Guānsuǒlǐng

Guānsuǒlǐng is a steep mountain pass on the old route between Guizhou and Yunnan. A local tradition associates its name with Guān Suǒ, a legendary follower of the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang. The Ming writer Wáng Shìxìng offered another explanation: travellers used ropes to pass the steep barriers on the ridge, and the name was later understood as that of a deity. The Ming established a defensive thousand-household post at the pass, reflecting its importance to movement through the southwest.