Dajingmen, has now become a landmark of Zhangjiakou

Dajingmen, has now become a landmark of Zhangjiakou. In recent years, Zhangjiakou has frequently hosted world-class events, either starting from Dajingmen, such as this year's Chongli 168 Super Off-road Race; or lighting the torch from Dajingmen, such as the Winter Olympic torch relay. This is not a coincidence, because historically, Dajingmen was one of the earliest open ports in northern China. At that time, groups of camels under Dajingmen carried tea, porcelain, silk and other goods from the mainland of our country, and sold them abroad along the Zhangku Avenue, known as the 'Second Silk Road'. At its peak, there were more than 1,600 ticket offices in Zhangjiakou Fort, with an annual trade volume of up to 150 million taels of silver. It is not difficult to understand why the first railway built by Zhan Tianyou was Beijing-Zhangjiakou instead of Beijing-Shanghai. Why is it called 'gate' instead of 'pass'? Because 'pass' gives a sense of hostility, while 'gate' implies openness. During the Qing Dynasty, the Great Wall of Zhangjiakou was open, with a large and small gate each, the east was called Xiaojingmen, and the west was Dajingmen. Dajingmen became the official passage, while Xiaojingmen was the place for Han and Mongolian merchants to trade. It is worth mentioning that the three characters 'Dajingmen' were actually written by the Shunzhi Emperor when he was six years old, which looks particularly naive. The 'Great Rivers and Mountains' outside was written by Gao Weiyue, the governor of Chahar in 1927. The reason why Zhangjiakou became a trade gateway can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the Mongols' old nest was in Kuren, which is today's Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, so a official road from the Central Plains to Kuren had to be built. During the Ming Dynasty, the Tea-Horse Road began here. By the Qing Dynasty, trade began to go in both directions, sending tea north and selling fur south, gradually reaching its peak. Zhangjiakou's trade covered 12 leagues and more than 150 banners in Mongolia, and its influence radiated to most of the southern border areas of Russia. An important opportunity was the signing of the Sino-Russian Chaktu Agreement in 1727, which gave Zhangjiakou the opportunity for free trade, and Zhangjiakou ushered in an unparalleled historical glory for more than two hundred years. However, history is always full of ups and downs. By the time of the Republic of China, Zhangjiakou's trade began to decline gradually. The main reasons are two: one is the independence of Outer Mongolia; the other is the exhaustion of fur resources in the Far East. Despite this, Zhangjiakou Fort still retains many old ticket office buildings, witnessing the transformation of this city from a military city to a commercial city. Entering the 20th century, Zhangjiakou is still a military fortress and a must-contend place for the military.