Dajingmen Gate

大境门

A gate opened in the Great Wall during the Qing dynasty, with the bold inscription 'Great Beautiful Rivers and Mountains'. It marks the start of the Zhang-Ku Road and is a symbol of Zhangjiakou city.

Dajingmen is at the northern end of Zhangjiakou's urban area. It was built in the first year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing dynasty (1644). It is often grouped with Shanhaiguan, Juyongguan and Jiayuguan as one of the 'Four Great Passes of the Great Wall'. It is a gate rather than a pass, which is unusual on the Great Wall. The four characters on the plaque, 'Great Beautiful Rivers and Mountains', were written by Gao Weiyue, a commander of the Chahar region, in 1927. From the Qing dynasty through the Republic period, this was the starting point of the Zhang-Ku Road, the trade route to the Mongolian grasslands and to Kyakhta in Russia. Tea, silk and furs were gathered and traded here, which is why Zhangjiakou was called a 'dry port'. Outside the gate you can climb the western section of the Ming Great Wall, which rises and falls with the mountains, and the Laiyuan Fort. Inside is the Dajingmen historic and cultural district, with Shanxi merchants' guildhalls, time-honoured shops and snacks. It is lovely for an evening stroll when the lights come on. The Dajingmen Square is free to visit, while climbing the Great Wall and other activities are charged separately, so check locally.

Dajingmen Gate

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