Yanmen Pass, a strategically important pass in Chinese history, is located in Dai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It is a crucial gateway on the Great Wall and is known as "Yanmen Pass is the foremost of the Nine Fortresses under Heaven."
It deserves the title of "China's First Pass."
As one of the most important passes on the Great Wall, Yanmen Pass lies at the chokepoint of northern Shanxi, boasting a precarious terrain ("One man guarding the pass, ten thousand men cannot break through"). Since its establishment by King Wuling of Zhao during the Warring States Period, it has been a fixture of nearly every aspect of ancient Chinese military history. From the Han Dynasty's campaign against the Xiongnu, the Tang Dynasty's defense against the Turks, the Song Dynasty's resistance against the Liao and Jin dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty's defense against the Mongols, this pass witnessed countless battles that determined the fate of the Central Plains dynasties. The legends of renowned generals such as Li Mu, Meng Tian, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Xue Rengui, and the Yang Family Generals are all intertwined here, demonstrating its irreplaceable strategic importance.
Yanmen Pass was not only a battlefield but also a window through which the agricultural civilization of the Central Plains and the nomadic civilization of the north collided and exchanged.
Yanmen Pass has become a symbol of the spirit of the frontier in poetry and novels. Li He's "Song of the Prefect of Yanmen" ("Black clouds bear down on the city, threatening to collapse") vividly depicts the desolate garrison there; in Jin Yong's "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," Xiao Feng commits suicide here, bringing his personal fate and the feud between his family and his country to a climax—these literary interpretations have heightened the tragic grandeur and cultural appeal of Yanmen Pass.
"Symbol of Loyalty and Bravery" in Folklore
In the story of the Yang Family Generals, Yang Ye and his descendants defended Yanmen Pass for a long time, fighting bloody battles against the Liao army. This has made Yanmen Pass a spiritual totem of loyalty and patriotism in folklore.
Yanmen Pass = Ancient China's "First Pass Under Heaven"
One of the most crucial passes on the Great Wall, it was like an ancient "military gate." Whoever controlled it held the key to the Central Plains.
For two thousand years, almost every major war in northern China has been linked to it! Huo Qubing's battles against the Xiongnu, the Yang Family Generals' resistance against the Liao...countless famous generals left their mark here.
✔️ Military Fortress: Easy to defend and difficult to attack, a battleground for military strategists. ✔️ A symbol of tragedy and grandeur: In poetry and novels, it is often imbued with desolate, loyal, and patriotic sentiments.
✔️ A channel for communication: Not only a battlefield, but also a corridor for interethnic trade and cultural exchange.
If you want to experience the warlike cavalry and patriotic sentiments of ancient Chinese history, Yanmen Pass is one of the most representative locations.