Hangwu Mountain

Hangwu Mountain

Hangwu Mountain, a renowned peak in eastern Xiaoshan, earned its name because ancient vessels on the Qiantang River used it as a navigational beacon. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States eras, this region was a military harbor for King Goujian of Yue. Historical texts note that he assigned an officer and deployed seventy troops to guard the area. During the Wu-Yue Kingdom of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, King Qian Liu once walked the mountain trails for an inspection, hence Hangwu Mountain is also called King’s Step Mountain. Throughout the Tang and Song dynasties, military forces were continually stationed here. Between 1553 and 1555 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era, garrison commander Tang Kekuan and regional official Hu Zongxian achieved a major victory against invading Japanese pirates here, marking a significant chapter in Eastern Zhejiang’s anti-piracy history.

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn period, King Goujian of Yue visited this mountain. Impressed by its majestic and continuous ridges, he wished that if the mountain had one hundred peaks, he would establish his capital there to continue the hegemony of the Yue Kingdom. But after counting, he found only ninety-nine peaks—the one beneath his feet had been forgotten. Believing it was the will of heaven, he abandoned the idea of making it his capital and left with regret.

Yuan Dynasty poet Sadula composed four poems during his visit to Hangwu Mountain, including one titled *Hangwu Mountain (Five-Character Regulated Verse)*: “I brush my sleeves and climb to the summit, where stone steps are stained with moss patterns. Bird paths hang from emerald cliffs, and dragon pools soak in white clouds. In deep woods, monkeys cradle their young; in warm blooms, deer gather in herds. I love even more to stay overnight in the meditation room, where the sound of springs is heard throughout the night.”

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, as the main channel of the Qiantang River shifted northward, the river gradually moved to the north of Zheshan (located in present-day Nanyang Subdistrict, Xiaoshan District). By the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, the silt flats between Kan and Zhe had largely merged into solid land. In the 18th year of the Jiaqing reign (1813), the imperial court officially decreed that Zhe Mountain, Xicang, and Jinglei townships—formerly under the jurisdiction of Haining—be placed under the administration of Xiaoshan. Since then, Hangwu Mountain, which had for generations endured the relentless tides day and night, became a prominent mountain standing afar from the river’s roar, towering over the vast Xiaoshao Plain.

Hangwu Mountain “twists and turns, resembling its form, stretching eastward in a meandering embrace.” The bamboo trails of Hangwu Park on the mountain’s eastern foothills lead through secluded groves, lush woods, vibrant flowers, and murmuring streams. Strolling here feels like entering a natural oxygen bar, refreshing the mind and spirit. Within the park stands a memorial stele dedicated to Ren Bonian, one of the key figures of China’s modern “Shanghai School” of painting, symbolizing the profound cultural heritage of the master’s hometown.

Guashe Town: In accordance with the *Reply of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province Regarding the Adjustment of Certain Administrative Divisions in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City* (Zhe Zheng Han [2013] No. 123) and the relevant regulations on administrative division adjustments, the following approval is hereby issued:

Approval is granted to revoke the administrative structures of Guashe Town, Kanshan Town, and Dangshan Town, and to merge them into a new Guashe Town. The new town governs 11 communities and 63 administrative villages, with the town government located at No. 220 Hangwu Road.

A town under the jurisdiction of Xiaoshan City. Established as Guashe Town in 1951, it was incorporated into Hongqi Commune in 1958, reinstated as Guashe Town in 1961, and in 1992 merged with Dayuan, Zhaodong, and Guashe... Detailed information about Guashe Town ++