The Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan

The Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan

The Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Yunnan Province.

The Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan is located within Lufeng County. It was developed over more than 2,300 years on the foundation of the ancient “Southern Silk Road,” the Qin and Han dynasty’s “Five-Foot Path,” and the Tang dynasty’s “Shimen Path,” and was successively constructed and expanded by successive governments during the Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republic of China. The Tang dynasty’s construction of the “Shimen Path” included the establishment of the Longhe Posthouse (today’s Yaodian Liexiang Pass) and Shaci Posthouse (today’s Shezi), which are the first historically recorded place names in Lufeng and also mark the beginning of official posthouse establishment in the area. Starting from the Yuan dynasty, the ancient postal road in Lufeng was extensively renovated under government organization, with many passes, forts, posthouses, and stations built along the route. By the Ming and Qing periods, the road had essentially taken its final shape, becoming an important section of the “Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan.” The Lufeng Section enters the region via Laoyaguan and exits at Guangtong’s Huidentenguan, stretching approximately 88 kilometers in total, with a road surface 1.6 to 2.5 meters wide, all paved with stones. Traveling from Kunming to Dali, folk tales say one must pass through “nine passes and eighteen posthouses.” Within Lufeng, moving from east to west, one would go through Laoyaguan, Baihanchang Post, Yanglaoshao, Liexiang Pass, Shimen Sentinel, Hexi Post, Nanping Pass, Xiangshui Pass, Shezi Post, Lema Pass, Mengqi Post, Ludian Post, and Huidentenguan. Today, the Lufeng Section still preserves numerous relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including surviving sections of the old road such as the Shizikou section, Liexiang Pass section, Shimen Sentinel section, Nanping Pass to Xiangshui Pass section, Lema Pass section, Mengqi Post section, and Huidentenguan section. Notable pass remains include Liexiang Pass, Xiangshui Pass, Lema Pass, and Huidentenguan, while notable bridges include Laoyaguan Bridge, Yanshing Bridge, Qiming Bridge, Xingxiu Bridge, Xiangshui Pass Bridge, Anle Bridge, and Qingfeng Bridge. As a cultural corridor, the Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan embodies the heritage of the ancient Southern Silk Road, the Han dynasty’s Five-Foot Path, the Tang dynasty’s Shimen Path, the postal roads of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in Central Yunnan, the Ancient Tea Horse Road, and the extensive caravan routes used to transport war supplies during WWII after the Burma Road was severed — spanning over 2,300 years of history, it holds profound historical and cultural value.

In 2012, the Lufeng Section of the Ancient Postal Road in Central Yunnan was designated as a Yunnan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.