The Passes Of the Greatwall

The Passes Of the Greatwall The Shanhaiguan Pass Located in the northeast of Qinhuangdao city, Hebei Province, the Shanhaiguan pass was built in 1381, having a total length of about 26 km. It is the northeast starting point of the Ming Great Wall, and is also the estuary of the Great Wall. Situated in a strategically important and difficult to access mountain terrain, the Shanhaiguan pass is the only passageway between the north and the northeast of China and it has been an important military hub since ancient times.

Since ancient tomes,the Shanhaiguan pass has always enjoyed the reputation of being the “Number One Pass under Heaven”.It was a fortress-pass and its plane was a square.The Shanhaiguan pass was a fortress with a relatively comprehensive defense system.On each side of the square fortress there is a gate built in the east,west,north and south directions and a tower is built on the top of each gate. Among them the most spectacular one is the east gate hanging inside the plaque of the “Number One Pass under Heaven”. The gate enceintes were built separately outside the east and west gates. Outside the fortress, there were other sturdy ancient fortifications such as the moat around the city.

The Shanhaiguan Pass is also an ancient city of culture. The architecture of the Ming Dynasty has been well preserved, and most of the main streets and alleys remain intact, such as the branch department of the Military of Defense, shipping and delivery office and the garrison

department inside the east gate; the Shanhaiwei, the Cha Yuan, the drill ground, etc. in northwest of the city; two famous memorial archways inscribed respectively with “Lane of Branch Department of the Military of Defense” and “Number One Pass of Northeast” in the Main East Street, the Bell and Drum Tower in the center of the street, etc. There are a number of Siheyuan ( a compound with folk houses around a square courtyard) which makes the ancient city seems more simple and elegant.

The Dajingmen Great Wall Located in north of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, the Dajingmen Great Wall was built in 1485, having a total length of about 4 km. In the first year of the Shunzhi reign (1644), Emperor Shunzhi ordered to build a brick arch which was 12 meters high, 9 meters wide, 13 meters long at the bottom, with rectangular stone slabs as the foundation and named “Dajingmen”. The Dajingmen Great Wall is situated between the East and the West Taipingshan mountains, built along the mountain ridges stretching to the east and west. With its perilous topography, the Dajingmen Great Wall was an important military defense pass and if was also one of the important barriers guarding Beijing since ancient times. It had always been contested by strategists. Therefore, the Dajingmen pass, together with Shanhaiguan, Jiayuguan and Juyongguan are called “Four Important Passes of the Great Wall”. Among the passes, the Dajingmen Great Wall was the only one named with “men” (means gate), known as “The First Gate of Ten-Thousand-li Great wall”.

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