Língbǎo

Lingbao lies south of the Yellow River on the route between the central plains and the passes leading west. Nearby stood the old Qin Hangu Pass, an ancient gateway through difficult country. Tradition tells that Laozi, travelling west, was persuaded by the pass official Yin Xi to set down the teachings of the Daodejing. The name Lingbao itself recalls a sacred talisman said to have been discovered here under the Tang. Later poets visiting the pass wrote of its broken walls and the river's protective bend.