The Jade Gate Pass, situated 75 km northwest of Dunhuang, was a strategic pass on the ancient Silk Road. It was named because of the jade that was transported through this pass to central China. Little Square City is another name for this city which comes from a rare square piece of jade that was sent from the west to the Han emperor in the east.
Today, there are two yellow clay gates at the western and northern sides of the pass. Unfortunately, some parts of the walls have collapsed due to erosion, forming huge holes.
In his poem "Go North of the Great Wall", the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan wrote the famous line, " Beyond the Yumen Pass the breath of Spring has never crossed". Mentioning Yumen in the poem has made the pass all the more desirable and exotic as a destination.
