Guanegou Tongtianmen

　　At the entrance to the Tuochang Tea-Horse Trade Market in Guanegou, two mountains face each other with steep cliffs towering on either side, forming a sheer cliff face thousands of feet high, resembling a “Heavenly Gate torn apart.” It is the vital passageway leading into Guanegou, locally known as Tongtianmen (Heaven-Connecting Gate). Legend has it that long ago, there was a Qiang man named Zhang Du who was exceptionally intelligent, well-read, and generous, and was thus respected as the tribal leader by the Qiang people. The Guanegou area was covered in dense forests, home to hundreds of rare and precious medicinal herbs, and also an excellent place for hunting. However, a mountain ridge blocked the area, isolating it from the outside world. For the Qiang people to enter the valley, they had to climb rocks and navigate around cliffs, often encountering dangers. As a result, Zhang Du meditated and sought enlightenment in a cave at this site. Day after day, he stood before the mountain peak, gazing at the cliffs and asking the heavens for the technique to connect with the sky. He did this every day until eventually, he moved the heavens. One day, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the sky turned pitch black. Suddenly, a deafening explosion was heard, and the mountain peak split in half, forming a natural stone gate. People rushed to see, only to find that Zhang Du had transformed into a huge rock standing in the gorge, known as the “Heaven-Asking Stone.” Zhang Du had ascended to immortality and became one of the Twelve Dragon Kings, guarding the life force of this land. To commemorate him, later generations named the cave “Zhangye Cave” and the gorge “Tongtianmen” (Heaven-Connecting Gate).