The Grand San Pass
Written by Clementine |
The Grand San Pass (or Dasan Pass), located at the north foothill of the Qinling Mountain Range to the southern suburbs of Baoji City, has always been a throat controlling the passage between Sichuan and Shaanxi ever since times. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, this area was the territory of the San State, hence its name. It was established during the Western Han Dynasty and abandoned during the Ming Dynasty.
History of Dasan Pass
At the time when Chu and Han were contending for hegemony, Great General Han Xin managed to move his troops through here, leaving in history a famous strategic tactic of āPretending to make advance by building a plank hoard way while managing to trespass the strategic pass of Chencang in disguise. ā During the period of the Three Kingdoms, the troop under the command of Cao Cao also passed here on his west expedition to Zhang Lu.
According to the āRecord of History of Three Kingdomsā compiled by Chen Shou, āin the spring ( of the Sixth Year of Jianxing), Zhuge Liang went once again out from the San Pass to besiege Chencang and engaged here with the troop under Cao Zhen. ā Left over now on the huge piece of rock by he Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway are the four big Characters āGu Da San Guanā , meaning the ancient Grand San Pass.
Blocked up by precipitous and piling mountain peaks, it strikes into people an eerie sense āEven an assault of ten thousand couldnāt break through the pass controlled by one man only. ā Now what left over for visitors to enjoy here are the remaining sites of the ancient San Pass, the Cascade Hill, and the zigzagging railway going up the northern slope of the Qinling Mountain Range, presenting a beautiful scene of great magnificence.
