Taihang East, West, South, North→→→Niangzi Pass, Dazhai

Asking about the past and present before Niangzi Pass Thinking about the past and the future on Hutou Mountain The sound of the flowing water fades away After a thousand years, who will take the stage? At 8:30 in the morning, the ancient city of Xinzhou had not yet woken up, but we had already driven towards Niangzi Pass. Take the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, and when there are about 20 kilometers left, turn into Taihang Mountain No. 1 Tourist Highway and arrive at Guanxia before noon. We went into a fresh fish restaurant just beside the village road in Guanxia and ordered two or three dishes at random. The one that impressed me most was the braised sturgeon, it was so delicious! Niangzi Pass is located at the junction of Shanxi and Hebei, only 60 kilometers east of Jingxing. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It is said that the women's army led by Princess Pingyang Zhao, the sister of Emperor Taizong of Tang, was stationed here, hence the name Niangzi Pass. Guancheng is very small, with only two gates, one in the south and one in the east. The scale of Guancheng is also extremely small. The main street is less than 200 meters from north to south. At the northern third of the street, it turns east for about 50 meters to the east gate, and the overall shape is a "卜" character. Although the pass is small, it is extremely dangerous, with mountains behind it and a river in front, guarding the ancient pass post road. The post road is only two or three meters wide. Due to its long history, the square stones used for paving the road have long been polished to be round and smooth, with uneven surfaces. After entering the pass, there are dozens of families on both sides of the post road, most of whom are descendants of the former pass keepers. They are all enthusiastic and talkative, with a pure and honest demeanor. Climbing up the gate tower and looking southwest, you can see the Mian River winding from east to west and the Great Wall stretching from north to south. It seems that one man can guard the pass against ten thousand men. It truly deserves the name of the ninth pass in the world.