Dusong Pass and Ancient Post Road

Dusong Pass and the ancient post road stretch from Guanshang Village at Shuangxikou in Dipu Town, Anji County to Dusong Village in Baizhang Town, Hangzhou.

Dusong Pass spans two mountains to the east and west, with its rampart built of ashlar stones. The original wall extended roughly 80 meters. Only the section west of the mountain stream survives today, measuring 23.5 meters long, 13 meters wide and 6.6 meters high. Constructed in the form of a north-south barbican, the pass once housed an arrow tower. The barbican opening of the arrow tower is 4.75 meters long from north to south and 3 meters wide from east to west. The gateway features an arched vault: the north-facing arch stands 3.2 meters tall, while the south gateway adopts a double-layer arch structure—the inner arch reaches 4.06 meters in height and the outer arch 3.2 meters. The core of the wall is rammed loam mixed with gravel.

Dusong Pass served as a vital strategic stronghold defending Lin’an (modern Hangzhou), the Southern Song imperial capital, against northern invaders. The Tongzhi-era Records of Anji County records: “During the Jianyan reign of the Song Dynasty (1127–1130), warfare broke out, and stones were piled to erect the pass, named Dusong Pass.” It further states: “In the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1731), Prefect Shen Mengxi built six barracks for sentries at Dusong Pass. The pass underwent reconstruction by imperial order in the ninth year of the Xianfeng reign (1859), only to be destroyed two years later in 1861.”

The ancient post road formed a critical land shortcut linking Lin’an (Hangzhou) to Jiankang (modern Nanjing), with over 1,200 meters of the road preserved to this day. The New Book of Tang · Records of Geography notes: “In the second year of the Baoli reign (826), Yao, Magistrate of Yuhang County, constructed a covered thoroughfare connecting to the major northwest highway. The elevated, straight road stretched more than one hundred li, shielding travelers from floods and mountain perils.” The Yuanhe Maps and Records of Prefectures and Counties documents that the Hangzhou-Xuanzhou postal route ran 496 li northward from Hangzhou to Xuanzhou, with postal stations established before the Ming Dynasty. Dusong Pass functioned as one such postal station throughout the Song and Yuan dynasties.

The Guangxu-era Records of Xiaofeng County reads: “Dusong Pass sits atop Dusong Ridge. North of the Tianmu Mountains, layered ridges crisscross with valleys spanning hundreds of li, and Dusong Ridge rises prominently at their center. The mountain trail is narrow and precipitous: southeastward it leads straight to Lin’an, while northwest it winds through Anji toward Guangde, forming a contested thoroughfare for infantry and cavalry straddling the border of Zhejiang and Jiangsu.”

To this day, the ancient post road retains its timeless charm and picturesque scenery, largely preserving its original historic appearance and still serving as a village footpath.

Two steep stone staircases ascend along the post road, between which the path levels off. The road ranges from 1.2 to 2 meters in width, paved with ashlar stones or cobblestones: larger flagstones line the center, flanked by smaller rubble stones. Three flat bridges built from natural ashlar slabs and one cobblestone arch bridge stand along the route. The segment on Dusong Ridge remains exceptionally intact and is still the primary hiking trail connecting Anji and Yuhang. Running parallel to a mountain brook, the ancient post road is encircled by rolling mountains blanketed in lush green bamboo, with clear streams murmuring alongside. Its pristine, rustic landscape vividly evokes the classic scene: withered vines, ancient trees, small bridges, flowing water, an old trail and a lean steed.

As an age-old land shortcut between Hangzhou and Nanjing and a fiercely contested military stronghold, Dusong Pass and its attached post road hold immense value for historical research.

After the Song court fled south to establish its capital at Lin’an (Hangzhou), the Tianmu Mountains became the final natural defensive barrier north of the imperial city. To fend off northern incursions, the Song authorities stacked stones atop Dusong Ridge to build Dusong Pass during the Jianyan reign (1127–1130). From then on, it stood as the key frontier pass guarding Lin’an, playing a pivotal role in repelling invasions by Jurchen Jin and Mongol Yuan troops.

During the Jiatai reign of the Southern Song (1201–1204), a postal route linking Lin’an (Hangzhou) and Jiankang (Nanjing) was opened, crossing Dusong Ridge and Dusong Pass, where an express courier station was installed.

Dusong Pass and the ancient post road occupied an extraordinarily important position in ancient military strategy.

In the Three Kingdoms period, Ling Tong, a renowned general of Eastern Wu, traversed the ancient trail over Dusong Ridge.

Wang Anshi, prime minister of the Northern Song, traveled this mountain path from Nanjing to Hangzhou en route to Futuo Temple.

In the third year of the Jianyan reign of the Southern Song (1129), Wanyan Zongbi, better known as Jin Wuzhu, a top general of the Jurchen Jin, led a massive army south to conquer the Song. His troops crossed the Yangtze and marched into Zhejiang, launching a surprise attack on Dusong Pass. After squeezing through the narrow pass, barely wide enough for a single rider, he was struck with awe by the daunting terrain and exclaimed: “The Southern court truly lacks capable men! If merely a few hundred weak soldiers held this pass, how could I possibly have crossed it?”

In the second year of the Xiangxing reign of the Southern Song (1279), the right-wing Yuan army under Alahan advanced from Jiankang via Guangde, seizing Huling Pass (within present-day Saoshe, Anji County). They fought a brutal life-or-death battle against Song forces for control of Dusong Pass. The Song court urgently dispatched Wen Tianxiang with reinforcements. Though Wen marched day and night from Pingjiang (Suzhou) to Yuhang, the Song army was hopelessly outnumbered, and Dusong Pass fell. Yuan troops advanced unimpeded on Lin’an, the Song capital, which surrendered just three days later. It was this defeat that inspired the patriotic hero Wen Tianxiang to pen his immortal line: “Since time immemorial all men must die; may my loyal heart shine eternal in history.”

Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty who established his capital at Nanjing, also crossed Dusong Pass and trekked the ancient post road over Dusong Ridge.

In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1860), Li Xiucheng led a surprise Taiping army detachment from southern Anhui into Zhejiang to attack Hangzhou and lift the siege of Tianjing (Nanjing). He personally commanded Taiping troops in days of fierce combat against Qing soldiers at Dusong Pass, routing the imperial army, seizing the pass and crossing the ridge to sweep down into the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain.

During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chinese anti-Japanese troops killed more than a dozen Japanese soldiers at Dusong Pass and Dusong Ridge, commemorated in a poem: Long winds stretch the ancient Dusong Ridge trail,

Fierce Jin and Yuan generals failed to return.

Anti-Japanese gunfire echoes on steep peaks,

Fallen invaders lie buried amid empty mountain green.

A couplet honoring the martyrs also survives: Heads laid down, bones and flesh cast aside—all for the nation’s survival; Willows line the path, fragrant grass covers graves—never forget these loyal souls.

Beyond these historical figures who once trod Dusong Pass and the Dusong Ridge segment of the ancient post road, lending rich humanistic heritage to the site, the great literary classic Water Margin also features vivid descriptions of this pass and mountain trail: “Marshal Lu set out to capture Dusong Pass. Steep mountains tower on both sides of the narrow single path cutting through them. A garrison station perches atop the heights, beside a giant tree dozens of zhang tall commanding an unobstructed view of all surroundings. Dense pine thickets carpet the land below… The bodies of Dong Ping, Zhang Qing and Zhou Tong were retrieved and buried atop the pass.”

The mountain valleys flanking Dusong Pass and the Dusong Ridge post road boast pristine ecological scenery, with thick green bamboo groves and clear trickling springs. Wandering the ancient thoroughfare, listening to the murmuring brooks, gazing across endless bamboo seas and tracing the footprints of history, visitors will linger unwilling to depart.