Zijingguan
Zijingguan ( Chinese 紫荊關 / 紫荆关 , Pinyin Zǐjīng guān - "purple thistle pass") is a fortified pass of the Great Wall of China in Yi County in Hebei Province .
The pass is located at the summit of Zijing Ling southwest of Beijing and is one of the three most important passes in the Chinese heartland , along with Juyongguan and Daomaguan . During the early Qin Dynasty (221-206) and the Han Dynasty , the pass was named Wuyuanguan. From the song it was called Jinbeiguan. It was not until after the Yuan Dynasty that it was given the name Zijingguan ( purple thistle pass ) because of the purple thistles growing on the mountain and was referred to as one of the "Nine forts under Heaven".
The year of construction of the original fortifications is unknown, but Zijingguan is one of the oldest pass fortresses. The first proper pass fortification was built in the Western Han Dynasty . A rebuilding of the ruined walls happened during the Ming Dynasty . With the reconstruction in the early Ming dynasty, a 1,000-strong guard force was stationed in the pass fortress. The present condition goes back to the fortifications being strengthened in 1491. From Zijingguan the Great Wall moves northwest towards Juyongguan , a pass that is also heavily fortified.
The ruins of today still show the former size of the complex. The location was difficult to fortify due to the rather open terrain and the often low water flow of the Juma He flowing past the foot of the facility . Originally the pass structure was equipped with four towers and surrounded by a wall on the east, west and south sides, the north side lay over a steep slope to the Juma He. Overall, the walls had a circumference of more than 3 km, the entire complex consisted of nine forts and had a total of eight gates, four of which were water gates. One of the gates has been preserved with a white marble slab over the arch. The inscription "紫荆关" (Zijingguan) carved into it dates from 1589. The north gate and north wall are built from large boulders.
Zijingguan was strategically important because of the access to the Chinese heartland, it served to secure Beijing. Along with Juyongguan, it is one of the two obvious gateways to the central Chinese plain from the north. More than 140 battles were fought here. However, the pass never really fulfilled its strategic function, as many attackers circumvented the pass or conquered it, such as the Mongols and the Manchu . Nevertheless, the maintenance and repeated reinforcement of the walls was vehemently advocated by many politicians and the military.
In 2004, so extensive reconstruction work was carried out that this hardly represents a restoration, but rather a replica. Today Zijingguan is a well-known tourist destination.
Zijingguan was added to the register of monuments of the People's Republic of China under the number 4-132 ( 万里长城 - 紫荆关 , Wanli changcheng - Zijingguan ) .
Individual evidence
- ^ Great Wall, Hebei Province. Zijinguan Pass. ( January 8, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive ) Chinaculture, accessed October 9, 2008
- ↑ a b Zijingguan Great Wall. CN-Adventure, accessed October 9, 2008
- ↑ Zijinguan pass. China Highlights, accessed October 9, 2008
Coordinates: 39 ° 25 ′ 12 ″ N , 115 ° 9 ′ 50 ″ E