The First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall
Located in seven km south of Jiayuguan city, this fire tower is the first one of the Great Wall, hence the name. It is also called Taolaihe Dun and Tou Dun in Chinese. It was built in 1539 (Ming Dynasty), all 14 m in length, width and height. After hundreds of years, it still stands there firmly, although not so completely.
There are 39 fire towers inside and outside of Jiayuguan Pass, big or small. All the towers undertake the important task of military at ancient time. If the enemy was found and approaching, the fire of the tower was a signal and means some recovery should be ready, just like alarm system nowadays.
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