The geographical location of famous passes in China

The pass is an important military defense checkpoint in China. It has strong military purposes. It is generally set up in the northeast and northwest regions. It has the function of military defense and deterrence for the northern nomads. Let’s share with you China’s famous Overview of geographical distribution of passes. Yumen Pass: The First Pass in the Western Regions

Yumen Pass is on the way from Dunhuang to Yadan. It takes more than two hours to drive here from Dunhuang. There are very few other vehicles along the way. The roadside is an endless expanse of white-flowered saline sand, dotted with tufts of wild sea buckthorn, and not a single tree in sight. , and it is difficult to see other creatures. Not many people come here, and the desolate scene makes it impossible to imagine the prosperity of this place as an important border town during the Han and Tang Dynasties. Today's Yumen Pass has experienced more than two thousand years of changes and has experienced all the vicissitudes of the world. Only a stone plaque engraved with Yumen Pass tells you that this is Yumen Pass, standing desolate and lonely.

The road to Yumenguan is as straight as there is no end. There is still a psychedelic mirage in the distance, and there is no life in the surrounding desert. The ticket office is a checkpoint across the highway, which seems a bit overbearing for tourists who want to go to Dunhuang Yadan, but as far as we are concerned, it doesn't seem to be a big deal.

The main part of Yumen Pass - and the most famous part - is Xiaofangpan City. The area of ??Tucheng is only about 20 square meters. It is the seat of the Yumen Duwei Mansion in the Western Han Dynasty and the seat of the Yumen Marquis in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is actually the command center of the entire Yumen Pass defense system. Like Suoyang City and Luotuo City, the walls are built with rammed earth.

Strictly speaking, the Yumen Pass in Dunhuang is the Yumen Pass of the Han Dynasty, and the Yumen Pass of the Tang Dynasty is the Poochengzi of Guazhou. Some people say that "The spring breeze does not pass through Yumen Pass" is actually written about the broken city, but why should we softly recite those familiar poems in front of the dilapidated small Fangpan City?

Dafangpan City is the granary of Yumen Pass , also known as Hecang City. Starting from Xiaofangpan City, we passed through the checkpoint that was deliberately blocked by the scenic spot and made people subconsciously feel that this road was impassable. After driving ten kilometers on the gravel road, we arrived at Dafangpan City. Dafangpan City is much larger than Little Fangpan City. The earthen city is towering. Wang Yumeng and I judge that it should have two floors, and there are many wooden buildings. There are round holes in the wall, probably to prevent food from spoiling or to defend against Huns' attacks. Once this place is lost, the morale of the army will be weakened. Standing in Hecang City and looking at the southeastern highlands, you can see Cangting Sui guarding this ancient granary two thousand years ago alone.

To go to Yadan Devil City, Yumen Pass is the only way to go. Today, the Yumen Pass ruins are the remaining ruins in the Gobi desert. For us, a distant view is enough. However, the bus must pass through the Yumenguan Ticket Office. There is no compulsory ticket purchase mentioned in other travel notes. I told the ticket office that I would only visit Yadan Geopark and it was released smoothly. Shanhaiguan: The No. 1 Pass in the World

Let’s talk about Shanhaiguan first. Shanhaiguan, also known as Yuguan, Yuguan and Linlu Pass, is located 15 kilometers northeast of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. It is one of the northeastern passes of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. Before 1990, it was considered to be the starting point of the eastern end of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It is known as China The Great Wall is "one of the three wonders" (Shanhaiguan in the east, Zhenbeitai in the middle, and Jiayuguan in the west) and is known as "the first pass in the world" and "the throat of border counties and the protection of the capital". It echoes the Jiayuguan thousands of miles away. , famous all over the world.

There are different opinions about the origin of Shanhaiguan's name as "The First Pass in the World". Even the author of the "No. 1 Pass in the World" plaque currently hanging on the Shanhaiguan Gate Tower has not yet been determined. . One theory is that it was written by Xiao Xian, a Jinshi scholar in the eighth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty and a native of Shanhaiguan. This theory is found in Linyu County Chronicles compiled in the fourth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. The second theory was written by Yan Song, a scholar of Wuyingge University during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. This theory was published in "Yuguan Anti-Japanese War History" published in 1933. Of course, there are also three and four theories, but the ones they spread are really vague, so Ogawa will not elaborate here.

Shanhaiguan is the first pass in the eastern part of the Ming Great Wall. In fact, its military importance was mainly concentrated in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the main threat to the north came from Oara. In terms of location, the main threat was to the northwest of Beijing.

The famous defense battle of Beijing led by Yu Qian (not the one who smoked, drank and permed his hair) was precisely because after Ming Yingzong was defeated and captured in Tumubao, Wala, with the courage to win, took Yingzong as a threat and divided his troops into Beijing in two ways. Passing through Xuanfu to defeat Juyong Pass, passing through Datong to defeat Zijin Pass, they finally arrived at the gates of Beijing. At this time, Shanhaiguan had not really emerged yet.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the main threat to the Ming Dynasty became the Jurchens. Why was Shanhaiguan so important during the disputes between Ming and Qing Dynasties and why it had the title of "the first pass in the world"? Xiaochuan mentioned one person, Yuan Chonghuan, the famous governor of Jiliao in the late Ming Dynasty. Yuan Chonghuan's important victories in the early stages of his resistance against the Jin Dynasty, such as the victory of Ningyuan (today's Xingcheng, Liaoning) and the victory of Ningjin (today's Jinzhou, Liaoning), were all fought in present-day Liaoning Province. Today, the handover between Liaoning and Hebei provinces is still Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan, for the Ming Dynasty, was the last line of defense against the Jurchens. Without Shanhaiguan, the Jurchen cavalry could basically move unimpeded and arrive at the gates of Beijing.

For the period between Ming and Qing in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Shanhaiguan was indeed synonymous with "the world". Whoever owns Shanhaiguan owns the splendid mountains and rivers of China within the pass. Jiayuguan: The most majestic pass in the world

Jiayuguan is known as the "most majestic pass in the world" and is also "the most majestic pass in the world". Jiayuguan 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 city pass cross the Gobi Desert. It is connected to the Black Mountain Suspended Wall to the north and the No. 1 Pier in the World to the south. It is the westernmost pass of the Ming Great Wall. It has a history of It was once known as the Throat of Hexi Province. Because of its dangerous terrain and majestic architecture, it was known as the key to the border. Jiayuguan is a transportation fortress on 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).

Jiayu Pass protects the famous Hexi Corridor. To the north are the Badain Jaran Desert and the Tengger Desert, and to the south are the Qilian Mountains. The melting glaciers and snow in the Qilian Mountains formed a strip of oasis at the foot of the mountains, which became the only way to connect Xinjiang and the Central Plains, which is what later generations called " Silk Road".

In the second year of Yuanshou in the Western Han Dynasty (121 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent General Huo Qubing out of Longxi to attack the Xiongnu, and the entire Hexi Province was included in the territory of the Western Han Dynasty. On the basis of Longxi County and Beidi County, four additional counties in Hexi

Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang were added to protect this transportation artery. The name of Gansu Province also comes from two counties in it, namely Ganzhou in Zhangye and Suzhou in Jiuquan.

The current transportation artery in Gansu Province connecting Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, and Dunhuang is the G30 Lianhuo Expressway. The direction of its line is still consistent with the ancient Hexi Corridor. In fact, the directions of many important transportation hubs in China still overlap with those of ancient Chinese roads. It is enough to show the importance of these roads since ancient times. Yanmen Pass: The First Pass in China

Yanmen Pass is located in the Yanmen Mountains about 20 kilometers north of Dai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, China. It is an important pass on the Great Wall. It is famous for its "danger" and is known as "The first pass in China" is said to be "the nine fortresses in the world, with Yanmen as the leader". Together with Ningwuguan and Pianguan, it is called the "Three Outer Passes".

Ogawa has introduced the important geographical and military value of Shanxi and Datong in more detail in his previous article "Why is it easy for those who win Shanxi to win the world, but it is difficult for those who win Sichuan to win the world (Shanxi Chapter)?" And this Yanmen Pass is an important pass guarding the Datong Basin and Taiyuan Basin.

In ancient times, if Datong was lost, Taiyuan would be in danger, and losing Taiyuan would mean losing Shanxi, and North China, Guanzhong, and the Central Plains would all be in danger. If North China, Guanzhong and the Central Plains are all lost, it will be the most famous Pianan regime in history - the Southern Song Dynasty. As for the final outcome of the Southern Song Dynasty, everyone knows it.

In addition, there are nine fortresses in the world (from Lu Shi Chun Qiu "Lu Shi Chun Qiu You Shi"), which generally refers to Yanmen Pass, Juyong Pass, Badaling Great Wall, Zijing Pass, Chu Great Wall, Huangcaoliang, Jingxing Pass, Ju These nine ancient Central Plains Great Wall fortresses are Zhusai

and Pingjingguan.

Also, there are four famous passes in China, namely Shanhaiguan, Jiayu Pass, Tongguan and Youyi Pass.

Finally, post a map of the distribution of important passes in China.

Behind every pass on the map is a "debatable battleground for military strategists." Behind the battlegrounds for military strategists is the history of struggle and blood and tears of countless Chinese people over thousands of years in order to defend their homeland and nation.

Overview of China's pass distribution map:

By the way, the North China Plain with Beijing as the center and the Guanzhong Plain with Xi'an as the center are surrounded by so many dangerous passes. It’s breathtaking! Friends who are interested can take a closer look at the pictures.