Dusong Pass

Dusong Pass

A mountain pass in the northwest of Lin’an, an ancient Chinese city (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). It is located on Dusong Ridge in southern Anji County, Zhejiang Province today. With high mountains and secluded valleys to the east and west, and a narrow gorge connecting north and south, it was a strategic chokepoint and an unconventional military route for ancient Lin’an to reach Jiankang (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) via Guangde. Perched atop Dusong Ridge, Dusong Pass is extremely steep and precipitous. Beside the pass there was originally…

Dusong Pass, a mountain pass in the northwest of Lin’an, an ancient Chinese city (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). Dusong Pass is located within the territory of Anji County, Zhejiang Province today, bordering Yuhang District of Hangzhou to the south and about 8 kilometers from Dibu Town, the county seat, to the north. Historically, Dusong Pass, along with Youling Pass and Baihang Pass in Yuhang, were collectively known as the “Three Dusong Passes,” serving as the main northern defenses of Lin’an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Holding Dusong Pass meant blocking northern military threats to Hangzhou, making it a strategic military stronghold in ancient times.

Dusong Pass is flanked by high mountains and secluded valleys to the east and west, and connected by a narrow gorge to the north and south, making it a strategic chokepoint and an unconventional military route for ancient Lin’an to reach Jiankang (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) via Guangde. During the Jianyan era (1127–1130) of the Southern Song Dynasty, to block the advance of Jin troops southward, a stone pass was built on Dusong Ridge. Five kilometers south of the pass, to the left lies Baihang Pass (on Baihang Ridge), and to the right lies Youling Pass (on Youling Ridge), together known as the Three Dusong Passes (see color illustration). From the southeast of Dusong Pass to Xikou stretches a valley path 20 kilometers long. Xikou guards the entrance of the valley passage and is considered the key route of the Three Passes. In the first year of the De period (1275), Yuan troops marched from Jiankang through Guangde, breached Dusong Pass, and advanced directly to Lin’an, leading to the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279. In the 12th year of the Zhizheng era (1352) of the Yuan Dynasty, Red Turban rebel forces occupied Dusong and Anji. Yuan troops advanced northward from Shuangxikou, breached the Three Dusong Passes, and defeated the rebels. In the 10th year of the Xianfeng era (1860) of the Qing Dynasty, Qing troops attacked Tianjing (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Taiping Rebellion general Li Xiucheng took a shortcut through Dusong from Hangzhou, swiftly advancing north to join other Taiping forces in decisively defeating the Qing army and lifting the siege of Tianjing. Today, Dusong Pass has lost much of its former strategic steepness.

The terrain around Dusong Pass is rugged, with towering Dusong Ridge behind it, covered in lush pines and bamboos. Two mountain ridges extending forward from Dusong Ridge resemble the arms of giants, embracing the pass. The pass wall is entirely built from large stones. According to the Annals of Anji County compiled during the Qing Dynasty, the wall originally had arrow towers, and there were six barracks inside the pass. The wall is about 60 meters long and 10 meters thick. It spans the rapid-flowing Dusong Stream and connects the two towering mountain ridges on either side. Along the right side of the stream is a steep, narrow path leading directly to the gate. The gate is cave-like, 10 meters deep, about three meters high, and less than a meter wide—only wide enough for one person to pass through. At the center of the cave’s ceiling is a two-meter-long, one-meter-wide skylight. This skylight is quite ingenious: it allows light into the cave during normal times, but during battle, if enemies enter the cave, defenders can attack them from above, leaving no place for the enemies to hide, creating a true “one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot get through” scenario.

Southeast of Anji, at the border with Yuhang, there is a place called Guanshang. The ancient Xuancheng-Hangzhou Road passes through Anji’s Dibu Town heading north from here, entering Huizhou from Xuancheng. This place is named Guanshang, and naturally, it has its own gate. The checkpoint established here during the Jianyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty was called Dusong Pass. Legend has it that there used to be a solitary pine tree in front of the gate, but after several cycles of rise and decline, it no longer exists, leaving only a stone tablet for cultural relic protection from our era. This area is relatively quiet, seemingly without many visitors coming to explore the ancient site. Currently, only the city gate remains, while the surrounding walls have been demolished during road construction. The pass is nestled among several residential houses, and the military-purpose troop-hidden caves that once existed here have now vanished, replaced by a bamboo storage area. Walking through the gate, the entrance resembles a short tunnel—the gate is cave-like, 10 meters deep, about three meters high, and less than a meter wide, only allowing one person through. In the middle of the gate, there is a square hole in the ceiling, which presumably served two purposes: first, to let in light during normal times, and second, to function as a killing zone in military defense, allowing defenders to attack enemies from above once they entered the gate, leaving them nowhere to hide. Time has changed everything, and after the rise and fall of dynasties, the site is now in ruins. Originally, along this route, there were also other passes such as Youling Pass and Qianqiu Pass.

Location of the Scenic Spot

Dibu Town, Anji County, Zhejiang Province