Yanmen fortress, or the Wild Goose Fortress, is an essential part of the defense of the Great Wall of China. It was formerly called the Xijing Fortress. There is a story of why the name was changed as recorded here.

There was a monk who was then travelling around the world to help himself in his studies of Buddhism. He came by the fortress one day and felt quite hungry. Nobody lived around the place and therefore, he could not get any food from the local people. Some wild geese were flying pass him in the sky. He looked up and saw not only the geese but also the meat. He was lured. However, it is a big offense to kill a living creature and consume the meat for a monk. The idea simply flashed past his mind and he apparently did not take much notice of it. Unfortunately, one of the wild geese knew this and sacrificed himself for the monk. He dropped to the ground right in front of the monk and died on the spot. The monk was amazed. When he realized that the wild goose had taken his own life to satisfy his hunger, he was touched. He could not eat the goose, not only because of the seriousness of the offence and his determination of following the Buddha instead of giving up half way, but also because of his respect to the goose for self-sacrifice. He buried the goose and built a small pagoda beside the grave.

Reason of Building the Wall Meng Jiangnu Ten Brothers Special Custom

Yang Generals Wu Sangui Xifeng Ko Yanmen Fortress Wangxiao Temple