If you have learned the history of China or have been in China for a few years, you will know that the Great Wall of China has a number of passes once used to defend the invaders from the north but today turned into hot tourist attractions. You cannot travel to every corner of the Great Wall since it is extremely long, but you can travel to some of the most important passes it features. The following eight passes are among the most important passes of the Great Wall of China.
1. Shanhaiguan Pass
Shanhaiguan is part of the city of Qinhuangdao in Hebei province and literally means "The Pass of Mountain and Sea". Today it turns into a site of a frontier fortress where visitors can get a better understanding of the old military system, and man of its attractions have been extensively restored or rebuilt since the 1980s. Shanhaiguan has its own train-station. A regular train from Beijing to the pass only takes 4 hours.
2. Juyongguan Pass
Juyongguan Pass was once a solid barrier protecting the old city of Beijing from invaders from the north and now poses as an important tourist attraction for travel from around the world. It was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC) and Warring States Period (476 - 221 BC) by Yan State as a fortification and was renovated in the Ming Dynasty to prevent the Mongol invaders from the north. If you are in Beijing, you can take Subway Line 13 and get off at Longze Station in Changping District, and take Shuttle Bus No.68 to get there.
3. Zijingguan Pass
Zijingguan Pass is situated at the foot of Wanren Mountain in the east and Rhino Mountain (Xiniu Mountain) in the west in Hebei province. More than 140 battles took place here because of its military and strategic location. Along the 12-kilometer-long wall lie three city gates, three water gates and two watchtowers. Some sections have been renovated, while others remain unchanged from the ancient times.
4. Yanmenguan Pass
Yanmenguan Pass is hidden inside Yanmen Mountain in Daixian county, Shanxi province and is 12 19 kilometers long. In the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC), King Wuling of Zhao State first established Yanmen County in this region. The pass consists of a pass city, a barbican, and an enclosing wall. Yanmenguan is now a popular tourism destination.
5. Niangziguan Pass
Niangziguan Pass is located in Mianshan Mountain in the city of Yangquan, where Shanxi province meets Hebei province. Built in 1542 during the Ming dynasty, the pass is reputed as the "Ninth Pass on the Great Wall". Standing on the cliff surrounding by Taohe River, the pass posed as a strategic military fortress in the past days of China. It was called Weize Pass, meaning a pass with reeds and marshes but was later changed to Princess Ping Yang, sister of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), commanded a group of women soldiers guard the pass. Niangzi in Chinese refers to a woman.
6. Piantou Pass
Piantou Pass has an irregular shape and is 1,100 meters long from east to west. The fortress wall next to the Yellow River was constructed in 1468 and later rebuilt in the reigns of Emperor Jiajing Emperor (1796 - 1820) and Wanli (1573 - 1620) during the Ming Dynasty. It stands on the north shore Guanhe River, Pianguan county, Xinzhou prefecture, Shanxi province.
7. Jiayuguan Pass
Jiayuguan Pass is the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China, near the city of Jiayuguan in Gansu province and was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It was an important military fortress and also served as a vital traffic fort along the Silk Road. Standing in the endless desert with undulating mountains as its backdrop, this isolated pass can take you back to the desolation and loneliness of frontier life of the ancient times.
8. Yumenguan Pass
90 km northwest away from Dunhuang (Gansu province), Yumenguan pass is an important pass similar to Yangguan Pass. These two particular passes throughout the whole period of operation of the Silk Road were the only points to rest and replenish water supplies on a huge and most dangerous part of the caravan road that ran through the Gobi desert.
