The Dahongling Ancient Trail

The Dahongling Ancient Trail

The Dahongling Ancient Trail is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Anhui Province.

The Dahongling Ancient Trail is located in Qimen County, Huangshan City, dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Qimen is surrounded by mountains, and ancient transportation was extremely difficult. Over the generations, locals made numerous efforts and donations to build and maintain the Dahongling passageway. It is now hard to verify when this route was first developed. Before the Wanli era (1573) of the Ming Dynasty, the southern slope's uphill section started at the crescent-shaped area of today’s Datian Old Ridge, and after the Wanli era, it began at Yanwo Li. There is an interesting local tale about this rerouting: a widow surnamed Zheng from Xiangyuan in Qimen donated gold to open the new path. The last major renovation of the Dahongling Trail was in the first year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1821). From its initial construction during the Wanli years to the Daoguang period, over two hundred years had passed. Erosion by water and weathering of stones had severely damaged the road. Thus, merchants, officials, and businesses from the Qiyi region pooled funds, spending hundreds of thousands of taels of silver over six years, finally turning the treacherous path into a smooth road. The entire trail was paved with bluestone slabs, up to 3–4 meters wide — quite an impressive width for ancient mountainous Huizhou. At the top of the ridge, a memorial arch pavilion was built, uniquely designed with massive bluestone steles as its walls. The pavilion was approximately 2 meters wide, constructed from eight stone tablets; the two ends were each about 3 meters deep, made up of four tablets, secured with horizontal stone bars. Today, the pavilion has collapsed, but most of the stone tablets remain. The inscriptions describe the ruggedness of the Dahongling Trail and the history of its development, warn of the damage caused by soil erosion due to deforestation, and list numerous donors, businesses, and donation amounts. These records offer significant historical insights. In its heyday, the Dahongling Trail was a strategic military route, and remnants of trenches over ten meters long can still be found on the ridge. With the passage of time and lack of vehicle access, the area gradually became deserted, overgrown with weeds and shrubs, and the stone tablets have also started to deteriorate. Today, the Dahongling Trail serves as an excellent destination for those exploring the ancient travels of Huizhou merchants. Walking along the fragmented stone path, discovering traces of old shops and pavilions, and searching for remnants of ancient stone tablets hidden in the underbrush evoke countless reflections. The green mountains remain, and the sunset has changed hues many times. The Dahongling Trail is like an ancient painting tucked away in the mountain ranges of southern Anhui — filled with layers of history and stories waiting to be uncovered.

In 2012, the Dahongling Ancient Trail was designated as part of the seventh batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the People’s Government of Anhui Province.

Protected Area: From Yanwo Group in Datan Township to Yakeng Group in Anling Town along the ancient trail.

Construction Control Zone: The entire mountain area where the Dahongling Ancient Trail is located.