Yanmen Pass 雁门关Yànmén Guān

Why go to Yanmen Pass

About 20 km north of Dai county town, Yanmen Pass guards a gap in the mountains on the Ming-dynasty Inner Great Wall, long a strategic route between the plains of northern Shanxi and the steppe frontier. Walk through the stone gates of the fort, look into the shrine to the general Li Mu, then follow the wall as it climbs the ridges to the watchtowers.

The story

Yanmen has been a frontier stronghold since the Warring States period, when the Zhao general Li Mu was posted here to hold off the Xiongnu. In 980 the Song generals Yang Ye and Pan Mei routed a Khitan army outside the fortress, and Yang and his sons became the heroes of the Yang family generals legends. The fort you see was founded by the Ming in 1374 and heavily restored, with some gates and halls rebuilt, in 2009–2011.

What to see at Yanmen Pass

• Tianxian Gate and Yan Tower 天险门、雁楼: The main east gate, whose plaque reads 'Natural Barrier', is topped by the Yan Tower, a double-roofed gate tower. Walking the top of the fort wall gives views over the whole pass.
• Dili Gate and Liulang Shrine 地利门、六郎祠: The west gate, named 'Advantage of Terrain', carries a gate tower that serves as a shrine to Yang Liulang, the Song border general from the Yang family tales. The gate and tower were restored in the 2009–2011 works.
• Ming Great Wall and watchtowers 长城与敌楼: The wall climbs the ridges from the fort in restored sections with watchtowers. In the 2009–2011 restoration about 1.8 km of wall and three watchtowers were rebuilt.
• Guandi Temple 关帝庙: A small temple to the deified general Guan Yu stands outside the west gate, one of the restored shrines around the fort.

How to visit Yanmen Pass

Start at the west entrance and pass through the barbican, where the Dili Gate stands. Continue inside the fort to the Tianxian Gate, and climb up on the wall for the best views. The ridge walk to the watchtowers adds about an hour, and a shorter visit around the fort alone suits a half-day stop on the way between Datong and Taiyuan.

How to get to Yanmen Pass

High-speed trains on the Jining–Datong–Yuanping line stop at Yanmenguan station in Dai county, under an hour from Datong South and about an hour from Taiyuan South; the pass is about 30 km (40 minutes) away by taxi or by the station bus to the scenic area. By car, allow about 2 hours from Datong and 2–2.5 hours from Taiyuan.

Where to stay

Dai county town is the nearest base, about 20 km from the pass. Most visitors stay in Datong or Taiyuan, where trains and a wider choice of places to stay are found.

What to eat

• Dai county braised fish 代县熬鱼: Grass carp is salted, fried, then simmered for two to three hours in bone broth until the bones turn soft, a speciality of Dai county.
• Datong knife-cut noodles 大同刀削面: Noodles shaved straight off the dough block into the pot and served with a meat sauce, a staple of Datong, the usual gateway for this area.

Tips for visiting Yanmen Pass

• Allow an extra hour to walk the restored wall up the ridge from the fort, and wear sturdy shoes.
• Pair it with the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, about an hour north by road, on a drive between Datong and Mount Wutai.

Nearby

• Yingxian Wooden Pagoda 应县木塔 50 km
  A Liao-dynasty timber pagoda of 1056, five storeys outside and nine within
• Foguang Temple 佛光寺 60 km
  A Tang timber hall of 857 on a quiet hillside, still filled with its Tang clay statues
• Mount Wutai 五台山 70 km
  Temples, a towering white stupa and yellow-tiled roofs below five flat-topped holy peaks
• Hanging Temple 悬空寺 90 km
  A wooden temple pinned to a sheer cliff, seemingly propped up on stilts
• Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟 100 km
  Giant Buddhas carved into a sandstone cliff some 1,500 years ago
• Datong Ancient City 大同古城 110 km
  Rebuilt Ming ramparts around genuine Liao–Jin temple halls and a glazed dragon screen

Also within 30 km: Guangwu Great Wall 广武长城 (under 10 km), Old Guangwu Fortress 广武城 (under 10 km), Guangwu Han Tombs 广武汉墓群 (under 10 km), Daizhou Ancient City 代州古城 (20 km), Ayuwang Pagoda 阿育王塔 (20 km), Bianjing Drum Tower 边靖楼 (20 km).

On the map

Open Yanmen Pass on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)