The path walked by the army of Li Zicheng (also known as Chuang Wang) from Shixia Pass to Juyong Pass is a natural valley called Shixia Valley, which stretches roughly 15 kilometers in length. Although the mountains on the sides of the Shixia Valley are not extraordinarily steep, the paths in the valley are complex and extremely tortuous, making the valley an ideal place for military ambush. As stream flows through this valley, the path is so narrow and winding at some points that the stream seems to vanish from the eye.  However, when the valley reaches Juyong Pass, the view suddenly widens and the unhurried stream turns into a roaring waterfall with great rumbles. What a resplendent scene it must have been when Li's army of over a million passed through this valley!  Imagine the countless weapons, horses, flags, the loud trumpets, and the red tassels on soldiers’ helmets …

      Some say that the Great Wall has hundreds of impregnable and precipitous Passes and Gates, but it was in fact this unheard of Shixia Pass that held at stake the fate of the 300-year Ming Dynasty.  Who could argue that Shixia Pass and the Chuang Wang Valley were not the last straws that collapsed an entire empire?