Beyik Pass

The Beyik Pass, also written and Payik Pass and Bayik Pass,[1] is a mountain pass in the Sarikol Range between Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan and the Taghdumbash Pamir region of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in Xinjiang, China. It is situated at an elevation of 4,742 metres (15,558 ft).[2] There is an ethnic Kyrgyz village on the Chinese side with the same name (Chinese: 排依克村),[3] though the village is more commonly referred to by a different name in Chinese (Chinese: 阿特加依里村) and Beyik is reserved for the border guard outpost.[4]

Beyik Pass
Location in Tajikistan Show map of China Beyik Pass (Tajikistan) Show map of Tajikistan
Elevation	4,742 m (15,558 ft)
Location	China–Tajikistan border
Range	Pamir Mountains
Coordinates	37.3°N 75°E / 37.3; 75

Beyik Pass
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	排依克山口
Simplified Chinese	排依克山口
Literal meaning	Payik Pass
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin páiyīkè shānkǒu
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	别伊克山口
Simplified Chinese	别伊克山口
Literal meaning	Beyik Pass
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin biéyīkè shānkǒu
Tajik name
Tajik	Ағбаи Беик

History

Map including Beyik Pass (labeled as PIEH-K'O SHAN-K'OU (BEIK PASS)) (AMS, 1966)

Some Chinese historians argue that Xuanzang, the Chinese Buddhist whose pilgrimage to India inspired the novel Journey to the West, used this path on his way to India.[5]

That path is in the historic region of Badakhshan. In the 1890s, the Chinese, Russian, and Afghan governments signed a series of agreements that divided Badakhshan, but China contested the result of the division. The dispute was eventually settled in 2002 when Tajikistan and China signed a border agreement.[6][2]

The path is difficult to traverse all year round. It is snow covered during the winter months. The snow persists until May. During the summer months, the melting causes the streams to overflow.[7] The entire Chalachigu Valley on the Chinese side is closed to visitors; however, local residents and herders from the area are permitted to access.[8]

See also

• China–Tajikistan border

References

1. Stein, M. Aurel (1907). Ancient Khotan: Detailed Report of Archaeological Explorations in Chinese Turkestan. vol. 1. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press. p. 31. the Payik or Bayik Pass is the most frequent and easiest
2. 中华人民共和国和塔吉克斯坦共和国关于中塔国界的补充协定  [China-Tajikistan Border Agreement] (in Chinese). 2002-05-17 – via Wikisource. 原苏联地图为4742.0米别伊克山口
3. 杨雪梅 (2016-09-09). "穿越瓦罕走廊（且行且思）" [Through the Wakhan Corridor]. people.gov.cn (in Chinese). People's Daily. Archived from the original on 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05. 这里是瓦罕走廊第一村——排依克村
4. 赵戈 (2016-06-13). "瓦罕走廊转场日记". xj.xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05. 瓦罕走廊中国境内唯一的村庄--阿特加依里村
5. 于淑娟 (2014-12-24). "访谈︱侯杨方：追寻玄奘，在帕米尔复原丝绸之路". The Paper (thepaper.cn) (in Chinese). Retrieved 2017-02-02. 玄奘从这里东南行经过排依克山口到达羯盘陀国...他经过的这个山口就是符合以上这些条件的唯一路径
6. "China's Territorial and Boundary Affairs". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China. 2003-06-30. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
7. 柯文浩 (June 2013). "穿越帕米尔：复原玄奘之路" [Crossing the Pamir: Recovering the Path of Xuanzang]. Fudan University School of Management Journal. Fudan University. p. 103. Retrieved 2017-02-04. 该山口海拔 4500米，时近 5月仍积雪覆盖，冰河封冻，且冰河穿过狭谷，夏季此处将被高涨的河水没过，不利行走。
8. "记者组在瓦罕走廊感受中国边防". china.huanqiu.com (in Chinese). Global Times. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2017-02-04. 由于瓦罕走廊没有开放旅游，普通游客走到这里便无法继续前行。...据他介绍，该派出所海拔3900米，辖区内户籍75户，约300人，到七八月夏季牧场开放时，山下牧民会到高海拔地区放牧，走廊人口将达到1800人左右。