Northern Zhejiang Grand Canyon

　　  The Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks are situated at the southern border of Anji County. Anji is located in the northwest of Zhejiang Province, right on the mysterious 30th parallel north of the world’s geography. Covering a total area of 38 square kilometers, it is just eight kilometers away from Taihu Lake Source and Hidden Dragon Hundred Waterfalls. The scenic area consists of five major sections: Dah Han Ridge Majian Peak, Dongling Paradise Street, Shiling Nine Bends, Longxu Mountain, and the Alpine Farmhouse Resort. There are nearly one hundred majestic peaks over one thousand meters high within the area.

　　  There are thirteen primitive farmhouse resorts at altitudes above 800 meters. Five alpine terraced sightseeing spots, fifty-eight streams, ninety-eight waterfalls, and a total of two hundred and three scenic spots of various sizes. It serves as an alpine leisure, vacation, sightseeing, and summer retreat destination in Anji, as well as a must-visit treasure for geological exploration and scientific research.

　　  The Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks area features numerous peculiar peaks and grotesque rocks, verdant and upright pines, ever-changing clouds and mist, dense blue pools and waterfalls, and boundless bamboo seas. The area showcases all the hallmarks of popular ecotourism destinations.

　　  The scenic area not only boasts beautiful natural scenery but also rich cultural landscapes and splendid Confucian and Buddhist heritage. Dah Han Ridge was named after Emperor Wu of Han who once commanded his troops here while surveying the land. Dongling gained its name because Dong Zhongshu taught Confucian thought here. Shiling is known for its “no temple without antiquity,” with Honglin Temple, Dushan Temple, Xishan Nunnery, and Xu Family Nunnery all built during the Sui and Tang dynasties. This area is considered the birthplace of the “Buddhist Revival Movement” and the “Buddhist Leaf of Jiangnan.”

　　  The historically rich Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks offer breathtaking natural landscapes, alongside abundant cultural attractions and a splendid historical culture.

　　  At the end of the 22nd century BC, when Yu the Great was taming the floods, he came to the Seventy-Two Peaks and planted the mother of Taihu willows at the source of Taihu Lake, which led to shaded willow groves and an end to flooding. Hence, this place became known as the Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks.

　　  During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he once passed through this area with his army. Seeing the seventy-two connected and impregnable mountain peaks, he set up camp here. And so the name Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks came into being. With origins tracing back to the early Xia Dynasty, flourishing in the Han Dynasty, witnessed by Yu the Great’s flood control efforts here, and celebrated by Emperor Wu of Han’s military campaigns among these peaks, the history of the Seventy-Two Peaks runs deep.

　　  The Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks are located in the southern part of Anji County, the Bamboo Hometown, bordering Taihu Lake Source Town of Lin’an City. Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Han once led his troops through this region and, seeing the seventy-two continuous and solidly connected peaks, decided to set up camp here—thus giving rise to the name Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks. The scenic area spans 38 square kilometers and consists of three major zones: Shiling, Dongling, and Dah Han Ridge, featuring nearly one hundred peaks over one thousand meters high. Its unique plateau landscape has earned it the reputation of “Zhejiang’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.”

　　  Shiling is characterized by uniquely shaped peaks and rocks, majestic waterfalls, and profound historical culture; Dongling is known for Dong Zhongshu’s teaching of Confucianism here; and Dah Han Ridge takes its name from Emperor Wu of Han commanding his armies. Currently, the main focus of touring the Seventy-Two Peaks is the Shiling area.

　　  The Shiling Scenic Area includes sights such as the Giant Natural Buddha, Tathagata Peak, primeval forests, One-Line Pool, and Shiling Lake. Here, the sky is vast, clouds scatter freely, peaks are rugged and elegant, embodying both strength and grace, with incomparably beautiful natural scenery. Shiling is the birthplace of China’s “Buddhist Revival Movement” and is famed for “no temple without antiquity.” Temples such as Honglin Temple, Dushan Temple, Xishan Nunnery, and Xu Family Nunnery, mostly built during the Sui and Tang periods, have endowed Shiling with a deep traditional cultural foundation. The harmonious unity of humanistic history and ecological landscapes also contributes to Shiling’s unique charm.

　　  In addition, the scenic area offers various tourist activities such as self-service barbecues, party carnivals, mountain climbing challenges, and wilderness survival.

Dah Han Seventy-Two Peaks