Xiapu Pass

Xiapu Pass

Xiapu Pass is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang.

Constructed in the Northern Song Dynasty, Xiapu Pass ranks among China’s four most renowned ancient passes, together with Jianmen Pass, Hangu Pass, and Yanmen Pass. It is listed as one of the first group of key cultural relic protection units in Zhejiang Province, part of the province’s classic red tourism circuits, and one of its eight major hiking routes. Situated at the junction of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi, the pass has historically been referred to as the “Lock of the Southeast” and the “Throat Leading into Fujian.”

Xiapu Pass is located on Xiapu Mountain within Bao’an Township, about 42 kilometers from the urban area. Historically known as Guquan Mountain or Quanling Mountain, Xiapu Mountain has an elevation of 1,413 meters at its highest peak and is a national-level forest park. The pass connects to high mountains on its eastern and western sides, with a narrow passage running from north to south. Today, four gateways remain, along with five kilometers of ancient stone-paved roads. There are two gates each to the northeast and southwest, all constructed from block stones. The first pass features attractions such as Luoma Bridge, Xiaoxiao Pavilion, poetry steles, a statue of Huang Chao, a stone inscription of *Chrysanthemum Poem* by Sha Menghai, the Southeast Lock Stele, Twin Treasure Trees, the Temple of Guan Yu, Tianyu Nunnery (a historical exhibition hall), Guanyin Pavilion, and Huanxia Pavilion. The second pass includes Sweet Spring, Xialing Pavilion, and the ruins of Shuxing Study. The third pass contains the ruins of an ancient watchtower, while the fourth pass features Fukou Pavilion.

Xiapu Pass is the main surviving section of the ancient Xiapu Road, a legendary ancient imperial highway that spanned Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and served as a vital route from the Central Plains into Fujian. This historic road gave rise to the unique civilization of Jiangshan, and its history is, in essence, a chronicle of development in the Jiangnan region.

The Xiapu Ancient Road was a strategic military route. For two thousand years, many significant military events unfolded here. The armies of Emperor Wu of Han once launched attacks on the Minyue Kingdom from this road. The rebel forces of Huang Chao “cut through mountains and opened a 700-li road straight to Jianzhou” via this route. Zheng Chenggong used the pass’s defensible terrain to block Qing troops from entering Fujian. Shi Dakai and Li Shixian led Taiping Rebellion forces in fierce battles against the Qing army here. During the Anti-Japanese War, Japanese forces were forced to retreat before the pass.

The Xiapu Ancient Road was also a crucial trade and travel route. Also known as the Jiangpu Post Road or the Zhejiang–Fujian Official Road, it was the only overland official route from Zhejiang into Fujian in ancient times, serving as a land transport hub for the Maritime Silk Road and a bustling commercial artery. Silk and ceramics produced in the Jiangnan region were often transported via this road to Guangzhou and Fujian’s seaports, and then shipped overseas. Local products from Fujian, as well as imported goods such as spices, ivory, and rhinoceros horn that passed through Fujian, were also distributed inland via this route.

The Xiapu Ancient Road is a path celebrated in classical poetry. The grand scenery of the ancient road and its imposing passes attracted numerous literati and poets throughout history. Figures such as Bai Juyi, Wang Anshi, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Lu You, and Xin Qiji all visited and left behind more than 2,000 poems and essays. In modern times, writers like Yu Dafu and photographer Lang Jingshan were also drawn to its fame.

The Xiapu Ancient Road is also known as the “Kūkai Route.” The eminent Japanese monk Kūkai traveled along this road from Fujian into Zhejiang during the 20th year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenyuan era (804 AD), then proceeded northward via the Qiantang River and the Grand Canal to eventually reach the capital. Before and after Kūkai, many other foreign travelers traversed the Xiapu Road, including the Westerner Heba during the Tang Dynasty’s Kaiyuan era, the famous Italian missionary Matteo Ricci in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, the Ryukyuan envoy Cheng Shun during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, and the British ambassador George Macartney in the Qianlong era.

Address: Rural Road 426, Jiangshan, Quzhou, Zhejiang Province

Phone: 0570-4881274

Transportation: From Quzhou South Station to Jiangshan, take a bus to Bao’an. First departure at 6:00 AM, last departure at 5:00 PM

Opening Hours: 8:00–17:00

Zhedao Town: The name “Zhedao” (Twenty-Eight Towns) originates from the fourth year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty (1070 AD). The town itself was established in 1931 and was designated as one of Zhejiang Province’s first provincial-level historic and cultural towns on September 15, 1991. Nestled among the Xiapu Mountain Range at the junction of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces, Zhedao Town lies in a small basin. Surrounded by peaks and lush mountains, with Xiao’gangling Reservoir to the south and the Zhedao Stream winding from north to south through the town, the scenery is exceptionally beautiful. National Highway 205 runs through the town into Fujian, making it a key settlement on the tri-provincial border. Since the late Tang Dynasty, when Huang Chao’s rebel forces “cut through 700 li of mountain to reach Jianzhou” and opened the Xiapu Ancient Road… More details about Zhedao Town++