Ancient, crumbling walls rise up from the dry scrub of the Ganjia Grasslands. Located well north of Xiahe, Bajiao Village (Bājiǎo Chéng Yízhǐ, 八角城遗址), known as Karnang in Tibetan, is a roughly 2,000-year-old village surrounded by a 12-sided city wall that appears as a nearly perfect cross when viewed from above.

Once an important point for traffic between Gansu and Qinghai, the city was fortified in this unique cross shape rather than a square. The distance between the corners of each wall were intended to be short enough to be within the range of crossbows fired from atop the wall, making the town easier to defend. Traces of the moat, once another part of the town's defenses, also still remain.

Today, this military outpost has become a sleepy village. Though remote, tourists have made their way to Bajiao, resulting in local children asking for handouts of candy or trading song and dance numbers for money.

Bön monastery Tseway Gompa sits a short drive away next to a ridge that provides a great view of Bajiao.

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