Songjiang Horse Trail

Songjiang Horse Trail

The horse trail starts from Houzhai at the northern foot of Liangshan, winding southward through Qinglong Mountain and Goutou Mountain, crossing the Three Mountains, twisting and turning as it passes Heikoufeng and leads straight to Songjiang’s Great Camp atop Hutou Peak. It served as a vital route for the rebel soldiers to transport provisions, deliver messages, keep watch, and defend against attacks.

Legend has it that there was originally no such path on Liangshan. After Songjiang arrived, in order to facilitate the transportation of supplies and the deployment of troops, he was determined to build a road connecting the front and rear camps. However, the journey from the main camp to the rear camp required crossing a series of peaks including the Three Mountains, Goutou Mountain, Dogpaw Mountain, and Aozishan—stretching over several winding miles, densely overgrown with thorny bushes and rugged rocks, shrouded in shadow and extremely difficult to traverse. Due to the urgency of warfare, Songjiang spent forty-nine days searching but failed to find a suitable route.

Just as he was worrying over the matter, Songjiang had a dream one night in which he heard the sound of galloping hooves.

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Clippity-clop

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The sound grew closer. Overjoyed, Songjiang thought, “Where there are galloping horses, there must be a proper road.” He quickly followed the sound and saw a great white dragon horse charging toward him. Upon seeing Songjiang, the horse turned and ran back the way it came, its hooves pounding out a smooth, wide road that stretched from Hutou Peak across the Three Mountains, over Dogpaw Mountain and Aozishan, winding its way forward. The next day, Songjiang followed the route he’d seen in the dream and, upon inspecting the terrain, found it indeed to be an excellent path. He then ordered Jin Dajian to lead soldiers in building the road—cutting through the mountain where needed, filling gullies, and constructing bridges over ravines—until finally, a mountain path suitable for troop and horse movement was completed.

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Songjiang Horse Trail

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derives its name from this legend.