Golden Ox Gorge

　　During the fragrant spring tea season of the Jiashen Year, I once again visited the southern Shaanxi tea region for an interview. While in Ningqiang County, Zhang discovered the ruins of the Shu Gate along the ancient Tea-Horse Caravan Road, famous for the Jinlong Path (Golden Ox Path) carved during the Warring States period—thus confirming the glorious history of tea trade along the Qin-Shu Corridor. Ningqiang County has a long history of road construction, with the Shiniu Path (Stone Ox Path) being the most iconic. It earned its name from the legend of King of Qin’s campaign against Shu, where stone oxen defecated gold and five strong men opened the path. Since ancient times, it has served as a vital passage from the Central Plains to the southwest. Since the Yuan Dynasty, it has also been commonly referred to as the Southern Shu Stack or Southern Stack. Starting westward from Hanzhong across the Bao River, it enters mountainous terrain via Mian County, reaching Jindui Pu at the Ningqiang border. It then turns south through Da’an and Liejin Dam, crosses the Wuding Pass to reach Ningqiang County, before heading southwest through Lago Guan, Huangba Yi, and Qipan Pass into Sichuan and on to Chengdu—a total of about 600 kilometers. Within the county, the route spans 85 kilometers, mostly consisting of steep mountain paths. The *Yongda Record* describes the Wuding Gorge (also known as Golden Ox Gorge or Kuanchuan Gorge): “Layered clouds and cliffs rise hundreds of feet high, the path narrow and deep, barely wide enough for one person or one horse; rugged rocks and turbulent streams make it the most treacherous part of the Shu Road.” Another branch of the Jinlong Path starts west from Liejin Dam in the county, passing through Daijiaba, Yangping Pass, and Guangping River to Qingyanzi (Boundary Marker) at Jinshan Temple on the Sichuan border, then proceeds to Baishui (now Shazhou) and Zhonghua, where it joins the route from Ningqiang County. This path is relatively flat and was the main corridor between Qin and Shu before the Southern and Northern Dynasties.