Hangu Pass

It is one of the earliest passes in China and also the birthplace of Classic of the Way and Virtue, the most famous book written by Laozi, the great thinker and philosopher of ancient China. The scenic spot enjoys global reputation because of its famous people, famous book and famous pass. It has a stele reads "the source of Taoism" written by the former chairman of Taoism Association.

The total area of the scenic spot is 16.9 square kilometers, constituted by Hangu pass and Taichu palace. Hangu pass was built in Spring and Autumn Period and is famous for its dangerous terrain, ranging from Yaoshan mountain in the east to Tongjin in the west. It has always been an important pass for soldiers since it was built.

Taichu palace is the place where Laozi wrote the famous book. The book is his masterpiece, containing his thoughts in various fields, such as the sky, the earth, human being, politics, economy, military, art, ethics and health cultivation. Since 1992, people hold annual commemorative activity for Laozi at Hangu pass, where many travelers at home and abroad would visit.

It has over 20 main scenic spots, including Guan building, Taichu palace, Dadao yard, Health Garden, Cangjing buiding, Zhanzi building, Jiming building, tablet groups, wax museum, etc. Two costume pieces named Laozi Welcoming Guests and Battle in Hangu Pass are performed every day in the park, so as to reconstruct the famous war and the image of Laozi for tourists.

Location: on the border of three provinces, in Lingbao city of Henan Province. About 75 kilometers from Sanmenxia city and 12 kilometers from Lingbao city.

Taichu Palace: As the birthplace of Laozi's masterpiece, Classic of the Way and Virtue, the palace was firstly built in Western Zhou, and later restored in Tang, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty. Facing south, it is a hip-roofed palace with two rooms constructed of wood and bricks. It has pottery ridges with two sculpted lions playing a ball in the middle and iron finial on the top. The side ridges were sculpted into quadrupeds made of yellow and green glaze. Inside the palace, there is a statue of Laozi writing his masterpiece with a guard called Yinxi and a cowboy named Xujia standing besides him.

Guan Building: Also called Phoenix Building. It is a three-story building with a height of 18.8 meters. It has double gates with the architectural style of Qin and Han Dynasty. It is the very place where the troops of five kingdoms were defeated by Qin kingdom in 241 B.C, and also a famous battlefield for the rebellion troops led by two officials in Tang Dynasty, An Lushan and Shi Siming, to fight against the governmental troops. The building was burned by Xiang Yu when he was fighting for power with Liu Bang. In 1992, it was reconstructed according to a brick statue unearthed in Qingyang Palace in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Now it is considered as a symbolic architecture in the scenic spot.

Dadaoyuan Palace: Covering 716 square meters, the flush gable roofed palace has eight rooms. It is the largest architecture that was built in imitation of the architecture in Qin and Han Dynasty in Henan Province. It shows the thought of three religions combination, focusing on the culture of Taoism. The whole balsam green architecture is magnificent and solemn, simple and elegant. Inside the palace, there are 1682 Buddhism lights and some statues of Taoism figures like Laozi, Confucius, Sakyamuni and the eight immortals.

Traffic Routes
Take No.1 bus at Lingbao railway station or the bus station and later transfer to No.8 bus

Opening time
7:30 am~18:30 pm in summer
8:00 am~18:00 pm in winter