Pingxiang Friendship Pass

Pingxiang Friendship Pass

Pingxiang Friendship Pass is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a key national cultural heritage site, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

Pingxiang Friendship Pass is one of China’s nine great ancient passes. To the left of the gatehouse stands the wall of Zuo Bi Mountain, and to the right, the wall of You Fu Mountain, resembling two giant pythons linking the foothills of both mountains with majestic grandeur. Friendship Pass is located at the southwestern tip of Pingxiang City, Guangxi. The terminus of National Highway 322 passes through the arched gate of Friendship Pass and connects with highways in Vietnam. It serves as an important overland passage and a national first-class port to Vietnam, situated 18 kilometers from downtown Pingxiang.

As early as the Han Dynasty, a pass was established here, boasting a history of over 2,000 years. Initially called Yongji Pass, it was later renamed Jieshou Pass, Friendship Pass, Da Nan Pass, and during the Ming Dynasty, Zhennan Pass. In January 1953, with the approval of the then State Council, it was renamed Muenan Pass. In January 1965, approved by the State Council, it was renamed Friendship Pass. In February 1995, with the consent of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee and the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, it was designated as an autonomous region-level patriotic education base. On May 25, 2006, the Longcheng Fortress ruins and Friendship Pass were approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of key national cultural heritage sites.

The structure consists of two parts — the gatehouse — and has a total height of 22 meters. The base covers a construction area of 365.7 square meters, measuring 23 meters in length, 15.9 meters in bottom width, and an average height of 10 meters. The highway passes through the tunnel-style single-arch gate, above which the three bold characters “Friendship Pass” are carved in white marble, inscribed by Marshal Chen Yi, who was then Vice Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Originally, only a single-story wooden corridor was built on the base of the gatehouse. During reconstruction, it was replaced with a steel-concrete structure and expanded to include two additional stories of corridors, each covering an average of 80 square meters. The corridors are surrounded by large arched windows adorned with various decorative patterns. The exterior walls are covered with dark green stone paint, giving the structure a solemn and classic appearance.

The first floor of the corridor displays historical images of the Battle of Zhennan Pass, the Zhennan Pass Uprising, and the moment the red flag was raised over Zhennan Pass. The second floor serves as a meeting room for high-level leaders from China and Vietnam. In the 1950s and 1960s, Premier Zhou Enlai met twice here with President Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people. The third floor is an exhibition hall showcasing China’s nine great ancient passes.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Key National Cultural Heritage Sites