Yanmenguan
Yanmenguan ( Chinese 雁門關 / 雁门关 , Pinyin Yànménguān - "Wild Goose Gate "), also Xixingguan ( 西 陉 关 , Xīxíngguān ) u. a., is a pass over the Yanmen Shan in Dai County of Xinzhou in Shanxi Province in China , where an important fortress of the Great Wall of China is located. Yanmenguan has been part of the List of Monuments of the People's Republic of China since 2001 under number 5-442-7 .
overview
A fortification structure for the Great Wall of China was built on Yanmenguan as early as the Tang Dynasty , but the bulwark still preserved comes from the Ming Dynasty and is located a few kilometers north of the first structure. Together with the Ningwuguan ( 宁武 关 ) and Piantouguan ( 偏头 关 ) passes, Yanmenguan is one of the “Three Outer Passes” ( Wai sanguan ).
The pass fortress is located on a hill above a narrow, cliff-lined valley that was an important passage from Shanxi to northern China. To the east, the corresponding wall section is connected with Zijingguan and Daomaguan , to the west with Ningwuguan and Pianguan.
history
A first wall was started at the end of the Warring States Period in Zhao State under ruler Wuling . During the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties , the pass became one of the "Three Passes of the Northern Frontier" ( Beiting sanguan ). The pass fortress was built under the Tang as a defensive castle against the nomads. During the Yuan Dynasty , the pass became less and less used and the fortress fell into disrepair.
In the Ming Dynasty , the wall section was restored under Hongwu in 1374 and the fortress was moved five kilometers to the north. Major repairs to the wall and the fortress were carried out under Wanli and Tongzhi in 1587 and 1867.
Military importance
In the history of northern China, Yanmenguan was part of the defense system of the North China Plain ( Zhongyuan ) and served as a bulwark against the nomads pushing south. Many soldiers have made honorable contributions here.
General Li Mu (李牧) withstood the attack of a cavalry army of the Xiongnu and lured them into an ambush, in which many of the attackers were killed. Li Mu was buried here, the tomb is still preserved today. The Han military leaders Huo Qubing , Wei Qing and Li Guang sent their troops from here to march against the Xiongnu. When Emperor Sui Yangdi got into trouble on an inspection tour, his general Li Shimin used a ruse to rout the attacking Tujue .
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Li Keyong , a nobleman of the Shatuo (people of the western Tujue), attacked the pass again and captured the fortress. During the Song Dynasty , General Yang Ye and his son Yang Yanzhao defended the pass and often fought violently with Liao soldiers .
The fortress
The fortress consisted of three parts: the actual fortress, the gatehouse and the fortress wall. The fortress wall was ten meters high and about one kilometer in circumference. The core of the wall was made of tamped earth, which was clad with bricks on the outside. The top of the wall was covered with battlements and had three gates. The stone and brick gatehouses to the east, north and west were tiled with blue slabs, and above each arch a stone slab with an inscription was placed. Each gate had its own meaning, the north gate was the actual entrance to the fortress.
In addition to a few steles , a pair of stone lions, and the grave of Li Mu, the collapsed gatehouses are the only remains of the fortress structures today.
Surroundings
Steep and high peaks tower on both sides of the pass and only a narrow, winding path leads to the pass. Yanmeguan formed a defense system with watchtowers and signal towers with the walls in its vicinity, which were connected to the mountain flanks. Not far from the pass, the 5,000 m long section of Baicaokou ( 白草 口 ) is very well preserved. There are watchtowers or signal towers every 120 m. In the wider area there are still many ruins and buildings to be found.
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 39 ° 11 ′ 36.6 ″ N , 112 ° 52 ′ 13.1 ″ E