The Grand San Pass

The Grand San Pass, localed at the north foothill of the Qinling Mountain Range to the southern suburbs of Baoji City, has alway been a throat controlling the passage between Sichuan and Shaanxi ever since times. 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 tactics of “Pretending to make advance by building a plank hoard way while managing to trespass the strategic pass of Chencang in disguise. ” 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 “Record of History of Three Kingdoms” compiled by Chen Shou, “in 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. ” Left over now on the huge piece of rock by he Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway are the four big Characters “Gu Da San Guan.” the ancient Grand San Pass. Blocked up by precipitous and piling mountain peaks it strikes into people an eerie sense “Even an assault of ten thousand couldn’t break through the pass controlled by one man only. ” 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.

The Grand San Pass