Returning to the Glorious Days of the Hui Merchants: A Hike Across the Huihang Ancient Trail, Straddling Two Provinces from Zhejiang to Anhui

The Huihang Ancient Trail is surely known to everyone in the outdoor community. It is a highly regarded hiking route in East China, about 20 km in length, first built in the Tang Dynasty. It is the third famous ancient trail in China after the Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road. It was an important passage for trade between Hui merchants and Zhejiang merchants in ancient times, playing a significant political, economic, and cultural role in history. At the same time, it is a corridor combining natural scenery and mysterious culture.

Our group was quite large; we took a chartered bus directly to the scenic area entrance in Zhejiang to start the hike.

After crossing this bridge, turn right and it's the uphill path. I guess this area might have been a mining site years ago, as traces of excavation could be seen.

Right after starting the climb, we found a tea stall set up by a local villager, an elderly man. The tea was indeed free, but we all brought our own water and didn't drink any. It must have been really hard to bring it up here. We also met two friendly dogs.

Continuing uphill, the weather became increasingly misty, and visibility grew lower. Passing through a narrow crevice called Yixiantian (Thread of Sky), we arrived at Lantian凹 (Blue Sky Pass).

We reached the Lantian凹 Inn, where local fruits and vegetables were sold, and hot noodles were available. The rooms were covered with banners left by adventurers conquering the Huihang Ancient Trail. We started the hike around 9 AM and arrived here at noon, just in time to replenish our energy and continue the trek.

After a short rest, we reached the highest point, where we could see a vast sea of clouds and a waterfall. My phone couldn't capture the waterfall.

Around 3 PM, we began the descent.

Halfway down, there was an inn at Xueshuetang (Snow Hall) where we could rest.

This picture shows we had already arrived at the Huihang Ancient Trail entrance in Anhui.

Near the exit of the scenic area, there is a village with architecture completely different from that in Zhejiang, surrounded by rice paddies. Our bus was waiting here to take us back to Hangzhou.