Hai'an and Rugao were among the first places in Nantong where land was formed.

During the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties (c.21st century-256 BC), Hai'an and Rugao belonged to the land of nine non-Chinese tribes (specifically, the Huaiyi tribe).

Yu the Great divided the ancient Chinese territory into nine provinces, in which Hai'an and Rugao were part of Yang province.

From the reign of King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 BC) to the reign of King Yuan of the Zhou Dynasty, Hai'an belonged to the Wu State.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), Hai'an, Rugao and several surrounding counties were collectively called "Haiyang", and present-day Rugao, Hai'an, and Taizhou belonged to the Wu State.

In the third year of the reign of King Yuan of Zhou (473 BC), the Yue state conquered the Wu state, and Hai'an and Rugao became part of the Yue State.

In the 35th year of the reign of King Xian of the Zhou Dynasty (334 BC), the Chu State conquered the Yue State, and Hai'an and Rugao became part of the Yue State.

The earliest written history of Hai'an and Rugao, which recorded the vassals' meeting at Yun (present-day Lifa, Hai'an), dates back to the late Spring and Autumn Period.

Hai'an and Rugao belonged to Hailing county in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bi, prince of Wu State, recruited "the country's wanted men", boiled seawater for salt in Panxi, Rugao, set up the Hailing Granary to the east of Taizhou, and dug the Zhuyu Ditch starting from Guangling Zhuyu Bay (present-day Wantou, Yangzhou) to Hailing Panxi (present-day Tangjia Bay, Rugao).

The sea salt produced was sold through the Zhuyu Ditch to 53 cities in the three prefectures ruled by Liu Bi.

At this time, Hai'an and Rugao still belonged to Hailing county in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

During the Three Kingdoms (220-280) period, the Jianghuai area became a battlefield between the Wei (220-265) and Wu (222-280) dynasties.

In the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Cao Cao abolished Hailing county.

The county was reestablished by Lu Dai of the Wu Dynasty.

Lu Dai (161-256), courtesy name Dinggong, was a famous military general of the state of the Wu Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms.

Lu Dai lived an upright life, and Rugao still has places such as Sima Port and Dasima Road named in his honor.

In the third year of the Kaicheng period ruled by Emperor Wen of the Tang Dynasty (838), accomplished Japanese monk Ennin accompanied the 13th group of Tang envoys to seek Dharma in the west and stayed in China for nine years and seven months.

After he returned to Japan, he wrote Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law, which was regarded as a national treasure of Japan.

The book comprises four volumes. The first volume begins with the travels of Ennin to Rugao via the ancient Hudou Sandbar in Nantong, and provides historical information on mountains, rivers, natural resources, transportation, and people's living conditions at the time.

After entering the mouth of the Yangtze River, his boat was hit by a storm and tidal waves.

He wrote, "There are three mountains in the distance in the south, and I don't know their names."

The "three mountains" are present-day Junshan, Langshan, and Jianshan mountains. At that time, Ma'an Mountain and Huangni Mountain were still submerged in the river.

After being rescued, Ennin and his entourage disembarked at the mouth of the ancient Heng River in Baipu.

Their first stop for seeking Dharma was Juegang Guoqing Temple in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and Ennin stayed in the temple for more than half a month.

As a rare remaining example of Tang and Song (960-1279) dynasty temples from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to the coast, Guoqing Temple is a valuable heritage site of the "Maritime Silk Road."

Editor-in-chief: Yu Lei

Editor: Wang Yun

Photo by Gu Yao

Translated by Wang Haifei from the Shanghai Waiyuan Translation Agency