Changling Pass

Changling Pass

Located in Banjing Village, Banzhuyuan Town, Jinzhai County, at an altitude of 360 meters, it borders Macheng in Hubei to the east, Luotian to the south, and Shangcheng in Henan to the north. It marks the endpoint of the Meishan–Changling Pass Highway.

In the mid-Jiajing era, unrest arose in the Jiulongwan area, prompting the military defense official Shen Long to propose establishing a garrison headquarters here. In the ninth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1859), Hubei Governor Hu Linyi ordered the local gentry Zheng Jiaju to build a Zhen’an Checkpoint here, installing one checkpoint gate, two blockhouses, and three artillery platforms of varying sizes. In late June 1864 (the third year of the Tongzhi reign), the Taiping Army and Nian rebels passed through this area, and in late August, the Taiping Army captured both Changling and Songzi Passes, killing four Qing commanders including Xu Liansheng and Bai Yunqing. Though the pass is now abandoned, the inscription “Zhen’an Checkpoint” remains on the stone slabs, along with carvings such as “Long Live the Emperor” on other stones. Local folklore also includes the saying “Shayancun, Taishan County, Changling Pass, Golden Dragon Palace,” reflecting the once-formidable “one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through” strategic position.