The road to Shu is harder than ascending to the heavens!

The road to Shu is harder than ascending to the heavens! Reciting is hard, but escaping the ticket fee is harder! Most visitors enter through the North Gate of the scenic area, climbing the Ape Path (additional fee) and the Bird Trail (free with reservation) in sequence. Jianmen Pass lies between the Great Sword and Little Sword Mountains, with towering peaks on either side that stand like sharp blades reaching the sky, resembling a natural gate—hence the name "Jianmen" (Sword Gate). The first pass began taking shape during the Cretaceous period, sculpted by time into the world's rare city-wall-like gravel cliff and Danxia wonder. Amid the shifting tides of the Three Kingdoms era, Zhuge Liang, the Shu Han chancellor, recognized its strategic value and built a fortress here. It swiftly became a critical passage for northern expeditions and a formidable military stronghold. Many famous battles and historical events unfolded here. It was the only land route from Hanzhong into Shu, earning the titles "Shu's Northern Shield" and "Throat of the Two Chuan Regions." During the era of cold weapons, Jianmen Pass's peril deterred invaders—conquering it seemed as impossible as scaling the sky. In the Three Kingdoms period, Jiang Wei, with just 30,000 Shu troops, held off hundreds of thousands of Wei soldiers under General Zhong Hui, showcasing its impregnable terrain. We abandoned the reserved Bird Trail due to rain and one-way restrictions. The natural scenery is breathtaking: the 72 peaks of Great Sword Mountain pierce the clouds like colossal blades, shrouded in mist and ever-changing clouds, resembling an ink-wash painting.