Huagao Military Camp Ruins

Huagao Military Camp Ruins

The Huagao Military Camp Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ruins are located in Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. There are multiple military camp ruins and relics on site. In addition to the camp ruins, other military facility remains are preserved, such as training grounds, sentry posts, watchtowers, and terraced fields that may have been used for farming; two major camps are situated—one in a water-adjacent mountain hollow and the other on a mountain. The former offers greater mobility, while the latter is better suited for defense; the placement of all facilities was strategically adapted to the terrain. The camps are hidden among trees, making them difficult to spot from afar or nearby. The camps feature palisade walls, with a transitional area resembling a barbican just inside the main gate. The barracks are all low-rise, small in size, with double-sloped roofs, stone walls, and thatched roofs. Some barracks are connected by tunnels, and some buildings have hidden chambers—all features aligning with the survival strategies of the Southern Ming army in harsh environments. Zhang Cangshui’s military camps are spread widely across Huagao Island, with the Zhuji Mountain Camp and Gaotu’ao Camp—located respectively on the southern foothills and northwest base of Zhuji Mountain in the south of the island—being the largest and most representative. In May 2013, they were designated by the State Council as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Gaotang Island Township: Located at the southernmost tip of Xiangshan County, Gaotang Island Township borders Hepu Town to the east, faces Maotouyang to the south, looks out to the Sanmen Bay to the west, and connects to Shipu Port—the one of China’s six major central fishing harbors—to the north. It covers a land area of 58.8 square kilometers and consists of two islands: Gaotang and Huagao. The township administers 18 administrative villages and one residential community, with a total population of 20,000. It boasts 30,000 mu of shallow beaches and tidal flats, 20,000 mu of arable land (including 10,000 mu of citrus orchards). In 2005, the township’s total social output value was 715 million yuan, with agricultural output value at 466 million yuan (including 412 million yuan from fisheries) and industrial output value at 102 million yuan. Farmers and fishermen… More details about Gaotang Island Township++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units