Xi Shi, named Shi Yiguang, was from Zhuluo (Zhuji, Zhejiang Province) of Kingdom of Yue during the last years of Spring and Autumn period. There were two villages where people with the surname Shi got together at the foot of the Zhuluo Mountain; Shi Yiguang lived in the west (pronounced Xi in Chinese) and thus got the name Xi Shi. Her father made a living by selling firewood and her mother washed clothes for others.

The Kingdom of Wu defeated the Kingdom of Yue in 492 BC. Gou Jian, King of Yue borne the humiliation for the sake of his people, endured hardship and decided to make revenge. Wen Zhong, an official of Yue proposed "nine strategems" for Gou Jian to defeat Wu, the fourth of which is a beauty trap. Fan Li seeked for the beauty everywhere and met Xi Shi at the foot of Zhuluo Mountain. Xi Shi was sent to Wu as a present and she helped Yue secretly to make Gou Jian accomplish the task of defeating Wu and resuming Yue. The story that Xi Shi sacrificed herself for the recovery of her homeland has been prevailing for over 2000 years.

Zhuluo Mountain is 1 km away from Zhuji county and lies along the riverside of Huanjiang (also called Huanshaxi). There is a big square stone, known as "Huanshashi". It is said that Xi Shi washed clothes here and Fan Li also met her by chance here. One day, Wang Xizhi, who lived in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, visited Zhuluo Mountain. He saw the sunset, afterglow and the square stone, which recalled his mixed memories. He was moved by the story of Xi Shi who was entrusted with a mission at a critical moment to sacrifice for the homeland, and then he wrote the everlasting words "Huansha" on the precipice over the big square stone "Huanshashi".

The legend goes that the stone "Huanshashi" had indissoluble bond with Xi Shi. It's said that when Xi Shi went to wash clothes, the stone would sink or float automatically with the depth of water so that she can wash easily to save labor. The clothes she washed were clean and white, soft and bright with fragrance. Then what kind of cloth did Xi Shi wash?

Someone said it was cotton, someone said it was silk, someone held it was "sand" being washed off instead of "cloth" being washed, and others thought it was ramie.

Cotton is imported product. It was introduced into China through Central Asia after Zhang Qian of Western Han Dynasty fulfilled the mission to seek an alliance with peoples in west China. So it was impossible for cotton to appear during the period of spring and autumn. The word "浣" (pronounced Huan in Chinese) means "wash". Silk is bright and white itself so there is no need to wash. Ancient classic books explained the meaning of "Huansha". It was obvious that to wash ramie was most reasonable.

Zhuluo Mountain of Zhuji is among Jinhua mountain system. Ramie is renascent herb growing in the area and is also the raw materials of cloth washed by Xi Shi. The stem of ramie is soft and bright, whose bark could be used to weave cloth or net. The local people of Zhuji plant ramie and wash it to weave cloth. The unique process has been passed from one generation to the next: to peel stem, make it rotten, bleach and dry and bleach and wash again until the ramie becomes yarn white as silk. It was said "the finest ramie cloth made in Zhuji was passed down and woven by Xi Shi." Also at the time when the kingdom of Wu defeated the Kingdom of Yue, the yarn made from ramie was the main tribute that Yue offered to Wu.

A thousand years have passed and so does the beauty Xi Shi. Here is the verse written by the great poet Li Bai, "The beauty Xi Shi of Kingdom of Yue came from Zhuluo Mountain. She was so beautiful that no one could rival her and even the lotus flower would be ashamed compared with her."