Niangziguan
| Niangziguan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| region | Hebei , People's Republic of China | ||
| Map (Hebei) | |||
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 58 '1 " N , 113 ° 52' 41" E | ||
Niangziguan ( Chinese 娘子關 / 娘子关 , Pinyin Niángzǐ Guān ) (or Niangzi Pass , also women's pass ) is a mountain pass on the Great Wall of China 55 kilometers west of Shijiazhuang , the capital of the Chinese province of Hebei . It is one of the main passes from Shanxi Province to Hebei across the Taihang Mountains and is located in the city of the same name not far from the point where the railway line from Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan crosses the border between the two provinces.
The crossing here was built in 1542 during the Ming Dynasty . The gatehouse located there is partially well preserved, it is built from bricks and natural stone and supports a tower. It is flanked by hills more than 1,000 m high and the Tao He River winds its way through the lower valley. This location used to be a narrow passage for people and horses. Defense of the pass played a key role in the Battle of Xinkou between national Chinese and Japanese in 1937.
The name goes back to the legend that during the Tang Dynasty a troop of women soldiers under the command of Princess Pingyang , daughter of the first Tang emperor Tang Gaozu , had their camp here. Surrounded by a maze of hills and valleys, the Niangziguan was also known as "the ninth pass of the Great Wall of China".