Moganshan

Moganshan rises to about seven hundred metres in bamboo forest between Hangzhou and Shanghai, and from the 1890s missionaries and then Shanghai's foreign and Chinese elite built stone villas here as a summer retreat, several hundred of them, in an eclectic mix of styles that survive along the hill's lanes. The temperature runs several degrees below the plain, which was the point. Chiang Kai-shek honeymooned here and the gangster Du Yuesheng built a villa. Since the 2000s the hill has been rediscovered, with old villas converted into guesthouses and boutique hotels, and bamboo forest walks, waterfalls and viewpoints filling the days.

History

Legend says the great swordsmith Ganjiang came to these mountains in the Spring and Autumn period to forge a pair of swords for the king of Wu, and the mountain takes its name from him and his wife Moye, as does its Sword Pond. Foreigners discovered its cool summer breezes in the 1880s, first renting rooms from local people, and then built European-style villas, churches and halls for missionaries, merchants and customs officials; by 1910 about 300 foreigners, mostly American and British, had summer homes on the hill, and many of the villas stand today as hotels and guesthouses (Wikipedia, Mount Mogan).

The landscape

• The stone villas - several hundred early twentieth-century houses along the lanes.
• The bamboo forest - dense moso bamboo covering the slopes.
• The cool summer air - temperatures several degrees below the plain.
• The guesthouses - converted villas run as boutique accommodation.

When to go

April to October, with summer the traditional season for escaping the heat of Shanghai and Hangzhou; weekends and July to August fill accommodation and raise prices. Autumn is quiet and clear. Winter is cold and damp.

Before you go

Accommodation is expensive relative to the region and books out in summer weekends. Many villas are private and seen only from outside. The scenic area charges entry on top of accommodation, and roads up the hill are narrow and busy in season.

Nearby

Hangzhou lies south; Shanghai is about three hours east.