The Lazikou Pass () is a narrow mountain pass in the Min Mountain Range, Têwo County,

Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Gānnán Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (; ) is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China, bordering Linxia to the north, Dingxi to the northeast, Longnan to the east and Aba (Sichuan province) to the south . It includes Xiahe a ...

, southern Gansu, Northwestern part of China. The pass forms a gateway between northwestern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

( Aba) and southern Gansu. It is of historical significance due to its strategic importance in the final phase of the

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...

. During the Long March, the Lazikou Pass was the last major obstacle for the forces led by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

(i.e. Red Army of China) to reach northern Gansu after their crossing of the Zoigê Marsh. The pass had been fortified with blockhouses by

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

forces and was taken by mountaineers led by

Yang Chengwu Yang Chengwu (; October 27, 1914 – February 14, 2004), alias Yang Nengjun () was a Communist Chinese revolutionary and general of the People's Liberation Army. He was the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army from 1954 ...

on September 16, 1935.Tony Jaques: Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007
/ref> In 2014, the 3,735 m long Lazikou Tunnel was completed, which bypasses the mountain pass.

References

Mountain passes of China Military operations of the Chinese Civil War Landforms of Gansu {{PRChina-geo-stub