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Micang Ancient Road

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The Micang Ancient Road gets its name from crossing the Micang Mountains. According to the *Ciyuan* (a Chinese dictionary), “The Micang Path is located south of present-day Nanzheng County in Shaanxi, at the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi, connected to the Daba Mountains to the east. Passing through these mountains from Nanzheng was the main route into Shu (ancient Sichuan), with perilous roads, historically known as the Micang Path. In ancient military campaigns, when advancing from Shaanxi into Shu, this route was most commonly used.” As a natural barrier between north and south, the Micang Mountains...

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Micang Ancient Road

The Micang Ancient Road is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The Micang Ancient Road gets its name from crossing the Micang Mountains. According to the *Ciyuan*, “The Micang Path is located south of present-day Nanzheng County in Shaanxi, at the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi, connected to the Daba Mountains to the east. Passing through these mountains from Nanzheng was the main route into Shu, with perilous roads, historically known as the Micang Path. In ancient military campaigns, when advancing from Shaanxi into Shu, this route was most commonly used.” The Micang Mountains served as a north-south barrier, and the Micang Path functioned as a vital passageway. In ancient times, the Ba people carved out multiple routes through the Micang Mountains, forming a network of roads collectively referred to as the Micang Path.

The Micang Ancient Road is one of China’s earliest national highways, with a long history dating back to the Xia and Shang dynasties. It is recorded that during the Xia Dynasty, Emperor Yu held a covenant at Mount Tu, and envoys from Ba and Shu attended; during the Shang Dynasty, King Wu Ding’s consort Fu Hao campaigned against the Ba people and established a military outpost in the treacherous terrain; when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang and attacked King Zhou of Shang, Ba troops marched into battle at Muye; King Hui of Qin sent Sima Cuo to conquer Ba and Shu; Xiao He pursued Han Xin under the moonlight at Hanxi, and Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, campaigned against the Cong people in northern Sichuan to pacify the Three Qins; Cao Cao marched on Hanzhong to subdue Zhang Lu and advanced south to Bazhou; Liu Bei stationed his army at Damu Mouyang City, Zhang Fei battled Zhang He at Mumen, and captured Yan Yan in Bazhou; during the Tang Dynasty, princes such as Li Xian, the deposed Emperor Li Chongfu, and Li Chongmao were exiled to Bazhou and Zhuzhou; during the Song and Yuan transition, Mongke Khan of the Yuan Dynasty passed through here into Sichuan to attack Hezhou’s Fishing Town; the Ming Dynasty established a patrol inspection office in Mouyang City; during the Qing Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect rebels rampaged through neighboring counties of Sichuan and Shaanxi; in modern times, the Fourth Red Army established the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Base in northern Sichuan... Over five thousand years, the road witnessed the gallop of armies, the trade of merchants, the passage of travelers, and the displacement of common people, all undeterred by the dangers, until it fell into disuse in the early years of the Republic of China.

The Micang Ancient Road was originally called the Balin Path or Daxing Path, running through the Daba Mountain region and connecting river basins. It led north to the Guanzhong area and onward to the Central Plains, and south to Shu and then to the regions south of the Yangtze River. It served as the living route of the ancient Ba people from the late Xia to the early Shang around the Mian River and Qianshui areas, and later became the only major thoroughfare for the Ba-Shu people to reach the Central Plains. Within the territory of the Micang Mountains in Nanjiang, the Micang Ancient Road had four main north-south routes, listed from west to east: the Hanping Pass Path, the Dangqiang Pass Path, the Bayu Pass Path, and the Muzhu Pass Path.

The path that traverses the Cherry River Valley and Hanxi Gorge within the Guangwu Mountain Scenic Area is the Dangqiang Pass Path, a branch of the Micang Path. It stretches from Lianghekou to the Hanxi Gorge, connecting northward via Shaanxi’s Miaoba to Nanzheng and onward to Hanzhong, westward through Baitan to Wangcang and then to Chengdu via the Jinniu Path, and southward through Taoyuan to Pinghe and on to Bazhong. As a central branch of the Micang Path, it was the most enduringly used route. Less than 2 kilometers north of the Cherry River Valley lies a mountain pass called “Dangqiang Pass.” Although the gate tower no longer exists, remnants of the wall remain, about 4 meters thick, built from stones and clay. After millennia of erosion and collapse, the wall still stands over 5 meters high. Many historical events unfolded along this ancient road—for instance, the great battle between Zhang Fei and the enemy at Luqi Mountain; the transmission of Buddhist sculpture art from the two capitals of the Tang Dynasty into Bazhong via the Micang Path, giving rise to numerous Buddhist cliff carvings such as the “Nan’an Grottoes”; and the famous historical tale of “Xiao He Chasing Han Xin Under the Moon” also took place here. (Source: http://guangwushan.cn/TourismWeb/dpsub/todetail?psi_id=652)

The Micang Ancient Road is the key link between east and west, south and north. It is a living fossil in the history of Chinese transportation and one of the world’s earliest ancient roads. The Qinba Mountain region is a spectacular area in the world, and the Micang Grand Path serves as a pivotal north-south transportation hub. The Micang Ancient Road, renowned worldwide, has made indelible contributions to advancing China’s economic development, cultural exchange, and social civilization. Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has included the Micang Ancient Road in the tentative list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites.

1. Intercepting the Sage Station Path and Bridge Pile Holes

Protected area: 50 meters beyond the path and bridge pile holes (including the upper parts of the river valley and rocky cliffs).