Dusong Pass and Ancient Post Road

Dusong Pass and Ancient Post Road

Dusong Pass and Ancient Post Road are listed as Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.

Dusong Pass and Ancient Post Road are located on Dusong Ridge at the junction of Anji and Hangzhou, where the borders of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui meet.

Dusong Pass was an important mountain pass used by the Southern Song Dynasty capital of Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou) to defend against northern invaders. The Tongzhi edition of the Annals of Anji County · Historical Sites records: “Dusong Pass was built during the Jianyan era (1127–1130) of the Song Dynasty when military conflict arose. Stones were piled up to form a pass, named Dusong Pass.” “In the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign (1731), Magistrate Shen Mengxi built six barracks for soldiers at Dusong Pass. In the ninth year of the Xianfeng reign (1859), it was renovated upon the order of the governor, but destroyed in the eleventh year (1861).”

The Ancient Post Road was actually a key shortcut on the overland route from Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou) to Jiankang (present-day Nanjing). The surviving section stretches approximately 1,200 meters from Shuangxikou Guanshang Village in Shipu Town, Anji County, to Dusong Village in Baiyang Town, Yuhang District. The New Book of Tang · Treatise on Geography states: “In the second year of the Baoli era (826) of the Tang Dynasty, Yu Hang County Magistrate Yao built a raised path connecting to the northwest highway, over a hundred li in length, straight and wide, sparing travelers from the trouble of mountains and rivers.” The Yuanhe Counties and Districts Gazetteer records that the Hangzhou–Xuanzhou Post Road spanned 496 li from northern Hangzhou to Xuanzhou, with post stations established before the Ming Dynasty. Dusong Pass was one of the post stations during the Song and Yuan periods. The Guangxu edition of the Xiaofeng County Annals notes: “Dusong Pass is situated on Dusong Ridge. From Tianmu Mountain heading north, overlapping ridges and valleys stretch hundreds of li in a winding course, with Dusong Ridge standing prominently amid them. The mountain path is steep and narrow. To the southeast, it leads directly to Lin’an, while to the northwest it goes through Anji toward Guangde, marking the boundary where cavalry forces from Jiangsu and Zhejiang once clashed.”

The surviving section of Dusong Pass and the Ancient Post Road from Shuangxikou Guanshang Village in Shipu Town to Dusong Village in Baiyang Town, Yuhang District, retains much of the original charm and scenery of the ancient road, preserving its historical features remarkably well. It still serves as a village path today. In 2006, Dusong Pass and the Ancient Post Road, recognized as architectural relics from the Song to Qing dynasties, were included in the sixth batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites by the State Council.

Shuangxikou Village: Located at the eastern foot of Mount Mogan, 4 km south of the county seat, Shuangxikou Village in Shipu Town neighbors Phoenix Park to the east, Yuhang District of Hangzhou to the south, Longshan Forest Park to the west, and the county town to the north. The village currently has a population of 1,775, comprising 10 villager groups, two natural villages (Guanshang and Jiaogong), 450 households, and 66 Party members.

The village covers an area of 9 square kilometers, with mountain forest area totaling 13,700 mu, including 6,800 mu of provincial ecological public welfare forests and 6,900 mu of bamboo forests.

The area hosts the provincial key project “Phoenix Reservoir” and a national-level cultural... More details about Shuangxikou Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites