Shanhaiguan passage: history and modernity

"Shanhaiguan passage" in translation from traditional Chinese means "passage between mountains and the sea". The fortification received its name not in vain, because it is located in the narrowest place between the Liaotung Gulf of the Yellow Sea and the Yanshan mountain system.

Shanhaiguan passage. History

The fortress of Shanhaiguan is by far the best preserved in comparison with other similar passages in the Great Wall of China. Despite the fact that the complex of fortification buildings appeared here in the late period of the Ming Dynasty, at the end of the XVI century, this narrow strip along the sea acquired its strategic importance long before General Qi Jiguang who was engaged in the construction of the fortress and the military city.

For the first time under the protection of Shanhaiguan Passage was taken in the XlV century, when General Xu Da - one of the most illustrious commanders of the Ming Empire - built the first checkpoint in this area.

In the following centuries, the passage only strengthened, expanded and completed. Around him formed a whole fortified area with a military city and several outposts. Thus, the passage became one of the most fortified in the system of defensive structures that separated the central part of China from the northern one.

The Qing Dynasty and the Great Wall of China

In the new time, when the last imperial dynasty of Qing was established on the Chinese throne, the Shanhanggu passage acquired special significance and was given an unofficial name "the key to the capital".

The special value of the passage in the time of the Manchu dynasty is due to the fact that the representatives of this family waged numerous wars with neighbors, trying to expand their sphere of influence to Central Asia and the lands that were north of the territory of modern Mongolia.

A new history and state of the art

Despite the fact that the fortress walls lost their former importance with the invention of gunpowder and the beginning of the active use of fire-siege guns, the passage remained important until the 20th century, as it is one of the few ways connecting Manchuria and Central China.

That is why foreign troops sought first of all to seize this narrow seaside strip, since the seizure of such an important strategic point would allow the huge empire to be split into two parts. It was precisely this kind of maneuver that Japanese troops undertook, seeking to occupy the weakened country at the beginning of the last century.

Up to now, reinforcements have appeared that look like a square with a perimeter of four kilometers. The walls of the fortress rise 14 meters, and the width reaches 7 meters. This allows you to move the carts along with it. Today, the Shanhaiguan Passage attracts a large number of travelers and tourists who want to get acquainted with Chinese history.