Get to know Jiande
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Hangzhou
- Chinese name
- 建德市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,314.19 km²
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Mountains and hills make up 88.6 percent of Jiande. The Xin'an enters from the west and flows east for 41.4 kilometres through the city; at Meicheng (梅城) it meets the Lan River (兰江), and from there on it is called the Fuchun River (富春江). Water released from the bottom of the reservoir dam stays at about 17°C all year. Jiande holds a summer tourism festival under the name "17°C Jiande Xin'anjiang", and the temperature difference between water and air produces mist over the river, above all in summer.
History
The name dates from 223, when Sun Quan (孙权) of the Wu kingdom made his general Sun Shao (孙韶) Marquis of Jiande, taking the words jiangong lide (建功立德, "achieve merit and establish virtue"). Jiande County followed in 225, with its seat at present-day Meicheng. After the rebellion of Fang La (方腊) failed, the Song renamed Muzhou (睦州) as Yanzhou (严州). Once the Southern Song moved its capital to Lin'an (临安), present-day Hangzhou, Yanzhou on the upper Qiantang River (钱塘江) served as a shield for the capital, and in 1265 it became Jiande Prefecture (建德府). In 1957 a Xin'anjiang district was split off from Jiande for the building of the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station. Shouchang County (寿昌县) was merged into Jiande in 1958, and the county seat moved from Meicheng to Baisha (白沙镇) in 1960. Jiande became a county-level city in 1992.
What to see
The Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station (新安江水电站) was built by damming the Xin'an River at Tongguan Gorge (铜官峡) in Jiande in 1959, which created the 567-square-kilometre Qiandao Lake. Hangzhou News describes the city of Xin'anjiang as having been born of the station.
Xinye Village (新叶村) in Daciyan town (大慈岩镇), next to Lanxi (兰溪), is a settlement of the Ye clan whose founding ancestor married into the village in the first year of the Southern Song Jiading reign. It keeps 16 old ancestral halls, halls, pagodas and temples between them, and more than 200 old houses, among them the Xishan Ancestral Hall (西山祠堂), Tuanyun Pagoda (抟云塔) and Wenchang Pavilion (文昌阁). It was named a China Historic and Cultural Village in 2010, and some of its buildings joined the seventh batch of national key protected sites in 2013.
Food and local products
Hangzhou News lists Jiande's local foods as tofu buns (豆腐包), stick fish (棍子鱼), duck with dried greens (干菜鸭), Sandu glutinous rice cakes (三都麻糍), Yanzhou crisp cakes (严州酥饼), Shouchang fried rice noodles (寿昌炒粉干) and Meicheng hand-made noodles (梅城手工面).
Highlights
- Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station 新安江水电站: Dam built at Tongguan Gorge in 1959, creating Qiandao Lake; first unit generating in 1960.
- Xinye Village 新叶村: Ye-clan village with 16 old halls, pagodas and temples and over 200 old houses; China Historic and Cultural Village since 2010.
- Meicheng 梅城: Seat of Jiande County when it was set up in 225; the seat moved from here to Baisha in 1960. The Xin'an and Lan rivers meet here to form the Fuchun.
- Jiande tofu buns 建德豆腐包: Listed first among Jiande's local foods by Hangzhou News.
- Yanzhou duck with dried greens 严州干菜鸭: Duck with dried greens is on Hangzhou News's list of Jiande foods.
Sources for this guide
建德市 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
新叶村 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
千岛湖 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
建德新安江街道喊你体验六种17℃ - 杭州网 - 杭州新闻中心 · Hangzhou News (hangzhou.com.cn)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Jiande
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Jiande
Xinan River Dam releasing water in 2020 · 新安江水电站 Photograph date recorded by the source: 10 July 2020.Xin'an River Dam新安江水电站
The Xin’an River dam closes the gorge above Jiande and created the reservoir now known as Qiandao Lake. Its broad concrete wall, central spillway openings and long powerhouse give the site a clear industrial character. The…
Read the place guide →
Xinye ancient village, pagoda and surrounding fields · 新叶古村 Photograph date recorded by the source: 2026-08-07 13:24:05.Xinye Village新叶古村
Xinye’s whitewashed houses and ancestral halls sit beneath the hills of southern Jiande. The village developed around Ye-clan lineages, leaving a network of communal buildings rather than one dominant monument. Youxu Ancestral…
Read the place guide →
A canal in Meicheng Ancient Town, Jiande, lined with willow trees, a stone bridge and traditional riverside buildings · 建德梅城古镇河道，柳树、石桥与沿河传统建筑 Source-recorded photograph date: 2024-07-28 14:58:54.Meicheng Ancient Town梅城古镇
Meicheng is the historic town associated with Yanzhou in present-day Jiande, west of Hangzhou.
Read the place guide →
Daciyan (大慈岩), Jiande. Photograph: "Xinye Village, 2022-05-02 03".Daciyan大慈岩
Daciyan is a mountain and temple landscape in Jiande, Zhejiang, known for buildings fitted against a steep rock face.
Read the place guide →
The Baisha Bridge over the Xin'an River in Jiande, with the city skyline beyond · 建德市新安江白沙大桥及城市天际线 Source-recorded photograph date: 2017-01-26 14:43:23.Xin’an River in Jiande新安江
The Xin'an River in Jiande is a river landscape associated with cool water, mist and views along the town's banks.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Jiande local specialties
建德市特色美食 · 2 specialties to discover
Jiande tofu buns 建德豆腐包AI illustration · AI 示意图
The wrapper is fluffy and mild, while the center is tender, moist and savory, sometimes with a clear chili kick.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Yanzhou duck with dried greens 严州干菜鸭AI illustration · AI 示意图
The meat becomes tender and richly savory, while the dried greens add concentrated fermented aroma and a softer, chewy texture.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →All dish names · 全部菜名 (2)
More dishes from across Zhejiang are in the Zhejiang food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Jiande is about 115 km in a straight line from central Hangzhou. Search for 建德市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Xin'an River Dam and Xinye Village are about 20 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Hangzhou →More in Hangzhou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 建德市 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 新叶村 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 千岛湖 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Xin'an River Dam · MasaneMiyaPA · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Xinye Village · Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Meicheng Ancient Town · HoweyYuan · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Daciyan · Siyuwj · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Xin’an River in Jiande · Simon Wade · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.