecture there is the dirt tower. Wilderness dominates the area.

In the early Han Dynasty, the Huns ceaselessly invaded the Han's area. At first, the weak Han rulers attempted to marry the daughters of imperial families to the Huns' leaders, in hope of gaining temporary peace. When Emperor Wu rose to power, he immediately gave up this cowardly policy by launching fierce counterattacks on a large scale. Finally, the Hun's troops were driven back. In order to strengthen the stability of the western frontier, this wise emperor ordered Yumenguan Pass and Yangguan Pass to be set up along the Hexi Corridor. Henceforth, these two passes of Great Wall, like two royal soldiers, honorably began to guard the western gate for their motherland.

Climbing to the top of the pass, you can see the relics of the Great Wall and beacon towers scattered sparsely in the desert, creating an atmosphere of recalling the past.

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