Jianmen Pass, Mountain pass in Guangyuan, China

Jianmen Pass is a mountain pass in Jiange County, Guangyuan, Sichuan, where cliffs on both sides of Dajian Mountain form a natural gap. The gate stands on the mountain's middle section, and National Highway 108 now tunnels past the pass to the west.

The site was established during the Three Kingdoms period when military strategist Zhuge Liang ordered the construction of fortifications to protect the Shu Kingdom. These early works laid the foundation for the pass's lasting importance as a defensive point.

The name Jianmen, "Sword Gate", comes from the pass's shape: two cliff walls facing each other like an open gate blade. The pass is counted among China's four great ancient gates, alongside Yanmen, Hangu and Xianxia. Li Bai's poem "Shu Dao Nan" describes it with the line "one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot open it".

The area offers well-maintained walking paths of varying difficulty that connect the steep cliffs and historical sites throughout the pass. Wearing comfortable shoes and allowing enough time to explore the different areas at your own pace is recommended.

The pass sits on the old Shu Road, the gallery-road network Zhuge Liang repaired before ordering the gate built. In 1932 a road project demolished the Ming-dynasty gate, leaving only its foundation; the structure seen today was raised in 2009 after fire and earthquake damage. National Highway 108 now crosses by tunnel west of the gate.