The Jiayuguan Pass also know as "First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven".

Legend of the "Jiayuguan Pass" ...

Twitter of the Swallow:

Once, there was a pair of swallows nesting within the walls of the Rouyuan Gate on the Jiayuguan Pass. One morning, the swallows flew out of the Pass looking for food. In the evening, the female swallow returned and waited for her partner. However when the male swallow reached the gate, he found it was closed and he could not return to the nest. Letting out a sorrowful sound, he struck himself against the wall and died. Overwhelmed with sorrow by the death of her husband, the female swallow twittered and twittered and finally died of sadness.

Although she was dead, her soul remained there near the wall. Whenever people knocked on the wall with a stone, the twitter of a swallow would be heard.

In ancient China, people associated this sound of the twitter as a sign of good fortune. As the Chinese warriors set off for battles ... their wives would knock on the wall with a stone and pray for their safe return.

Legends of the Great Wall of China: [link]

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