A Time Tunnel Through History: The Five Roads Parallel at Doushaguan and the Ancient Five-Chi Road

The "First Pass of Southern Yunnan"

1.Located in Yanjin: County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, Doushaguan (Bean Sand Pass) sits at the perilous transition zone between the Sichuan Basin and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Here, the Guanhe River cuts through the mountains to form a magnificent natural barrier, creating a "one man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot get through" scenario. This site consists of the Dousha Ancient Town and the legendary Five-Chi Road (Wuchidao). For over 2,000 years, it has served as a vital choke point on the Southern Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Horse Road, witnessing the flow of commerce, military expeditions, and cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the southwestern borderlands. The deep canyon, flowing river, and towering cliffs create a landscape that is both geographically formidable and historically profound.

A Living Museum of Transportation: Five Roads Parallel

One of the most unique and breathtaking spectacles at Doushaguan is the "Five Roads Parallel" (Wudao Bingxing). Standing at the viewing platform, visitors can witness a veritable "time tunnel" of Chinese transportation history laid out before their eyes. Within a narrow canyon space, five distinct transportation arteries from different eras run parallel to each other: the Qin Dynasty Five-Chi Road (built over 2,200 years ago), the ancient Guanhe Waterway, the Kunming-Chengdu Railway (built in the 20th century), the National Highway 213, and the modern G85 Expressway (completed in 2006). This rare convergence illustrates the evolution of human engineering and connectivity, from the hoof-beaten paths of antiquity to the high-speed infrastructure of the modern age.

The Ancient Five-Chi Road and Tang Stele

The Five-Chi Road was originally carved out of the cliffs around 240 B.C. during the Qin Dynasty, famously associated with the hydraulic engineer Li Bing. As its name suggests, the road is approximately five chi (about 1.5 meters) wide, just enough for a horse carriage. Walking on this stone-paved path, visitors can still see the deep "hoof prints" left by pack horses over millennia, a silent testament to the countless caravans that once tread here. Adjacent to the road lies the Tang Dynasty Yuan Zi Stele, a National Key Cultural Relic carved in 794 A.D. This stele documents the historic alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Nanzhao Kingdom, providing crucial physical evidence of the political relations in southwest China during that era.

The Mystery of the Bo Hanging Coffins

2.Across the Guanhe: River, on the sheer limestone cliffs, visitors can spot the mysterious Hanging Coffins of the Bo People. The Bo were an ancient ethnic group in southwestern China who practiced the unique custom of placing their dead in wooden coffins suspended high on cliff faces. How these heavy coffins were hoisted up the precipitous rock walls hundreds of meters above the river remains a subject of fascination and speculation. These silent wooden vessels add a layer of mystical anthropology to the scenic beauty of the canyon, prompting visitors to ponder the beliefs and vanishings of ancient civilizations.

Dousha Ancient Town

After exploring the historical sites, visitors can relax in the Dousha Ancient Town. Although damaged by an earthquake in 2006, the town has been restored to preserve its traditional Ming and Qing dynasty architectural style. It retains the charm of a border town where Sichuan and Yunnan cultures blend. The town offers a glimpse into the slow-paced life of the region and is the perfect place to taste local delicacies such as Yanjin Douhua (bean curd) and the savory Chicken Hotpot, offering a flavorful conclusion to a journey through time.