Gao Shanping Ancient Post Road

Gao Shanping Ancient Post Road

Gao Shanping Ancient Post Road is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Gao Shanping Ancient Post Road is located in Pushi Town, Luxi County, Hunan Province. Discovered during the third cultural relics survey organized by the Hunan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics in 2008, the ancient post road stretches over thirty kilometers. It was originally built during the Hongwu and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty, emerging as a product of both the conflicts between the imperial court and the Miao people and the gradual integration of the Miao and Han ethnicities. At that time, to strengthen control over Miao-inhabited areas, the post road was established to facilitate communication and the transport of military supplies. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras of the Qing Dynasty, due to the twelve-year-long Miao uprising in western Hunan, the military significance of the post road became even more prominent to the Qing court, leading to its expansion and extension during this period. The ancient post road had two relay stations along its route, and its total length within Luxi County is approximately sixty Chinese miles.

According to historical records, this post road extended into Fenghuang County. “From Gao Shanping via Duqi, crossing Sānwǎn Ridge and Sāncéng Slope, exiting Yongxingchang, reaching Ma Lukou, and then arriving at Fenghuang County Town — a total of 170 li. Another mountain route goes from Pushi’s Shàng’ān, four li to Yanbian Village, five li to Mǎhuángxī, another five li to Báixītóu, ten li to Dànlán, five li to Dōuyòng, ten li to Héshuǐ... and five li to Tàhǔ.” Sources indicate that the route from Pushi to Fenghuang passed through Tàhǔ, making Gao Shanping the starting point of this ancient post road before Tàhǔ.

The ancient post road was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 2011.

Pushi Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Luxi County. Established as a special town in 1949, it became Pushi Town in 1953, was reorganized as Pushi Commune in 1958, restored as a town in 1984, and merged with Pushiyang Township in 1987. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it covers an area of 134.7 square kilometers with a population of 34,000. The town government is stationed in Pushi, 26 kilometers away from the county seat by waterway. Roads connect it to the county seat, and the Yuan River provides year-round navigation. The town administers four neighborhood committees — Shízìjiē, Tàipíngjiē, Xīnjiànjiē, and Yānfāngjiē — and several villages including Yìnjiāqiáo, Chéngxiāng, Huángjiāqiáo, Pǔxī, Xiǎo'ànpíng, Gāoqiáo, Qīngcǎo, Yínjǐngchōng, Xīnpù, Duqi, Tiánjiāxī, ... More detailed information about Pushi Town ++

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units