Take a trip to Mt. Lushan
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The Shanghai Expo is approaching. The event will be held from early next May until the end of October. There are many places on the outskirts of Shanghai for expo visitors and participants to go when they want to take a break. In today's "On the Road," we recommend an ideal summer resort—Mount Lushan in Jiangxi Province.
Mount Lushan is located in the city of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, in the central part of China. This prestigious mountain is on the middle-lower Yangtze Plain next to Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China.
Lushan has high peaks and deep valleys and a mountain climate. The average temperature in summer is only 22 degrees Celsius.
The distance between Lushan and Shanghai is about 900 kilometers. It takes 10 hours to get there by train. You can catch an evening train and arrive in picturesque Lushan the next morning.
The sound you are hearing now comes from one of the most famous tourist attractions in Lushan—Sandiequan, or Three Cascades Waterfall. It has been deemed the "the First Wonder in Lushan." There's a saying, "If you don't go to Sandiequan, you're not qualified to visit Lushan."
In the spring, the water, separates into three cascades and falls from a height of 155 meters. It's extremely spectacular. Each fold of this waterfall has its own characteristics. Look up at the third fold, and you'll see the water beads spraying like pearls. Especially in the late spring and early summer during the rainy season, the falls roar like thunder.
Wang Yan is visiting the waterfalls and says he is impressed.
"It's beautiful! At this moment, the water is abundant. It's a popular spot. We're all in good mood. Sandiequan possesses the characteristics of Lushan—grand, peculiar, steep and beautiful!"
Lushan's scenery is charming in all seasons. As early as 1,000 years ago, a poet once portrayed spring in Lushan as the most beautiful season for drizzling rain and peach blossoms.
Dai Jian is the deputy director of Lushan's tourism bureau.
"Spring in Lushan is like a dream and poetry. It's like a moist Chinese landscape painting. The clouds and mist are haunting in Lushan in March and April. The mountains loom in misty clouds, reflecting a filmy beauty. The botanical garden, Brocade Valley, flower path, and Three Cascades Waterfall are among the most ideal places to visit in spring."
Lushan usually welcomes spring in mid- or late April. Bai Juyi, a famous poet during the Tang Dynasty, once visited Lushan with his friends. He climbed to the top of Censer Peak and stayed in the Dalin Temple looking at the blooming peach blossoms. Bai was surprised to see them because at the foot of the mountain, there were no flowers.
So, he wrote, "Now, in the human realm, all fragrant and beautiful flowers have disappeared, but the mountain temple's peach blossoms have just begun to bloom."
Flower Path Park in Lushan opened as part of Bai Juyi's cottage in 1988. In the Flower Path pavilion, the two Chinese characters "Hua Jing," meaning Flower Path, are engraved on a rock. It is said that the poet wrote these two characters. Flowers flourish here in the spring, and the scenery is enchanting.
Chen Kun is another tourist.
"We come here from the hustle and bustle of the city and feel that we're back to nature. Green is all over here—very impressive. And among this green, we also find red spots. That's beautiful!"
There are various kinds of peach blossoms here from late March to early May. More than 3,000 tourists come to Lushan daily during that time to see the peach blossoms. The park has also introduced nearly 10 new peach blossom varieties from elsewhere, such as the precious Green Peach and the Longevity God Peach from Zhejiang and Hunan provinces. Now, these new varieties have been planted on a large scale.
Qian Yifei is the director of Flower Path Park.
"May is the blooming period of the blossoms in Lushan. Since April, the peach blossoms in the park have begun to flourish. Tourists like them. Many swarm into our park to see the blossoms. Last November, we introduced new varieties of flowers, mainly peach blossoms from Zhejiang, Fujian, and Hunan in east and central China."
In late spring and early summer, you cannot miss one place—the Brocade Valley near Flower Path. This beautiful valley is 1.5 kilometers long. Walking along the rock pavement beside the steep cliff, you'll see picturesque and intoxicating scenery.
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