Six kilometers north of Shanhaiguan Pass, Sandaoguan Pass is located in a ravine with steep cliffs on both sides. The mountain on the west is 398 meters above sea level while the one on the east is 292 meters. With an incline of 70 degrees at the steepest, the Great Wall at this section seems to be hanging down from the sky, known as " Changcheng Daogua ". Standing on the wall at the peak of the mountain on the east, one beholds a view of " floating clouds rising around and lively birds flying below "

    This section of the Great Wall has three branches. The first one, with a narrow opening, guards the entrance of the ravine while the second, midway on the ravine, forms part of the main line of the Great Wall. There used to bea watch tower on the second branch, the fourteenth tower on the original Sandaoguan Pass. There was an opening at the base and a building above. The third one, also with a narrow opening, is at the upper part of the ravine. Because of the three lines of walls, the place is named Sandaoguan ( a pass with three lines of walls ).

    The Sandaoguan Village in the sunken part of the mountain is where the gate tower of Sandaoguan lies. To the northeast one can reach Si’eryu where the Shanhailu Great Wall ends and where Yipianshiguan Great Wall of the Shimenlu starts. In the west of the village is Xuanyang Cave. It houses the tablet inscribed with " The Poem on Xuanyang Cave " in the thirtieth year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty ( 1602 ) by Zhu Hongfan, the general guarding the Shanhailu Great Wall. In the valley, there are inscriptions on the cliffs saying Fengluan diezhang, (piling peaks and ridges ), "Bai er shanhe" (grand mountains and rivers ). In 1985, with " Shenyi ( miracle-working doctor ) Grotto " and " Forest of Steles carved with the character Shou ( long life ) " newly set up, the area was established as Changshoushan tourist site by the municipal government of Qinhuangdao. It’s a perfect combination of humanistic landscape and natural scenery.

    Lovers of adventures may take the way into the valley in the north, called Duanmuchong, where the sites ofHouTemple, TuanyuanTemple and NuanQuan Spring relics are. There are also stones of various shapes. Blocked by Yansai Lake, the place is unfrequented. When one is there, one feels aloof from worldly affairs. As the traveler goes further westwards till he gets out of the mountain and reaches Baita Village, he can have a look at the site of Baita Temple. In Shahezhai Village, there are stones resembling the trunk of an elephant, Cave of Spirits and the old house that was once Zhang Xueliang’s headquarter during the War of Zhifeng. In the house, there used to be a wooden board inscribed " Half pond of autumn water and a house in the mountain ", which the young general presented to the landlord. The characters, to our pity, were scraped off during the Cultural Revolution. In Qianshuiying Village, travelers will find ginkgo trees that have been growing for more than a thousand years. Thejourney through the deserted valley takes a whole day, and it’s best if travelers have a guide with them since it’s easy to get lost and dangers may occur on the Way.