Xuyong Snow Mountain Pass

Xuyong Snow Mountain Pass

The Xuyong Snow Mountain Pass is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

The Xuyong Snow Mountain Pass is located on the road from Moni Town to Chishui Town in Xuyong County, nestled between two towering peaks, completely blocking the narrow mountain pass. In ancient times, salt merchants traveling from Sichuan to Guizhou had to pass through here, and the stone-paved path and the grooves left by carrying poles at the foot of the pass can still be faintly seen today. Unlike other passes, it lacks intimidating city walls or majestic watchtowers. However, an archway nearly three meters high clearly signals to those who approach that this is a military stronghold.

Yang Shen, the top imperial scholar of Sichuan during the Ming Dynasty and a renowned poet, was exiled to Yongchang Wei in Yunnan and passed through the Xuyong Snow Mountain Pass multiple times. He left behind the verse: “At Snow Mountain Pass, the snow wind rises. In December, travelers cease. Fog forms thickets, ice becomes platforms. Horse fur shrinks, birds cry in sorrow. The general does not return; when will the western route reopen?” This poem sings of the majestic presence of the Snow Mountain Pass and the hardships of crossing it, and was naturally engraved on a stone tablet for posterity.

In January 1916, General Cai E raised the banner of the National Protection War and personally led the main forces of the Second and Third Corps of the National Protection Army northward to fight against Yuan Shikai. In early February, the army arrived at the Chishui River. General Cai E braved the heavy snow to cross the Snow Mountain Pass, and at its summit, he spontaneously composed a bold, resonant, and widely celebrated couplet: “This is the foremost mighty pass south of here; only heaven looms above, allowing brave soldiers to return and generals to cross by night. It stands as a thousand-year shield of Western Shu; when you ascend its peak in autumn, you see the Dianchi Lake moon shrink and the mountains of Guizhou hang low.” This couplet not only vividly depicts the majestic beauty of the landscape around the Snow Mountain Pass but also passionately extols the righteous and victorious National Protection Army, reflecting the general’s broad-mindedness and extraordinary courage.

The Snow Mountain Pass was built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, constructed with stonework, spanning approximately 35 meters from east to west. The ancient stone-paved paths of the pass, both uphill and down, bear the hoof prints of caravan horses and the deep grooves left by carrying poles—historical testimonies to the arduous efforts of mountain laborers who shouldered loads and trekked across the Snow Mountain Pass.

Protected area: 20 meters beyond the current perimeter wall.

Construction control zone: 200 meters beyond the protected area.

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Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units