Jinshanwei Town

Jinshanwei Town

Jinshanwei Town is located on the beautiful northern shore of Hangzhou Bay in the southwest of Shanghai, in the southern part of Jinshan District. It borders Shanyang Town to the east, Pinghu City in Zhejiang Province to the west, Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited to the south, and Zhangyan and Langxia Towns to the north. It spans 10.81 kilometers from east to west and 9.88 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 54.93 square kilometers.

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty and created the Wei-Suo military system. Given the strategic importance of the coastal area of Jinshan, in the 17th year of the Hongwu reign, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xinguo Duke Tang He and Anqing Marquis Qiu Cheng, accompanied by Fang Mingqian, to inspect the Zhejiang coastline to find a suitable location for building a fortress. After preparations, in the 19th year of Hongwu (1386 AD), a city was constructed and a Wei garrison was established at Xiaoguanzhen, a salt industry hub by the sea. As it faced the Golden Mountain (Jinshan) in the sea, it was named Jinshan Wei. The former Xiaoguanzhen was referred to as Weicheng (Fortress City). Initially built as an earthen fortification, the walls of Jinshan Wei were later rebuilt with bricks in the 15th year of the Yongle reign (1417 AD). In addition to the moon-town gate tower, there were four main gate towers, two water-gate towers, four corner towers, and 48 arrow towers. By the 3rd year of the Chenghua reign (1467 AD), the structure was further reinforced with stone, making it even more solid than most prefectural or county city walls. It was once praised as the “First Fortress under Stone City (Nanjing).” At that time, there were 36 Wei nationwide, and Jinshan Wei, along with Weihai Wei, Tianjin Wei, and Zhenhai Wei, was ranked among the Four Famous Weis.

When Jinshan Wei City was established, administrative offices such as the Wei headquarters, the Du Zhihuifu Mansion, and the Qianhusuo were set up within the city. A military training ground and hall were built outside the eastern gate. During the Zhengtong era, a command headquarters and inspection office were also constructed. To guard against pirate attacks, the four city gate towers—Zhan Yang, Ning Xia, Zhen Hai, and Gong Bei—were manned day and night by gate officials leading troops. Forty patrol ships were stationed along the coast, creating an impregnable defense akin to “one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to break through.” During the Ming Dynasty, the jurisdiction of Jinshan Wei City spanned 310 li from east to west and 125 li from north to south. Its southwestern border started at the Zhapu Qianhusuo of Haicheng Wei, while the northeastern edge reached the Wusong Qianhusuo of Taicang Wei. It stretched south to the sea and north to Songjiang Prefecture, comprising seven Qianhusuo, each commanding ten Bahuosuo, with a total military force of 13,357 soldiers (recorded in the Zhengde-era “Jinshan Wei Annals”). The town had a dense network of streets and alleys and a large population. Five population censuses conducted over 32 years from the 19th year of the Chenghua reign to the 10th year of the Zhengde reign showed an average annual population of around ten thousand. This shows that Jinshan Wei City was already a significant military stronghold and a thriving hub during that period.

Transportation

Take Metro Line 1 to Lianhua Road Station, then transfer to the Lianwei Special Line bus directly to Jinshanwei Town. The journey takes a little over an hour.

Self-driving Route: Xinzhuang — S4 Shanghai–Jinshan Expressway (exit at Shanyang) — Tingwei Highway — Jinshan Avenue — Xuefu Road — Jinshanwei Town; or Xinzhuang — S4 Shanghai–Jinshan Expressway — G15 Shenhai Expressway (exit at Jinshanwei) — Songwei South Road — Jinshan Avenue — Xuefu Road — Jinshanwei Town.

Scenic Spot Location

Near No. 329, Lao Weiqing Road, Lao Weiqing Road, Jinshan District, Shanghai

Jinshanwei Town: Located on the beautiful northern shore of Hangzhou Bay in the southwest of Shanghai, the town covers a total area of 55 square kilometers. With flat terrain and a population of 49,000, it administers 17 administrative villages and 2 residential committees. Jinshanwei Town enjoys well-developed transportation. The Jinshan branch line of the Shanghai–Hangzhou Railway runs east-west, while the Xin-Feng-Jin Expressway connects to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. National Highway 5120 (Tongsan) and the Shanghai–Hangzhou Highway duplicate route traverse the central area. Two dedicated seaports have been built, and with the ongoing expansion of Shanghai’s Jinshanwei Second Industrial Zone and the planned completion of the nearby Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge, the transportation network continues to improve… More details about Jinshanwei Town++