It is located in Deqing County of Huzhou City in northeastern Zhejiang Province; Mogan Mountain has been listed as one of the 'Four Best Summer Resorts in China' along with Beidaihe Scenic Area, Mt. Lushan and Jigong Mountain. Covering an area of 43 sq kilometers (about 10,625 acres) and with an average altitude of 500 meters (1,640 ft), Mogan Mountain is famous for its wild bamboo and dispersed villas of different styles and enthralling legends.
A Grean Sea in Mogan Mountain
Bamboos can be seen everywhere in Mogan Mountain. Lush fresh bamboo covers the whole mountain giving a tranquil atmosphere. Trees, bamboo, grasses and the mountain itself form a green 'sea' for visitors to appreciate. Hundreds of springs and waterfalls make this mountain the best place to escape the summer heat. As the saying goes 'the morning is just like spring and the night is fall', the average temperature of Mogan Mountain's summer is only 24 °C (75°F). Cloud formations here are very special and changeable. Sometimes the clouds may looks like heaps of cotton, sometimes they may become ribbons wrapping the mountain. A splendid Cloud Sea can be seen regularly.
Villas in Mogan Mountain
Villas hidden in the bamboo forest may surprise the visitors. More than two hundreds villas representing different styles, including European, American, Japanese, Russian, give the name 'World Architecture Museum' to Mogan Mountain. Gothic, Barroque or Rococo, northern and southern European, American and traditional Chinese architectures are scattered on the mountain. Most of the villas were built in the last century and were used by many famous people, such as the former leader of CCP Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the former leader of Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek, the former King of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk and the former Chairman of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh. Now the previous residences are well preserved and open to visitors.
Legend of Mogan Mountain
The endearing legend of Mogan Mountain is another attraction. It is said that in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) a couple named Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, who were expert sword makers, were asked by the king to make their best sword in three months. For the work they chose a spiritual place in the mountain. But they had problems during the process, so Mo Ye, the wife, cut her hair and nails and threw them into the furnace. Finally, they cast two swords and named them Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. The husband dedicated Sword Mo Ye to the king. The king killed him to prevent another sword to be made that would beat Sword Mo Ye. After hearing the tragic news, the wife jumped with Sword Gan Jiang into the pond that had been used to temper the swords. To commemorate the couple, the mountain was named Mogan and the pond Sword Pond. Because of the legend, the Sword Pond should not be missed by visitors.