Millennia-old Taihang Pass

The Taihang Pass is one of the Eight Passes of the Taihang Mountains. It reached north to the heartland of Zezhou and south to the Central Plains, serving as a vital strategic thoroughfare for the ancient Central Plains dynasties entering and exiting the Taihang region.

The winding goat track was perilous; Li Bai lamented it. Tianjing Fortress was not a single pass but a comprehensive defence system spanning a contiguous area.

In addition to Tianjing Fortress, it included Xingyao Post Station, Dakou Pass, Xiaokou Pass and Wanzi Fortress, among others. During the Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, this place was known as "Langche"; today it is called "Lanche."

With the rise of China's "Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Route," it became a vital corridor for Zezhou merchants travelling south to the Central Plains and north to Mongolia and Russia.

In 1896, an Italian named Angelo Rosadi travelled along this ancient Taihang Pass route into Zezhou, Jincheng, and sent photographers to explore and take photographs. At the same position, the same buildings, the same tower, the same gate and basically the same village shape can be found. Through three thousand years, the road and its stories continue.