The Daoma Pass of the Great Wall

The Daoma Pass of the Great Wall

The Daoma Pass of the Great Wall is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province and a World Cultural Heritage site.

Daoma Pass is located in the northwest of Tang County, Hebei Province. It earned its name because the mountain road here is so steep that warhorses often fell. The pass was established early on; in *Strategies of the Warring States*, it is referred to as Hongshang Pass, while in the Han Dynasty, it was called Changshan Pass. However, all existing records about the construction of the Daoma Pass city date back to the Ming Dynasty.

Daoma Pass is divided into an Upper City and a Lower City. The Upper City was built in the early years of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty, later renamed Shangchengkou, but the city no longer exists. The Lower City refers to the current Daoma Pass. According to the *Records of Daoma Pass*: “In the third year of the Jingtai era (1452 AD), due to the narrowness of the Upper City and the inconvenience for military personnel to reside there, a new city was constructed two li south of the original site. This new city was bordered by rivers on two sides and backed by mountains on one, with grand and comprehensive planning, thus becoming the Lower Pass.” Currently, the Daoma Pass Township Government preserves a broken white marble stele known as the *Daoma Pass City Construction Stele*. The inscription details the construction of Daoma Pass in the first year of the Chenghua era (1465 AD). From this, we know that the Daoma Pass city was initially built in the third year of the Jingtai era (1452 AD) and underwent a major reconstruction in the first year of the Chenghua era (1465 AD).

Together with Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass, Daoma Pass is known as one of the Inner Three Passes. Its terrain is extremely strategic, and the architecture of the pass city is also quite unique—half situated in the valley and half on the mountain. The entire pass city is built along the natural terrain, with the Tang River flowing around the city from the west, north, and east. Here, the mountain, water, and pass city complement each other, forming mutual barriers. The Daoma Pass city has a circumference of approximately 2.5 kilometers, with the base of the wall being 6 meters wide, the top 4 meters wide, and the height about 10 meters. The wall is built from rammed yellow earth, faced with bricks and stones. The pass city has three gates: the eastern gate is called Jurumen (Benevolence Gate); the western gate is called Youyimen (Righteousness Gate); and the northern gate is called Xuannuomen (Martial Prowess Gate). About a hundred steps outside the western gate, there is another gate built with strip stones. On the surrounding mountains of the pass city, five stone watchtowers were built on high ground for a commanding view, but they have now collapsed, leaving only the lower halves.

Due to its strategically vital location, Daoma Pass held immense military value throughout history and was a key battleground contested by armies of various dynasties. During the Warring States period, King Wuling of Zhao attacked the Zhongshan State from the north and captured it after first taking Daoma Pass.

In the late Northern Wei Dynasty, Du Luozhou, a soldier from the Ruxuan Garrison (now northwest of Xinghe County, Inner Mongolia), launched an armed uprising in Shanggu (now Huailai, Hebei). When the rebel army attacked Dingzhou, the governor of Dingzhou, Yang Jin, requested aid from the Rouran chieftain Anagui. The Rouran troops advanced to Guangchang (now Lingqiu County, Shanxi), but because Du Luozhou had stationed heavy forces at Daoma Pass and controlled the strategic pass, the Rouran troops had no alternative route and had to retreat the way they came.

In the eighth year of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (1513 AD), after the Mongolian Tatar leader Dayan Khan invaded Datong and sought to advance southward, the defending Ming troops relied on the natural defenses of the pass and held firm. They eventually repelled the invaders, sparing the vast region within the Great Wall from devastation.

The eastern and western gates of the Daoma Pass city were demolished during the construction of a highway, and the northern gate was also taken down long ago. Only fragments of the western wall of the pass city remain largely intact, with the outer side clad in blue bricks and the inner side built from cobblestones. The other three walls have been completely demolished, with only partial remnants barely recognizable.

The ruins of Daoma Pass have now been designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protected site by the People’s Government of Hebei Province.

Scenic Area Address: Within Daoma Pass Township, Tang County, Baoding City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Buses heading to Daoma Pass from Tang County can get you there.