This
pass, also called
Shanhai pass, is located
fifteen kilometers
northeast of Qinhuangdao
at the eastern terminus
of the Great Wall. The
“pass city” was built
during the Ming Dynasty
in the fourteenth year
of Emperor Hong Wu’s
rule (A.D. 1381). It
controlled
communications between
north and northeast
China, a strategic
location for which wars
were often fought.
At the entrance to the
pass is a twelve – meter
– high rectangular city
gate, which connects the
Great Wall to the south
and north. On top of the
gate is a two – storied
tower, which is 13
meters high, 20 meters
wide, and 11 meters
thick and decorated with
painted eaves. The tower
commands a spectacular
view of distant Bohai
Bay to the south and the
tortuous path of the
Great Wall to the north. |