First Pass under Heaven

Admission Fee: CNY 50
Opening Hours:
08:30 - 20:00 (summer and autumn);
08:30 - 18:00 (spring and winter)
Best Visiting Time: April to October
Location: The First Pass under Heaven is located in the east of Shanghaiguan.

Constructed in 1381 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the First Pass under Heaven is the eastern gate tower of Shanhaiguan, the easternmost pass of the Great Wall of China. Also named Zhendong Tower, it is the landmark building of Shanhaiguan. As the eastern gate of the Shanhaiguan, the tower was the crucial point connecting northern China with the Northeast.

The tower was built as a defense tower with arrowslits for observing the enemy and enabling archers to shoot their arrows. Standing on a 12-meter high (39.4 feet) base, the two storey tower is 13 meters high (42.7 feet), 10.1 meters (11 yards) wide from east to west, and 19.7 meters (21.5 yards) long from north to south. The tower was built of bricks and wood, and its overhanging eaves are decorated with delicate stone carvings of mythological beasts.

The tower is also famous for the white wooden tablet inscribed with five black Chinese characters of Tian Xia Di Yi Guan (the First Pass under Heaven). There are three tablets on the tower: one is inside the first storey, the second one is inside the second storey, and the third one hangs outside the second storey. The one inside the first storey is the original tablet inscribed when the tower was constructed in the Ming Dynasty, while the other two are copies. It is said that the five characters on the original tablet were written by a local calligrapher named Xiao Xian. Before Xiao Xian drew the five characters, he spent the first 30 days appreciating famous writing and painting works to design the structure of the five characters, the next 30 days reading poems to build a broader mind, and the third 30 days practicing Chinese Kung Fu to strengthen his arm. As a result, each one of the five characters we see today is 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) high, forceful and very vigorous.

 Transportation:
a. Bus No. 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 33 and get off at the First Pass (Tian Xia Di Yi Guan) stop, Shanhaiguan stop or Shanhaiguan Second Middle School (Shanhaiguan Erzhong) stop;
b. There are also buses traveling between Shanhaiguan and Beidaihe River.

 Tour Tips: 
1. When standing on the second floor of the tower, you can see the full view of the pass and the plains nearby. In the distant north, the Jiaoshan Great Wall resembles a huge dragon.
2. As well as Zhendong Tower, there is also Weiyuan Hall, Jingbian Tower, Muying Tower, and Linlü Tower in the scenic area. The Great Wall Museum under Zhendong Tower exhibits many precious archaeological documents, photos, cultural relics, and models.

 Recommended Tour Route:
Entrance → Wencheng → the First Pass Square → the First Pass Tower → Muying Tower → Jingbian Tower → Great Wall Museum → Exit

 More Attractions:     Laolongtou       Temple of Meng Jiangnü