Iron Gate Pass Scenic Area

Iron Gate Pass Scenic Area

The Iron Gate Pass Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Iron Gate Pass is located 8 kilometers north of Korla City, at the exit of a steep gorge on the upper reaches of the Peacock River. It was once a strategic mountain pass connecting northern and southern Xinjiang, serving as the throat of the central route of the ancient Silk Road. Established during the Jin Dynasty, it earned the name "Iron Gate Pass" due to its impregnable terrain and is ranked among China’s Twenty-Four Famous Historical Passes.

Xie Bin’s *Travel Notes on Xinjiang* describes it as “two mountains standing opposite each other with a narrow passage in between, the road clinging to jagged rocks and flanked by a deep ravine, with torrential waters raging below.”

Iron Gate Pass was once a strategic mountain pass connecting northern and southern Xinjiang, serving as the throat of the central route of the ancient Silk Road. It linked the south to Yanqi and the north to Cheshi, with post stations situated in the valley between the two mountains, right next to the fast-flowing Peacock River. Established during the Jin Dynasty, it earned the name "Iron Gate Pass" due to its impregnable terrain and is ranked among China’s Twenty-Four Famous Historical Passes.

The *Commentary on the Water Classic* refers to the gorge where Iron Gate Pass is located as "Iron Gate Pass," later known as "Zheliu Valley." Since ancient times, it has been a fiercely contested military stronghold, with four large clerical-script characters—“襟山带河” (literally “embracing mountains and rivers”)—carved into the cliffs nearby. Ancient military garrison ruins can still be found on the mountainside. During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian passed through Iron Gate Pass on his mission to the Western Regions, and Ban Chao once watered his horses in the Peacock River, which is why it is also called the “Horse-Watering River.” Tang Dynasty frontier poet Cen Shen wrote a poem after visiting Iron Gate Pass: “The Iron Pass lies at the western edge of the sky, with few travelers in sight. Beside the pass stands a lone official, facing the stone cliff all day long. A bridge spans a thousand-foot cliff, and the road winds narrowly between two cliffs. Climb to the western tower and look out—if you dare, your hair will turn white.”

The current Iron Gate Pass gate tower is a newly built antique brick-and-wood structure. On the mountainside beside the tower are ammunition caves left from the Agubai period in Xinjiang’s history. Beyond the gate tower lies a hydroelectric power station built on the Peacock River by later generations, along with recreational facilities such as water yachts.

Address: 8 kilometers north of Korla City, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture

Type: River boat tour

Recommended visit duration: 3–4 hours

Phone: 0996-2123736

Opening hours:

8:00-20:00

Address: Tiemen Pass Road, Korla City

Phone: 0906-2122547