Tánxiān Stone City

Tánxiān Stone City

Tánxiān Stone City is located on Tánxiān Ridge in the western part of Nanbeihu Scenic Area, at an elevation of 96.7 meters. It sits at the border between Haiyan and Haining counties and was historically a key route from ancient Haiyan County to the provincial capital, Hangzhou.

Tánxiān Stone City features a strategically vital terrain, flanked by mountains on both sides — Nanmushan to the south and Beimushan to the north, with the hills of Huangwan in Haining to the west and a valley stretching three li to the east. There is only a rugged path leading in and out. Viewed from afar by Nanbeihu Lake, it presents a formidable sight that evokes the image of “one man guarding the pass makes ten thousand unable to get through,” earning Tánxiān Ridge the reputation of being the “Badaling of the South.”

The name of Tánxiān Ridge is related to Tán Qiào (in classical Chinese, 谈 and 谭 were interchangeable). According to the Song Dynasty’s Gan Shui Zhi (Record of Gan Shui), there was a Temple of Tánxiān on the ridge. It is said to be the place where Tán Qiào, a Taoist from the Southern Tang Dynasty, practiced alchemy and attained immortality. To this day, relics such as the Immortal’s Footprint, Stone Bathtub, and Alchemy Well remain.

Tánxiān Ridge has historically been an important mountain pass and a strategic location contested by armies throughout the dynasties.

As a result, numerous legendary tales of heroic resistance have been passed down. During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates frequently raided and harassed local residents. The Qi Family Army ambushed the pirates in the areas around Yingkēo Summit and Tánxiān Ridge, engaging them in close combat and killing thousands of the invaders. To this day, local folklore still recounts the brave deeds of the Qi Family Army in fighting off the pirates.

In the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, the pirates once again pillaged and slaughtered. Governor Liu Yunke was ordered to construct a stone fortress at the strategic Tánxiān Ridge, which was named Tánxiān Stone City. It gradually fell into disuse by the end of the Qing Dynasty.

In 1989, the Haiyan County People’s Government allocated funds for its restoration, a project that took four years. The structure retained its original design, measuring 72.4 meters in length from north to south, 41.3 meters in width from east to west, and 5.7 meters in height. A tower was built atop the wall, and inside the city stands a statue of General Xú Xíngjiàn and a general’s platform. The hollow walls could house soldiers. In the first half of 2000, this “Smallest Stone City in the World” was measured and certified by experts from various fields, confirming that Tánxiān Stone City is currently the smallest stone fortress in China. It was listed in the Shanghai Great World Guinness records and was designated as a Jiaxing Municipal National Defense Education Base in the same year.