• Fresno
  • Jiayuguan

Fresno (/ˈfrɛznoʊ/) is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about 115 square miles (300 km2) and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, making it the fifth-most populous city in California, the most populous inland city in California, and the 34th-most populous city in the nation. The Metro population of Fresno is 1,008,654 as of 2022.

Named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River, Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885. It has since become an economic hub of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, with much of the surrounding areas in the Metropolitan Fresno region predominantly tied to large-scale agricultural production. Fresno is near the geographic center of California, approximately 220 miles (350 km) north of Los Angeles, 170 miles (270 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento, and 185 miles (300 km) southeast of San Francisco. Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles (100 km) to the north, Kings Canyon National Park 60 miles (100 km) to the east, and Sequoia National Park 75 miles (120 km) to the southeast.

Fresno is also the third-largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States; 50.5% of its population was Hispanic in 2020. Since 2010, statewide droughts in California have further strained both Fresno's and the entire Central Valley's water security.

Jiayuguan, known as "the first male pass in the world", is located in the middle of the narrowest valley 5 kilometers west of Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province. the city walls on both sides of the pass cross the Gobi Desert, the suspended Great Wall of Montenegro in the north and the first pier in the south. it is the westernmost pass of the Ming Great Wall. it was once known as Hexi throat in history, because of its dangerous topography and majestic architecture, it is known as the chain key of the border. Jiayuguan is the traffic fortress of the ancient "Silk Road" and one of the three wonders of the Great Wall of China (Shanhaiguan in the east, Zhenbeitai in the middle and Jiayuguan in the west). Jiayuguan was built in the fifth year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1372). It is composed of inner city, outer city, Luocheng, Wengcheng, trench and the north and south wings of the Great Wall, with a total length of about 60 kilometers. The platform, pier and fortress of the Great Wall are dotted with three lines of defense, namely, the inner city, the outer city and the moat.
Travel Sights In Jiayuguan
Travel Notes In Jiayuguan