The only city in Xinjiang named after the ancient pass, why is it the Iron Gate Pass?

　　Chinanews.com, Urumqi, February 2. Question: The only city in Xinjiang named after an ancient pass, why is it the Iron Gate Pass?

　　Author Shi Yujiang

　　There are Shanhaiguan in Hebei, Jiayuguan in Gansu, Yanmenguan in Shanxi, Friendship Pass in Guangxi, and Tiemenguan in Xinjiang... Tiemenguan City was established in December 2012. The name of the city comes from the ancient pass "Tiemenguan".

　　Tiemenguan City is the only city in Xinjiang named after the ancient pass "Tiemenguan".

As one of the twenty-six passes in ancient China, why did Tiemenguan become the city name of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps?

Iron Gate Pass.

Photo by Shi Yujiang

There is a trend of being in charge!

　　Tiemenguan is located in Huola Mountain, which belongs to the branch of Tianshan Mountain. It is a natural danger from Yanqi Basin to Tarim Basin. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

It is located in the foothills not far from Tiemenguan City and about 8 kilometers north of Korla City.

Xie Bin described it in "Xinjiang Travel Notes": "The two gorges are facing each other, the front line is connected, the road is leaning on dangerous rocks, and the side is facing a deep ditch... There is a tendency for a man to guard the gate!"

　　It is recorded in "Hanshu Geographical Records": Fifty miles west of Yaqi, passing through the Iron Gate Pass.

It is said that during the Han and Tang Dynasties, Tiemen Pass, Zhejue Pass, Queli Pass, and Saltwater Pass in Qiuci were collectively called the Four Great Passes.

During the heyday of Kucha, the area under its jurisdiction extended to Yanqi in the east.

　　Since Zhang Qian emptied the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty set up the Protectorate of the Western Regions in Wulei in the west of the area. The first Protector Zheng Ji, Banchao and his son in the Eastern Han Dynasty, generals of the Tang Dynasty, and Xuanzang went west to learn Buddhist scriptures. Leave footprints on this land.

On their way west along the Kongque River, the Tiemen Pass was a must pass.

Tiemenguan Scenic Area.

Photo by Shi Yujiang

　　Nowadays, it is often said that the Jin Dynasty set up a pass at Tiemen Pass, which is due to the record in "Book of Jin": because of the mountains and rivers, the situation is dangerous.

　　Recently, a reporter from Chinanews.com stopped here and scanned the canyon and hills. The ancient roads that appear and disappear from time to time can be vaguely found, as if they can hear the sound of camel bells in the desert.

　　Walking into it, you can look at the depths of the canyon. The twists and turns are deep, and the walls are like knives and axes.

On the hillside, there are remains of stationed soldiers.

On the hillside on one side of the gatehouse, there are ammunition holes left during the war.

　　The reporter noticed that the four official script characters of "Jinshan Daihe" on the stone cliff next to the pass are said to be inscribed by Zhan Shikui, commander of the Yanqi Cavalry Brigade of the Kuomintang, and Zhang Desheng, commander of the Korla Cavalry Battalion, when they fortified here in 1932.

On the rocky cliffs not far away, there are mostly excellent poems and calligraphy, which makes the mighty Bingguan a little more elegant.

　　Although the Iron Gate Guanloutai Guanmen in front of you is an antique building built in 1989, its majesty remains undiminished.

The Guanyi is located between the valleys of the two mountains, and the four characters "Silk Road Xiongguan" on the tower are heroic and heroic.

The Kongque River on the right side of the gate is surrounded by mountains and willows.

Second Division Tiemenguan City Revolutionary History Memorial Hall.

Photo by Shi Yujiang

The role of Iron Gate has changed with the times

　　Historically, the pass has always been branded with the imprint of defending the country and defending the border.

So is the Iron Gate.

　　In the history of Xinjiang, some foreign enemies who once coveted Xinjiang and ethnic scum who tried to split Xinjiang had their dreams shattered here.

In the late Qing Dynasty, Agubo relied on the forces of the Kokand Kingdom to invade southern Xinjiang and once occupied Urumqi.

When Zuo Zongtang led the Qing army to suppress the Qing army, Aguba retreated to Korla, trying to rely on the iron gate to block the Qing army. As a result, when the overwhelming Qing army approached the iron gate, Aguba committed suicide in Korla in despair.

　　With the change of history, the role of Tiemenguan has changed.

In the 1960s, people built a dam at Tiemenguan and built a hydropower station. A section of the ancient Silk Road, which used to be extremely dangerous, was submerged in clear water.

The river water passes through the mountain from the tunnel, drives several giant turbine generators, and transports electricity to various places, playing an important role in the local economy.

　　The rapid development of the transportation network in Xinjiang has caused Tiemenguan to lose its former importance. The "collected" Guanlou and the Hydropower Station Memorial Hall are in the valley for people to pay tribute to.

　　Although Tiemenguan has completed the mission entrusted by history, the enthusiasm of the tourists who come here remains undiminished.

The reporter noticed that the pavilions and pavilions in the canyon are well arranged, and its natural and cultural tourism landscape has become a local tourist attraction.

Today, in the antique urban buildings of Tiemenguan City, various functional areas are becoming more and more perfect.

Photo by Shi Yujiang

The name "Tiemenguan City" has multiple meanings

　　Not long ago, a heavy snow covered Tiemenguan City, a military-reclamation city, in silver.

In the cold weather, the undulating mountains not far away are covered with snow, which sets off the clean and peaceful city even more magnificently.

　　The reporter stood on the viewing platform of Xiongguan on the Silk Road and looked at the Jiangjun River winding in the city, dozens of bridges on the river and pavilions in the green belt, all of which were decorated with white snow, which looked extraordinarily charming.

　　"There are 9 pedestrian bridges, 8 highway bridges, and 5 island bridges on the Jiangjun River that passes through the city. Each bridge has a name, such as Shengli Bridge, Junken Bridge, Weimin East Bridge, Weimin West Bridge, San The 59th Brigade Bridge, Anding Bridge, Wuwa Bridge, etc." the person in charge of Tiemenguan City Management Service Center told the reporter.

　　There are military reclamation ballads engraved on the bridge: "Tarim enters and does not want to exit, and becomes an oasis like a pearl; Tarim enters and never exits, and the successor draws a grand plan." These ballads that were passed down in the mouths of military reclamation soldiers in the early years are now engraved on the bridge. .

The Jiangjun River passing through the city is named after the word "General" of General Wang Zhen.

Photo by Shi Yujiang

　　Tiemenguan City was established on the basis of Buwuwa Town, Regiment 29, Second Division, Xinjiang Corps.

The Xinjiang Corps, which shoulders the important mission of reclamation and guarding the border, named this newly built city "Tiemenguan City", which has multiple meanings: it not only inherits history and culture, but also guards the land of the border like ancient soldiers, in line with Xinjiang's economic development and strategy needs.

　　Over the past ten years since the establishment of the city, a "Tiemenguan City" with industry and agriculture advancing side by side and urban and rural construction advancing by leaps and bounds has been presented to the world.

Tiemenguan City coordinates the city area "one district and nine towns (Tiemenguan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Hepan Town, Gaoqiao Town, Tianhu Town, Boguqi Town, Shuangfeng Town, Kaize Town, Milan Town, Jinshan Town, South Tuen Town)" development.

　　At present, the city's built-up area has expanded to 5,179.44 square kilometers, and its economic aggregate accounts for about 47% of the total. The role of the engine of economic development has gradually become prominent.

　　Today, there are row upon row of new landmark buildings in Tiemenguan City.

In the antique urban buildings, the functional areas are becoming more and more perfect, and decision makers are combining historical and cultural elements to create regional cultural characteristics that combine ancient culture and modern culture.

　　Tiemenguan City is the first city in Xinjiang to be named after an ancient pass, allowing future generations to remember and remember history while highlighting the special attributes of the Xinjiang Corps.

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