The historical Yumen Pass first appeared in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, more than 1,140 years ago. In fact, Yumen Pass has a very strong color in military history, political history, transportation history, and so-called literary history. It is also an important point that literati sang in ancient times. 01
The origin of Yumen Pass
Speaking of the origin of Yumen Pass, it was actually one of the four counties and two passes in the sixth year of Yuanding, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The four counties from the west of Zhusai to Jiuquan are respectively the four counties of Hexi, and Yumen Pass is one of the two passes. The reason why it was named after Yumen Pass at that time was mainly because it was the most important pass for Hotan jade from the Western Regions to enter the Central Plains. 02
What does a pass mean?
The so-called pass was a checkpoint set up on a traffic thoroughfare in ancient times. Of course, a pass was particularly important in ancient times because it was used for trade. An important window, it is also the cliff at the forefront of the border, and Yumen Pass was the customs house of the Han Dynasty. The emergence of Yumen Pass was an important line to prevent the invasion of the Huns. 03
Characteristics of the earliest Yumen Pass
Speaking of the earliest Yumen Pass, it is actually Shiguan Gorge in Jiayuguan City today. According to the topography of Shiguan Gorge, it is found that Shiguan Gorge is located in the north of Jiayuguan Pass. On the other hand, it is sandwiched between the Qilian Mountains and the Black Mountains. Because Huangcaoying Village and ancient walls made of loess, splendens, camel thorns, etc. can be found near Shiguan Gorge, with the evolution of history, they slowly turned into jade barriers.