Located in the northwest of Dunhuang, Yangguan Historical Site is a vital passage on the Silk Road, formerly a military fortress and a merchant station established during the Han Dynasty. Here, the terrain is treacherous, and the fortress is built into the mountains, with beacon towers standing like giants, witnessing a thousand years of frontier defense and the sound of camel bells. The site preserves the ruins of the fortress wall, the remains of the city wall, and a cluster of beacon towers, with the rammed earth walls standing starkly, seemingly telling of the smoke of bygone days. The most striking is the Han Dynasty beacon tower ruins, the rammed earth tower remains ten meters high, climbing to the top you can overlook the lone smoke in the desert, and feel the desolate atmosphere of “lone smoke straight.”
