Gǒupíngguān

Gouping Pass lies in the mountains southwest of the Han River valley, on the approaches between southern Shaanxi and Sichuan. Its name entered the histories of the Ming dynasty's final wars. In 1640 the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong was defeated here by the Ming general Zuo Liangyu and withdrew toward Sichuan. Zuo pursued him to Mount Manao, where further fighting took place among the steep hills. The pass thus marked one stage in a campaign that ranged across the borders of Shaanxi, Sichuan and Huguang.