Shanhai Pass

Shanhaiguan, or Shanhai Pass (Chinese山海关/山海关, Pinyin Shānhǎi Guan, Shan Hai Kuan W.-G.; literally " mountain - and - sea - ball ") is a transition of the Great Wall in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China. Together with Jiayuguan and Juyongguan, it is one of the major transitions at the Great Wall. It lies almost 300 km east of Beijing and is connected to the city by the Jingshen highway.

History

Shanhaiguan is located south of the Yan Shan and north of the Bohai Bay. For centuries the post guarded the narrow passage between the north-eastern China and central eastern China. Throughout Chinese history the ball has therefore repeatedly served as a defensive bulwark against tribes from Manchuria, such as against the Khitan, Jurchen and Manchu.

Both the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty built sentries in the area. 1381 was the Ming General Xu Da built Shanhaiguan, which received its name from its location between mountains and lake. Later, the General Qi Jiguang Ming led the further attachment and the attachment of a garrison town to Shanhaiguan. Settlements and forts were built in the east, south and north of the pass, and Shanhaiguan became one of the most fortified places in China. Today, he is also one of the best preserved passes of the Great Wall.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty there was the commander of Shanhaiguan general Wu Sangui, shortly before the surrender, and wanted to switch to the rebels under Li Zicheng when he heard that his concubine Chen Yuanyuan Li Zicheng had been abused. Full of rage, he joined in conjunction with the Qing and their leader Dorgon, and then opened the gates of Shanhaiguan for Qing soldiers. Along with them, he fought against Li Zicheng at the Battle of Shanhai Pass. The there -won of the Qing victory accelerated the decline of Li Zichengs political power and led to the Qing were able to establish itself as a leading power in China.

During the Qing Dynasty, located between the Shenyang and Beijing, Shanhai Pass was designated as "Key to the capital cities ." Both during the period of the Republic and the United States and eight of the Second World War, many conflicts were fought here.

Construction

Shanhaiguan is rectangular in shape with a circumference of four kilometers. The walls reach a height of 14 meters and seven meters thick. The eastern, southern and northern sides are surrounded by a deep and wide ditch. In the middle of the rectangular square stands a tall bell tower.

On all four sides of the walls, gates were: Zhendong ( East), Ying'en ( west), Wangyang (south) and Weiyuan (north). Over the centuries, three of the goals were left to decay, today there is only Zhendong. Due to its location, this is the most important goal, as it is directed against the out-of- wall country. On a wall above the door, the inscription is天下第一 关("First Pass Under Heaven "). This other name of Shanhaiguan should not be confused with天下第一 雄关("First and Greatest Pass under Heaven" ), a name for the Jiayuguan, another pass at the western end of the Great Wall.

The Shanhaiguan section of the Great Wall (万里长城-山海关, Wanli Changcheng - Shanhaiguan ) is since 1961 on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China ( 1-102 ). UNESCO declared the Great Wall of China 1987 World Heritage Site.