Moganshan first got its fame because of a legend, in which there was a couple - Ganjiang and Moye. They scarified themselves to the furnace god to create swords for their King, hence the name Mount Mogan. In AD 535, Moganshan began its construction of over a thousand years. Sacred temples sprung up one by one. Groups of scholar-officials and literates flocked to the mountain for sightseeing and poems creating, making Moganshan a famous Cultural Mountain during then. Thanks to its fresh air, pleasant weather and beautiful vistas, as early as 1800s, Moganshan became a popular summer resort for missionaries, and then other wealthy foreigners and influential Chinese politicians. It even enjoyed the reputation of One of the Four Best Summer Resorts in China. Though this region once lost its luster during and following the World War II, it has begun to regain its popularity with new generations of boutique hotels, lodges and high-end restaurants scattered the hillside. In 2007, Moganshan also rated as One of the 45 Best Places to Visit in the World by The New York Times.
Why Visit Moganshan?
Pleasant Weather & Stunning Mountain Scenery - While most of the cities in China like the nearby Shanghai and Hangzhou are suffering stifling heat in summer, Moganshan is still pleasant. And the stunning vista full of mountains of lush bamboo forest, lovely clouds and endless peaks makes it one of the best places to visit not only in summer, but also spring and autumn.
World Museum of Modern Architecture - Here in Moganshan, you will get a feel in Hamptons or somewhere else in the world more than in China, because there are over 200 beautiful villas of different styles built by the Europeans. Exploring these villas gives you a unique angle of admiring worldwide modern architectures.
Various of Indoor & Outdoor Activities - Besides visiting the so many European-style villas and making stays at a luxury hotel opened in one of them, Moganshan also offers plenty of amazing hiking, biking, tea drinking, yoga practicing, horse riding, insects watching, bamboo shoot harvesting, Chinese rural life experiencing and other opportunities.
An Upmarket Resort - Moganshan is often described as an "upmarket resort", because it offers diverse high-end hotels and restaurants with super great facilities and services. No matter how much you are dreaming about a luxury experience, Moganshan has something to light a spark in the imagination.
Close to Hangzhou & Shanghai - Located in Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, Moganshan is easily accessible by car and train from Hangzhou or Shanghai. The direct drive takes only 1.5 hours and 3 hours in separate. Therefore, it is a great option for side trips after your visits of the Shanghai Oriental Tower and Hangzhou West Lake, etc.
Best Moganshan Tour:
Sword Pond (剑池)
The Sword Pond is the landmark of Moganshan, because it is where the name Moganshan originates. According to the legends, the Sword Pond is where the craftsman Ganjiang and Moxie once cast swords for their king. There is a vivid statue recreating their working scene. Besides, there is also a tiny waterfall above the pool.
Luhuadang Park (芦花荡公园)
Luhuadang is the largest artificial garden in Moganshan. While Moganshan was one of the Four Best Summer Resorts in the late Qing Dynasty, Luhuadang was the best place to kill the summer heat in Moganshan. This exquisite garden boasts interesting Chinese zodiac gardens, poetic forest of steles, mysterious legends, etc. for you to explore.
Songyuelu (松月庐)
Songyuelu, or called Songyue Cottage or the Former Residence of Chiang Kai-shek, got its name because of the ancient pines and the crescent-shaped sun terrace around it. In 1948, it was once the political center of Zhejiang Province.
White Cloud Castle (白云山馆)
The two-story White Cloud Castle is located about 10 minutes" walk above the Luhuadang Park. It was first built by the British. Therefore, it has a strong flavor of England. In 1927, Chiang Kai Shek spent his honeymoon with his wife here. There is also an old tea tree, which is praised as the most beautiful ancient trees in Zhejiang Province.
Empress Hotel (皇后饭店)
Built in 1934, the Empress Hotel (No. 126) is composed of 8 villas of different styles, including one where the Chairman Mao once napped. The hotel offers great rooms, restaurants and service for stays. Besides, it has well-equipped large conference room, multi-function viewing platform and outdoor barbecue table to meet different needs of visitors.
Moganshan Map
Sword Pond
White Cloud Castle
Dakeng Scenic Area (大坑风景区)
Dakeng Scenic Area is located on the west side of Moganshan. It has the highest peak of the scenic area with a hiking trail around it, and thus is a great place to have a panorama view of the surroundings. During the 1-hour hiking, you will be rewarded with tiny waterfall, blooming flowers, lush forest, shaking drawbridges, ancient pavilions, and strange stones and so on.
Xuguang Platform (旭光台)
Xuguang Platform is the best place to admire the stunning sunrise and vista of Moganshan. Here you can get all the lush bamboo forest, mountains of villas and the surroundings into your eyes.
Tianchi Temple (天池寺)
Winding the highway down for 1.5 kilometers from Qingliang Pavilion of Moganshan is the sacred TianChi Temple, which was built in AD 1330-1332. The temple has been destroyed and repaired for many times. It is a witness of Chinese history from about 700 years ago.
Qingcaotang (Green Grass Soup) Tea Plantation
In Moganshan, there are numerous of tea plantations, and Qingcaotang Tea Plantation (青草塘茶园) is one of them. Here, you can stroll around the manicured lines of tea trees, buy black tea and learn how people pick tea leaves and make tea.
Luhuadang Park
Panoramic View at Dakeng Scenic Area
The Naked Castle is located outside the Moganshan Scenic Area, with a driving distance for about 6 kilometers to Yucun Village to ride a bus to Moganshan Scenic Area. Amongst the so many villas in Moganshan, the Naked Castle settled atop a hill on the southern side of Moganshan is a must-visit. Taking a photo of the castle from a distance is already awe-inspiring, let alone you can stay overnight at one of its 95 luxury rooms and join one of its abundant activities like morning yoga, hiking, swimming in the infinity pool built on the cliff, etc.
Naked Stables offers a special atmosphere of getting back to the nature. It has majestic Tree Top Villas and cozy Earth Huts dotted along a secluded valley. And as its name implies, it has stables situated at the heart of this posh retreat. You can take one of the horses out for a trot. Naked Stables also has its own farms and tea plantations for you to enjoy the Chinese rural life. Besides, it is flanked by bamboo forests and boasts easy access to the hiking trails.
Yucun is located at the southern foot of Moganshan. It is a must-visit bustling village for almost all the Moganshan visitors because it has the main tourist center to visit the mountain (Moganshan has 3 tourist centers in total). Here is also a street which took you to travel back to the Chinese history about 100 years ago, an interesting 1932 Culture and Creative Park and so on. Visitors believe that Yucun has the most beautiful night view of this region.
The Naked Castle
Moganshan belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate. It has four distinctive seasons. Even in summer, Moganshan is never too hot, because it is covered by the large scale of lush bamboo forest, streams, etc. The average temperature in Moganshan is about 13℃. And the high temperature of a year, usually comes in July and August, with an average temperature of about 24℃. January is usually the coldest, and the temperature of this month is usually about 3.5℃.
Moganshan is suitable to be visited all year around, and spring, summer and autumn are considered to be the best time to visit it.
Naked Castle in Summer
Tip: Summer is the peak season to visit Moganshan, because groups of residents in the nearby modern cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou will gather there to escape the sweltering heat. If you are going to visit Moganshan in summer, you are advised to book your hotel at least one week in advance.
The whole Moganshan Scenic Area is charged about CNY 80 per person. The ticket is only valid for one day. However, if you stay at a hotel inside the scenic area, you are not required to book another ticket on the next day. There are several routes to go to the scenic area, while the most common one starts from Yucun Village. Besides that, you can also visit from Houwu Village or Fatou Township.
Moganshan offers a wealth of accommodations, from high-end resorts to posh castles, luxury hotels opened in villas to budget guest houses provided by the locals, etc. Choosing a hotel inside the Moganshan Scenic Are is usually the best choice, because there is no further need to buy the ticket on the next day. Visitors also prefer the super luxury castles and boutique hotels, because most of them are coming to savor the "upmarket flavor". Besides, those luxury ones not only provide luxury rooms with a marvelous vista but also a list of interesting activities to enjoy, some of which may include in the room fee. If you are looking for money-saving options, the guesthouses are great alternatives, which are also great choices to get close to the beautiful nature and the Chinese rural life.
In Moganshan, there are many villages offering rich accommodations, including Yu Village (庾村), Wuling Village (武陵村), Houwu Village (后坞村), Laoling (老岭村), Fatou Township (筏头乡), Baotashan Village (宝塔山村), Dazaowu Village (大造坞村), Xiantan Village (仙潭村), etc. Each village is not in walking distance with the others, so you are suggested to choose one village to stay overnight according to your plan. Laoling Village is where the Naked Castle and many other boutique hotels located. Wuling Village is close to the scenic areas like Luhuadang Park, etc. Yucun Village at the foot of Moganshan has the largest collection of restaurants and other entertainment sites out of the any surrounding villages. Other villages like Houwu Village and Xiantan Village also have a collection of boutique hotels and also guesthouses and youth hotels.
Normally, hotels like Moganshan Villa inside the the Moganshan Scenic Area are very popular. And Naked Castle and Naked Stables are the best luxurious resorts for you to stay. However, the room price is usually the highest of this region. If you want hotels at a relatively lower price, putting your eyes on the boutique hotels at Laoling Village, Wuling Village or other villages is the best pick.
Moganshan Solvang Village Boutique Hotel
Moganshan is located in Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Visitors usually go from Shanghai or Hangzhou to get there.
Moganshan is about 200 kilometers and 3 hours southwest of Shanghai by car. Alternatively, you can get there via Hangzhou or Huzhou, which needs a bullet train ride from Shanghai (1~2 hours to Hangzhou or 2 hours to Deqing) first and then drive to Moganshan (1.5 hours from Hangzhou or 0.5 hour from Deqing). Hangzhou has more trains between Shanghai. Every day, there are over 150 bullet trains for you to choose. Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, Shanghai Railway Station and Shanghai South Railway Station all have bullet trains to Hangzhou, while Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station has the most frequent trains. From Shanghai to Deqing, there is only one train running from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Deqing Railway Station.
Check more about Shanghai to Hangzhou Train >> | Shanghai to Deqing Train >>
Hangzhou is about 63 kilometers and 1.5 hours around southeast of Moganshan by car. Driving is the best way to travel between them. Besides, you can ride a bullet train to Deqing (13 minutes to 0.5 hour) first, and then take a car to Moganshan (0.5 hour).
Check more about Hangzhou to Deqing Train >>
Visitors going to Moganshan are required to change to the sightseeing coaches (CNY 35 per person) at one of the three Tourism Transfer Centers, including Yucun Tourism Transfer Center (庾村旅游集散换乘中心), Houwu Tourism Transfer Center (后坞旅游集散换乘中心) and Fatou Tourism Transfer Center (筏头旅游集散换乘中心). The one at Yuncun is the most popular. Those sightseeing coaches can take you travel between Yucun Village and the entrance gate of the scenic area. Inside the scenic area, there are sightseeing buses (CNY 15 per person) can take you to get around (with stops at each attraction site).
No matter you are heading from Shanghai or Hangzhou, we China Discovery are always ready to help! All our tour includes convenient private cars to get from the airport/train station/hotel to the tourist center in Moganshan in direct.
Moganshan Location Map
Yucun Tourism Transfer Center
(庾村旅游集散换乘中心)
Private Car Service
There are two kinds of preferences. Most of the visitors prefer to spend 2 days around to visit the Moganshan Scenic Area, where boasts plenty of beautiful European-style villas, lush bamboo forest and charming historic relics with interesting legends, etc. Staying overnight at one of the beautiful villa inside the scenic area is also included in the tour!
✔ 2 Days Moganshan Relaxing Vacation Tour
Some visitors also choose to take 2 days or one week or so to stay at one of the so many posh resorts and castles outside the scenic area. Such a tour is very expensive but is good taste of "upmarket flavor".
Hangzhou and Shanghai are the best gateways to visit Moganshan. Therefore, visitors also like to spend 2 days around more to visit Moganshan with the beautiful Hangzhou or metropolis Shanghai together.
What's your preference? Please feel free to contact us to customize your own Moganshan Tour!
China Discovery's Tailor-made Tour Package allows you to design your Moganshan tour with your own interests and budgets. No matter you are heading from Shanghai, Hangzhou or anywhere else the world, our professional travel consultants can make perfect itineraries according to your travel plan. We will not only take you close to the beautiful villas, but also add interesting activities like hiking, cycling and bamboo shoot harvesting into your trip. All is customized with your preference and energy. Private car service is also included in the tour, and our driver will escort you from the train station/airport/hotel to Moganshan in ease and convenience. Therefore, you can have a worry-free Moganshan tour! Feel interested? Please feel free to contact us!
Moganshan
Top 3 Moganshan tours chosen by most customers to explore Moganshan in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.
Shanghai / Hangzhou / Suzhou / Shanghai
Hangzhou / Moganshan / Hangzhou
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