Huihang Ancient Trail 徽杭古道

About Huihang Ancient Trail

Huihang Ancient Trail (徽杭古道) is a stone-paved mountain path in the east of Jixi County (绩溪县), Xuancheng (宣城), Anhui, that once linked Huizhou (徽州) with Hangzhou (杭州) across the Anhui–Zhejiang border.

The trail dates from the Tang dynasty. Huizhou traders, most of them small dealers travelling on foot, carried salt, tea and mountain produce along it towards Hangzhou. Figures from the region's history who are recorded as walking it include Wang Hua (汪华), whom the city counts as old Huizhou's foremost figure, the Ming official Hu Zongxian (胡宗宪), known for fighting Japanese pirates, the "red-hat" merchant Hu Xueyan (胡雪岩) and the writer Hu Shi (胡适). The Red Army advance column under Xun Huaizhou (寻淮洲) also passed through on its way north. It is listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, together with the Langxi (郎溪) section of the old Huizhou road's eastern line.

Lengths vary with where the route is counted from. Measured from Fuling Town (伏岭镇) in Jixi to Zhejitian (浙基田) in Qingliangfeng Town (清凉峰镇), Lin'an District (临安区) of Hangzhou, the trail is about 16 km long and crosses the Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve (清凉峰国家自然保护区), where forest cover is 89 percent. Xuancheng's tourism bureau describes a longer 75 km line that starts at the Huizhou merchant culture square in Renli (仁里), Hu Xueyan's home village, and runs by Huangmaopei (黄茅培), Matouling (马头岭), Xiaxuetang (下雪堂) and Lantian'ao (蓝天凹) to Yonglai village (永来村). It follows Longxu Mountain (龙须山) and the Dengyuan River (登源河), and the Xiaoyao River (逍遥河) along it is a headwater of the Xin'an River (新安江).

An important pass on the trail is the Jiangnan First Pass (江南第一关), at 424 m, which locals call Xiaoyao Rock (逍遥岩). The Ming minister of war Hu Zongxian gave it that name, judging it the most dangerous pass in the region. Granite slabs about 2 m long are set into the cliff as a plank path of more than 1,400 steps. The trail's highest point is Lantian'ao, at 1,050 m, an open upland meadow with mountain azaleas, nicknamed "the Tibet of Jiangnan". Along the way are old villages, bridges and tea pavilions.

What to look for

• Jiangnan First Pass (江南第一关), a 424 m pass reached by more than 1,400 granite-slab steps set into the cliff
• Xiaoyao Valley (逍遥谷), where the Huangshan and Tianmu ranges meet, with named rocks such as General Rock (将军石)
• Lantian'ao (蓝天凹), the 1,050 m high point, an upland meadow with mountain azaleas and views over Anhui and Zhejiang
• Renli (仁里), Hu Xueyan's home village, where the longer route begins at a Huizhou merchant culture square
• Old stone-slab paving, old bridges and tea pavilions along the route

Location & getting there

Getting to Huihang Ancient Trail

• Search for 徽杭古道 with 宣城市 and 绩溪县.