Shanhaiguan Pass

Shanhaiguan, located between the Yanshan Mountains and the Bohai Sea, is also called Shanhaiguan Pass. It is a small town and port on the northern Bohai gulf, 15 kilometers from the tourist city of Qinhuangdao.

Shanhaiguan is the ancient town where the Great Wall meets the sea. It was built in 1381 during the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it was a strategic military post. People consider it to be the number 1 pass on the Great Wall and it played an important role in the defense of two ancient capitals, Beijing in the east, and Chang’an (Xi'an) in the west.

Shanhaiguan has a main castle, two supporting castles, one in the north and one in the south, and two semicircular protective walls in front of the main castle, the town of Weiyuan and the town of Ninghai.

The pass of Shanhaiguan is a square and its perimeter is about 4 kilometers long. The walls are 14 meters high and 7 meters thick. At the pass’s east, south and north side, there are moats of 8 feet deep and 17 feet wide. A drawbridge was used to get over the moat. In the middle of the pass is a tall bell tower.

In ancient times, there were four town gates in Shanhaiguan: Zhendong (East), Yinun (West), Mangyang (South), and Weyuan (North), today only Zhendong gate remains. Because of its position, Zhendong was the most important gate facing the pass. The sign on the gate says "First Pass under the Heaven".