The First Gorge of the Huai River

The First Gorge of the Huai River

The mighty Huai River flows eastward but is blocked by Bagong Mountain, forcing it to reverse course and carve its way through, splitting Hanshi Rock in two as it surges forward—this is the First Gorge of the Huai River, also known as Xiashankou. Anciently called Hanshi Kou, it was a gorge excavated during Yu the Great’s flood control efforts. It also served as a strategic military stronghold in ancient times, known as “Huai Shang Jin Yao” (a key river crossing on the Huai), and is one of the ancient battlefields of the Fei River Campaign. Standing on the banks of the Huai River and looking up at the cliffs, they appear as if hewn by an axe. The “Record of City Construction” inscribed by Xia Song of Shouyang during the Song Dynasty’s Xianchun era can still be discerned. On Shixia Island in the gorge stands a pavilion, the “Weinong Pavilion,” rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty, commonly known as the “Yu the Great Pavilion.” To the west of the pavilion grows an ancient Chinese honey locust tree, symbolizing the Xiashan scenic area.