First Pass Under Heaven

Location: Qinhuangdao

First Pass under Heaven, built in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is the east tower-- Zhendong Tower-- of Shanhaiguan Pass. It is the first pass of the Great Wall, and a significant strategic stronghold in Chinese history. Many ancient weapons and armors are still preserved here.

First Pass under Heaven has two parts. The first, rectangle city wall platform, rises 12 meters (39 feet) and extends east to west. Used as a boundary mark, the west part lies within central China while the east end extends to the exterior of the ancient state border. The south and the north sides of the platform are connected with the Great Wall.

The second part of the Pass is a two-story tower. The lower story has a gate in the center of the west side, while the upper story has a total of 68 arrow-shooting windows facing east, south and north. This part of the First Pass under Heaven, also called Arrow Tower, measures 66 feet long by 33 feet wide, and stands 43 feet high. With its strategic prominence, First Pass under Heaven is the symbol of architecture at the Shanhaiguan Pass.

The most impressive part of First Pass under Heaven is the huge, 20 feet by 5 feet plaque, hanging on the upper part of the west side of the tower. The five huge Chinese characters, "Tian Xia Di Yi Guan," mean, "First Pass under Heaven" with each character on the plaque measuring about 5 feet from top to bottom.

First Pass under Heaven is the place the emperor often went to inspect his military system in the past. Now, it is a wonderful attraction for visitors to appreciate the greatness of natural landscape and experience the safety that comes from the strong strategic fortress.