The low-lying area of Hengshan Mountain is the breakthrough point for nomadic people to invade the Central Plains, so a pass has been set up for these places. Yanmenguan is one of them, located in a relatively low-lying place in the west of Hengshan Mountain. It is an important channel for northern nomads to enter the Central Plains. Yanmenguan was built at the end of the Warring States period more than 2,000 years ago, and it is also an important trade channel between the north and the south in peacetime. Especially the rise of Shanxi merchants in Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen like Qiao Zhiyong, the owner of the Qiao Family Courtyard, walked out of Yanmenguan.
The official road of Yanmenguan has made great contributions to the 600-year glory of Shanxi merchants. Since the Warring States period, King Wuling of Zhao, Yanmenguan has been regarded as a strategic place by successive dynasties, and it is also a historical symbol of ancient Song and Ming Dynasties. Until now, the stone tablet invested by Shanxi merchants to build Yanmenguan is still preserved on the gate tower of Yanmenguan. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, the Japanese wanted to enter the Central Plains from Yanmenguan. However, considering that China army deployed a large number of troops in Yanmenguan, it changed to Pingguan, east of Yanmenguan.
Yanmenguan witnessed one game after another between different regimes. According to incomplete statistics, there have been more than 1700 wars in Yanmenguan since ancient times. Therefore, when Jin Yong constructs the martial arts situation, he will naturally not miss such a land of feng shui with stories. The background of Tianbu story is the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Yanmenguan really played an important role in resisting the Khitan.