Ruins of Qin Du An

Ruins of Qin Du An

The ruins of Qin Du An is a cultural tourism attraction.

In front of the ruins of Qin Du An, nestled deep within the bamboo groves on the southern foothills of Dapeng Mountain, stands a granite stele inscribed with three bold characters: “Qin Du An.” These were handwritten by the former Japanese Prime Minister Hata Tsutomu, who claimed to be a descendant of Xu Fu.

The ruins of Qin Du An feature gentle terrain and a serene environment, surrounded by lush bamboo, hanging vines, dense shade, birdsong, floral fragrance, and murmuring streams — making it an ideal spot to rest and relax. Legend has it that during the Qin Dynasty, Xu Fu once set up camp here, ordering his men to chop firewood, build shelters, and dig a water pool. By the early Tang Dynasty, descendants of the Xu family built a temple called Dongdu An on this site as a memorial. Over time, the ancient temple fell into disrepair, leaving only the foundations of its halls and the remains of the water pool. The temple was named Qin Du An in honor of Xu Fu, a Qin-era figure. Though the exact history of the ancient temple has faded with time, remnants such as broken steps and stone foundations remain. Among them, a well-preserved stone water pool lies quietly, its surface mirror-like and water perennially flowing — as if whispering the distant tales of the past to later generations.

In ancient China, structures referred to as “an” (庵) generally denoted small thatched huts, indicating that the scale of Qin Du An was likely not very large. In this remote and tranquil mountain hollow, the presence of such a small hut anchoring the historical voyage across time reflects just how deeply rooted the ancient people’s reverence for history was. The name “Qin Du An,” filled with a sense of fantasy and romance, stands as a testament to history. Although the buildings have long been reduced to ruins, the three red characters on the dark green granite stele are like a genetic chain, allowing the over two-thousand-year history of cultural exchange between China and Japan to continue and flourish.