left-overs from Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644)
(Shanghai Daily December 21, 2004; trips March 12 and April 16)
with all the help I got from my driver Wang
Wai Gang Dun | Fēng Tai Bei Dun | Feng Tai Nan Dun | Gao Ni Dun | He Zuo Shan | Qin Jia Dun | Da Chang Dun | Hu Lu Wan Dun | Xiao Guan Dun | Yan Dun | Huang Dun | Fen Shui Dun
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"Dūn" is a dialectal term in Chinese, usually referring to a large, cylindrical-shaped object. In English, it can be translated as "mound" or "hillock," indicating a small hill or mound.
More normal is the word "Fēnghuǒ tái" (烽火台), as can be seen in the names of the beacons below.
Wen Juzhen, a retired worker has devoted his life to finding the military beacon towers, or Fēnghuǒ dūn (烽火墩), that used to dot the countryside around Shanghai more than 1,000 years ago [Zhao Feifei in Shanghai Daily December 21, 2004]
 On December 21, Shanghai Daily brought an article about "Fēnghuǒ dūn" (烽火墩) or Beacon Towers: as rediscoverd by Wen Juizhen. The article also included a map which my driver and me used to find these places. On the map the dots, indicating the Fēnghuǒ dūn (烽火墩) can be clicked to see the results of our re-discovery tours.  | ||
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Wai Gang Dun is unfortunately flattened to make place for a local shopping center in the middle of a small township | ||
Fēng Tai Bei [North Fēng Tai] still exists next to some farmhouses....  | ||
.... and even seems to be protected by a sign "Not to be removed" | ||
It is just visible from the road, if you know where to look | ||
Fēng Tai Nan [South Fēng Tai] is used to put a kind of "modern" aviation beacon on, which already is out of use it seems  | ||
Gao Ni Dun, still visible on the photo in the Shanghai Daily, made way for a new road some years ago, according to some neigbouring farmers | ||
He Zuo Shan, or Hecha Hill as per the Shanghai Daily is now barely visible behind a wall, under a "pillbox" almost on the crossroads in a small township, along a busy road, not far from the Philips Lamp factory Philips-Yaming.  | ||
On the Pillbox is a stone tablet with the name of "He Zuo Shan" engraved, which possibly protects the hill from totally disappearing  | ||
Qin Jia Dun is found in a kind of park that seems either still under construction or already abandonned again.  | ||
According to the local farmers, the hill used to be bigger. Seen with driver Wang it indeed is not that big  | ||
Da Chang Dun used to be in the carner of a park, surrounding the new buildings of Shanghai University, but has been recently flattened | ||
Hu Lu Wan Dun is the only hill we found back substancially grown. Actually a waste soil mountain was made on top of it, according the nearby district officer  | ||
Xiao Guan Dun has not been searched for by us yet | ||
Yan Dun used to be there a long time ago, then had a small Buddhist shrine and drew pelgrims, but now all that's left are some memories and a piece of flat land  | ||
Huang Dun just as Fēng Tai Nan, is used to put an aviation beacon in the old days.  | ||
Unlike Fēng Tai Nan it is almost flattened though and on the compound of a Country Club.  | ||
Fen Shui Dun disappeared in what seems to be a new setup of water and land-fill  | ||
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