Xin’an Hangu Pass

Located in the east of Xin’an County, Hangu Pass is one of the important passes in ancient China and the first portal at the starting point of the Silk Road in the east. It was built in 114 BC, the third year of Emperor Hanwu and thus, it is enlisted as Henan Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Wang Changling’s poem in Tang Dynasty mentions Hangu Pass. Hangu Pass is one of the earliest passes with military functions in Chinese history. “Han” means the box, “gu” means valley and “Hangu” means taking the valleys the small box and guarding the key place. Hangu Pass neighbors Phoenix Mountain on the north, 60 km away from the Yellow River on the north and Qinglong Mountain on the south. Hangu Pass Relics consist of pass tower, rammed earth wall, watchtower relics, long-wall relics and 400-meter-length ancient road relics.