| SCENES & SIGHTS
Nanchang
Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, is better known as a
heroic city because of the 1927 Communist-led August 1 Nanchang
Uprising, which marked the birth of the Chinese People's Liberation
Army. The city's sizeable industrial setup consists of iron and
steel, electronics, machine building, auto, tractor, chemical, power,
papermaking and textile industries. Former revolutionary sites mingle
with a rich cultural heritage in this city.
Prince of Teng's Tower
Prince of Teng's Tower, built in 659 in Nanchang, is one of three
major towers south of the Yangtze River whose national fame stems
from the Tang poet Wang Bo's "Introducing Prince of Teng's
Tower". The tower as it stands today is a 57.5-metrehigh reinforced
concrete structure built in 1985 in Tang and Song architectural
styles. Soaring from amidst the lush foliage of trees to the clouds
in a most elegant fashion, its multiple layers of eaves curving
gracefully like so many wings, the building commands a most breathtaking
view of the picturesque surroundings.
Jiangxi
History Museum
The History Museum of Jiangxi covers an area of 4 hectares in Nanchang.
Collected in its various buildings, totalling 26, 000 square metres
in floor space, are 15,000 or so revolutionary relics and some 100,000
historical and cultural artefacts-pottery, bronze ware, calligraphic
works and paintings, ancient books and documents, local gazetteers,
stone tablet rubbings, and whatnot. Among those on display are 600
exquisite pieces of porcelain.
Bada Shanren's Studio
This studio, situated at Qingyunpu in south Nanchang, showcases
calligraphic works and paintings by Bada Shanren, a Ming abstract
painter whose real name was Zhu Da. On the premises are the tomb
of the painter and a garden graced with a tiny bridge, gurgling
stream, old trees, and bamboo groves.
Lushan Mountain
Lushan
Mountain is an important national scenic and summer resort. In 1996
it was endorsed as world cultural heritage site. Towering over Yangtze
River in the south of Jiujiang on one side, and Poyang Lake on another,
the mountain is linked with Nanchang by a 100-km expressway. Since
ancient times Lushan has been frequented by famous men of letters,
who have left a wealth of cultural heritage. Altogether there are
474 scenic spots in 12 scenic areas. The beauty of Lushan Mountain
is attributed to its exotic peaks and mysterious caves, cascading
waterfalls and gurgling springs, ancient temples and stele forest,
and buildings that seem to be suspended in midair. "The waterfalls
of Lushan is famous under heaven", as one saying goes. "The
beauty of Lushan is unmatched under heaven," goes another.
It is a religious sanctuary, as well as a centre of education, culture
and politics. China's first subtropical mountain botanical garden
was built there. In the 1920s, Lushan became the summering centre
of the ruling Kuomintang Party, which left quite a few historical
sites there. The mountain today is equipped with a complete array
of tourist facilities. Transportation is made convenient by airports
at Nanchang and Lushan. Lushan is also a terminal on the Beijing-Kowloon
Railway. A highway extends directly to the centre of Lushan-Guling
Town.
Longhu Mountain
Longhu (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain is a national scenic resort 20km
to the south ern suburbs of Yingtan. Clustered along the bewitching
Luxi River are a series of scenic spots, which can be observed by
rafting down the river. Coffins are seen suspended on some cliffs
by the river. As the domain of the Zhengyi sect of Taojism, Longhu
Mountain is visited by a constant stream of pilgrims.
Jinggang
Mountains
Jinggang Mountains, sitting astride Hunan and Jiangxi provinces,
is a national scenic place in China. So many revolutionary sites,
monuments, and museums indicate that Jinggangshan was a cradle of
Chinese revolution. The mountains, looking majestic, breathtaking,
and graceful, are excellent for sightseeing, summering and recuperating.
The back of the Chinese banknote with a 100-yuan denomination is
printed with a picture of Wuzhi, the major peak of Jinggang Mountains.
Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen, China's capital of porcelain-making industry, used to
be known as Changnan and Xinping. During the Jingde reign (1004-1007)
of the Song, the quality porcelains made by local artisans drew
the attention of Emperor Zhenzong, who designated them for imperial
use and had the wording "Made during the Jingde Reign"
printed on the bottom of every piece of porcelain made there. Hence
the name, Jingdezhen. A 1,700-year-old history in the making of
porcelain has pockmarked the land of he city with ancient kilns,
and nurtured a distinctive folklore. Avisit to the place never fails
to become a most rewarding experience. Panlong Town in the west
of the city is the site of the Jingdezhen Porcelain Museum, whose
cluster of Ming and Qing buildings and Ming porcelain-making kilns
capture exactly the essence of the local cultural heritage.
Sanqing Mountain
Sanqing (Pure Trinity) Mountain is another national scenic resort
in northeast Jiangxi Province. Exotic-looking rock prominences are
the forte of this resort, which is also graced with running springs
and cascading waterfalls and historical sites of Taoism. Transportation
has been vastly improved, and there are a complete line of facilities,
as the resort is fast emerging as a key tourist destination in Jiangxi.
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