First
Pass
The famous scenic spot is the center of Shanhaiguan. And the
tower considered as the symbol of the whole scenic spot. It
was the east gate of the ancient city. The original name was
Zhen Dong, which means the safety of the east. The tower was
built in 1368AD, and it covers an area of 356 with the height
of 13.7 meters and was made of wood and bricks in two stories.
The top of tower was composed single eave with hip and gable.
In 1961, the State Council of People¡¯s Republic of China announced
that the tower to be the first major historical and cultural
sites under state protection.
On the tower, people can have an excellent overlook, and it
become easy to understand why ancient people chose this point
to build the pass. Many pass along the Great Wall were built
at strategic points. As Shanhaiguan was the first important
pass from the east, it got a high position. To the south, there
is the sea, and to the north, there are the uninterrupted mountains.
The mountain is called ¡°Shan¡± in Chinese, and sea is ¡°Hai¡±.
The pass is called ¡°Guan¡±. So those characters put together
¨C Shanhaiguan. In fact the name of Shanhaiguan not only refers
to the tower or the ancient city, but also a complete military
defense system, which includes the Great Wall stretching out
for 26 km with 10 passes..
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Introduction
