Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Daliancheng Scenic Area

Daliancheng Scenic Area is located about 1.5 kilometers away from Pingxiang City. It was once used to be the command center for the military affairs. On the mountains around Daliancheng, there are 8 medium-sized cannons which are just like the united annular Great Wall. So it is also called “the natural barrier of the united Great Wall”. 
In the valleys, there are large-scale magnificent architectural complex, including the Drillground, Ordnance Bureau, Celebration Palace, the Residence, the Ancient Opera Stage, Wusheng Temple, the Mammon Temple, the Kitchen God Temple, the ordinary shops, stores and four wells of different purposes. On August, 1981, Daliancheng Site was appraised as the important protection unit of cultural relic of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. At present, it becomes a tourist resort with unique characteristics.
Inside Daliancheng Scenic Area, there is a White Jade Cave with stalactites as white as polished jade. White Jade Cave ranks first among the top 8 beautiful scenery of Pingxiang. The White Jade Cave consists of the upper cave, the middle cave and the lower cave which are passable to each other. It can hold thousands of people. Fantastically shaped stones and rocks of various varieties abound in the cave and there are also reception rooms and rooms for resting.
After the Sino-French War, the famous general Su Yuanchun of the late Qing Dynasty made Daliancheng as his command center and the White Jade Cave was his residence and office. Besides, the cave was also the place for beating the heat. In the cave, there were Su Yuanchun’s inscriptions. The top of the cave is very flat and there are numerous holes which are just like the footprints of elephants. According to the legend, it is said that said that celestials riding elephants once went into the cave.
The spectacular natural landscape of the cave has been glorified in Chinese stories and poetry written by many poets who had been there. The beautiful natural scenery, the stalactites of a variety of forms and the beautiful legends made White Jade Cave become more and more famous, attracting an increasing number of tourists from home and abroad every year.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Mount Meiling

Meiling Mountain Scenic Spot lies in the west suburb area of Nanchang, famous for its sheer peaks, grotesque rocks, cascading waterfalls and clear lakes. Meiling Mountain was originally called Feihong Mountain. As early as the beginning of Han Dynasty, there was post-road in the mountain. In the end of West Han Dynasty, Mei Fu, the governor of Nanchang County, fought against the autocracy of Wang Mang and receded to Feihong Mountain. To remember his loyalty, people built up Mei Immortal Altar high in the mountain, Mei Immortal Temple at the foot the mountain and changed the mountain name to Mei Moutain.
In the early Han Dynasty, the natural beauty made Meiling Mountain a sightseeing place of some note, and attracted people from nearby villages. For centuries, their reputations spread far and wide, bringing lots poets and writers. During the Tang Dynasty, it reached the height of its development. The most famous and popular sites of this spot are Hongya Well, Autumn View of West Hill, Tongyuan Waterfull, Rice Terrace and Waterwheel.
Covers an area of 150 square meters, its forest coverage is up to 67%, during the summer time, the average temperature there is around 22, thus this spot is a natural oxygen supply point and superb summer resort. Meiling Mountain is also a holy ground for both Buddhism and Taoism. There are 136 sites of religious constructions built within its area and actually, it is the cradle-land of Jingming School of Taoism and the 12th fascinating place for Taoists.   
As one of the eight famous temples in Shanxi province, Cui Yan Temple had a 4.8 meters tall bronze Buddha, 2.4 meters tall bronze lotus stand, as well as bronze bottles, bronze incense burners and an iron pan for thousand monks. Famous monk Guan Xiu in Tang Dynasty once lived in Yutang Temple, where he wrote 24 poems. Near Taiping Temple, which was originally a famous temple for Daoism, there is a one-thousand-year old gingko which is 30 meters tall, measuring 7.5 meter round the chest while 6 adults together can put their arms around it. Located on the peak of the mountain, the stone house of the Ziyang Palace still exists today. It had been visited by Dengyu, one of the founding fathers of East Han. Near the palace, there are Deng Immortal Hole and Zhenjun Tomb.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Monday, June 1, 2015

Nanchang Bayi (August 1st) Uprising Memorial Hall

Memorial Hall to August 1st Nanchang Uprising is a national protected unit. This building was used to be a local hotel called "Jiangxi Great Hostel". In late July 1927, the 96 guestrooms of the Jiangxi Grand Hotel in Nanchang were booked by a group of Communist troops planning the uprising that was to result in the takeover of the city from Kuomintang control. During their stay at the hotel, the troops established the Front Committee of the Communist Party of China with Zhou Enlai as its secretary. The Front Committee used the hotel as its headquarters and held several meetings there in subsequent years. Consequently it is thought of by many as the birthplace of the People's Liberation Army.

In 1957, the hotel was converted into the August 1st Nanchang Uprising Memorial Museum, memorializing this pivotal point in China's history and preserving many of the most important rooms in the building. The title of the memorial hall was written by marshal Chen Yi. In 1997, the Memorial Hall was chosen as one of the one hundred national model bases of patriotic education. Jiang Zeming, the Secretary-general of the Central Committee of CPC, wrote the words "the first army flag rose here" to the memorial hall. Points of interest inside the museum include the Assembly Hall where the Committee was first formed, Zhou Enlai's work room, Lin Boqu's study and the bedrooms of the 1st Division Guards of the 20th Army. The history of the time is explained through documents, photographs, charts and drawings.
 
While devoted to the collecting and research of the collections, the memorial hall also did some repair and face-lifting to the site of command center as well as some updating and improvement to the exhibition. Combining sound, light and electricity, a big sand table is used to show the battle of the August 1 Uprising. Multimedia is used to tell the story of "Zhu De's Strategy". By the modern methods of electric chart, painting and sculpture, the exhibition has been enriched. New displays combining with restored ones, the whole exhibition is more vivid and effective. The stone inscription "the first army flag rose here" wrote by Jiang Zeming at the eve of 70th anniversary of the army is used as the prelude of the exhibition, which is impressive to the visitors.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Badashanren Memorial Hall

Completed in 1959, Badashanren Memorial Hall is the first memorial hall of an ancient painter. Located on the bank of Mei Lake in Nanchang City and occupying an area of seven acres, it is a national key cultural relics protection unit. The memorial hall aims to commemorate a famous painter named Badashanren (former Zhu Da) in Ming Dynasty. Embodying the function of collection, displaying, research and publicity, it has abundant collections. The original palace hall has been changed to be exhibition hall to systematically display the works and historical data of Badashanren as well as the excellent works of masters nowadays.
Zhu Da was the descendant of Zhu Quan, the son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in Ming Dynasty. Affected by the perdition of Ming Dynasty, he became a monk at first, turned to a Taoist later, and then secularized himself. Zhu Da was a famous painter and calligrapher in Qing Dynasty. His masterpieces Ink Lotus, Pine and Crane House, Eagle Standing in Trees and Deer are exhibited in the memorial hall. Some masterpieces of Niu Shihui such as Cat and Chicken are also exhibited here.
The north part is the artworks exhibition hall. With a modern and abstract architectural style, it is used to display the paintings of Badashanren. The west is Badashanren Research Center, also known as Zaifushanfang. It is used for art research and communication. There provides thoughtful, and modern museum, leisure and cultural services for visitors.
 
The south part of the memorial hall is a monastery called Qingyunpu. Qingyunpu is a typical ancient garden of south China. According to legend, Wang Ziijn, the son the Emperor Lin in Zhou Dynasty, practiced alchemy here. In the end of Han Dynasty, Mei Fu, the governor of Nanchang County quit his job as an official and lived a peaceful life here. The later generations built Mei Immortal Temple to offer sacrifices to him. Now it is used to display the life experience and art style of Badashanren.
 
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Wugongshan (Mount Wugong) Scenic Area

Located in Pingxiang City of Jiangxi, province, the Wugongsahn Scenic Area covers an area of 360 square kilometers, and is about 150 km. long. The Wugong Mountain is one of the three famous mountains in South China. The Wugongshan Scenic Area was promoted to national geopark status in 2005. Sub-alpine meadows, waterfalls and rare plants make the mountain the most famous attraction in Jiangxi province.
Most of the mountain is in western and central Jiangxi Province, extending from Yichun in Jiangxi Province to Chaling in Hunan Province. It mainly consists of granite and gneiss, and its elevation varies between 1,000 and 1,500 meters, with its main peak, Crane Peak (Golden Summit), at 1,918.3 meters above sea level. Wugong Mountain has dozens of peaks with a height of over 1,000 meters, all of which show different patterns and different shapes.
The mountain has distinctive natural beauty, with steep hills, dense forests and many streams, as well as religious monuments. It is known for three fantastic sights, namely Wanda waterfalls, the alpine meadow and the ancient altars on the Golden Summit. Wugong Mountain is also a natural zoological and botanical garden. An enormous number of exquisite flowers, trees and rare animals can be found here, including tragopan, South China tigers, macaques, sambars, silver pheasants and giant salamanders. A forest of ginkgo trees is also on the mountain, with the largest one reaching 24.5 meters, with a diameter of 3.63 meters and as a history of about 1000 years.
Main Attractions
The Seven-Color Waterfall
Seven-color waterfall lies in Wanglong Mountain. It s a natural lesser waterfall of five to six meters high, seven to eight meters wide and about 25 cm deep, formed by water conservancy drops. One can have a touch of the water and have a relax. Several huge stones divide it into many small pools one after another.
The white-Crane Taoist Temple
The white-Crane Taoist Temple lies on the White-Crane Peak of Jinding Tourist Zone. It was built in the 60th year of Kangxi Period of Qing Dynasty. Until now, it still keeps the Taoist flavor of primitive simplicity.
Taoist Convent
Taoist Convent lies in Jinding Tourist Zone. According to the written history, it was once a hall whose roof was constructed with copper tiles. At the end of Ming Dynasty, it was moved here, its walls were made of stones and the roof was made of iron tiles, which covered a land of 5,400 sq km. Up till now, it has been under renovation several times.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Friday, May 29, 2015

Yangqi Mountain

Yangqi Mountain lies in Shangli Country, Pingxiang City of Jiangxi Province. With a height of 1000 meters, Yangqi Mountain in Shangli County is provincial key scenic spot combined natural scenery with religious and cultural landscape together, boasting its moderate weather and beautiful scenic wonders. It was the birthplace of the Yangqi Sect, one of seven sects of Zen in Buddhism. At present, Yangqi Temple has been inscribed into the list of 24 provincial scenic spots in Jiangxi province.
It was once called Wngling Mountain and Lushan Mountain. It is said that in the Warring States Period, a famous philosopher named Yangzhu lost his way when facing the crossroad of the mountain, so it was called Yangqi Mountain in the name of him. Yangqi Mountain is secluded with wonderful spectacles with verdant mountains, wandering brooks and streams and precipitous cliffs. In the history of peasantry revolution in modern history, Yangqi Mountain was a splendorous red base. The most famous attractions in the scenic spots are Putong Temple and Yilong Cave.
Yangqi Putong Temple was built in the flourishing period of Tang Dynasty. It’s the courtyard of the founder of the Yangqi branch, a sub-sect of Linji Scet (one of the Chan Sect of Buddhism in China). It’s located at the foot of Shoutao Peak of Yangqishan Mountain, 10 kilo miles away from the county town. The whole area is 7,000 sq km, of which 3,000 sq km is occupied by the construction.
Yangqi Putong Temple was first called Guangli Monastery. In the 12th year of Tianbao Period of Tang Dynasty (753), it was built under the advocacy of Chengguang Abbot. Then he was inherited by Zhenshu Abbot. Under Zhenshu Abbot’s Advocacy meditation hall and Buddhist monastery were newly built and enlarged in the Dali Period of Tang Dynasty. In its heyday times, there were hundreds of monks here. Surrounded by green hills, the resplendent and magnificent Yangqi Temple has an air of great antiquity and solemnity. There are ancient pagodas and cypress trees towering towards sky. From Tang Dynasty to Ming and Qing Dynasties, a continuous flow of men and women went to burn joss sticks and candles in spring or on the birthday of Buddhism every year.
Yilong Cave is a natural limestone cave formed 180,000,000 years ago. The cave stretches as long as 4,200 meters, with meandering streams at the bottom. The streams make the cave more vivid. When the water flows across the flat section, the stream is as calm as floating jade belt. When it meets the fault, it drops down thunderously. Through the rock cracks crystal spring water gushes out continuously. It’s a tourist resort and sample depository of the natural karsts topography with many sights.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Mountain Sanqing----- One of the Top Five Beautiful Mountains in China

Mount Sanqing is a renowned Taoist sacred mountain located 25 miles (40 km) north of Yushan County in Jiangxi Province, with outstanding scenery. Sanqing means the "Three Pure Ones" in Chinese as Mount Sanqing is made up of three main summits: Yujing, Yushui, and Yuhua, representing the Taoist trinity. Mount Sanqing has been classified as a national park of China. It is a famous honey pot as well as a shelter for animals and plants. It contains more than 2300 species of plants and 400 species of vertebrates. The total area of Mount Sanqing is 229 km². It became a National Geopark in 2005 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
As early as the ancient time, the Sanqingshan Mountain enjoys a special reputation known as “the only blessed place of the world cut from the hustle and bustle; and the first fairy mountain of South Yangtze River towering into the clouds”. Mr. Paul, the President of the National Park Foundation of the U.S., remarked that: "Mountain Sanqingshan is one of the few essences and the treasure of the world". Chinese National Geography recommended it as one of the "top five beautiful mountains in China" and geologists from China and America all agree that it has "the most spectacular granite along the verge of western pacific ocean".
Sanqing Mountain has been a sacred place for Taoists since a visit by the alchemists Ge Yun and Ge Hong during the East Jin Dynasty (317 A.D. - 420 A.D.). The man who first built a Taoist temple at the foot of Sanqing Mountain was a descendant of Wang Jian, a prefecture chief in Xinzhou during the Tang Dynasty. During the period of Emperor Tang Xizong, Wang Jian received the emperor's order to mollify the people of the region during an uprising. Once he reached the north foot of Sanqing Mountain, he marveled at the scenery so much that he finally brought his family to live there.
During the Song Dynasty, his descendant Wang Lin invested to build Taoist temples, making Sanqing Mountain a major destination for Taoists. In the period of the Jingtai emperor, during the Ming Dynasty, the descendant of Wang Lin – Wang Hu – continued with large-scale construction and rebuilt Sanqing Palace. Throughout the mountain there are temples, pavilions, carved stones, statues, gates and bridges, with a total number of more than 200 relics.
The scenic spot covers an area of 84.89 square miles (220 square km), of which 27.41 square miles (71 square km) is the main scenic area. The three peaks Yujing, Yuxu, Yuhua looks like three divine spirits Yuqing, Shangqing and Taiqing of Taoism resting in a row, hence the name Mountain Sanqingshan. It combines the beauty of Huangshan Mountain, the spectacular of E'mei Mountain, the nimbus of Lushan Mountain and the steepness of Huashan Mountain in one, thereafter displaying a unique quality.
The granite landforms are the most valued component of Sanqingshan landscape. Mountain Sanqingshan has plentiful granite morphological landscape resource, picturesque meteorological landscape resource, ecological landscape resources, rare plant and animal resources as well as landscape resources of lakes and waterfalls and Taoism culture. Visitors can see the pictographic stone landscape here, lifelike natural sculptures, such as the Oriental Goddess, Gigantic Boa, Colorful Screen at Ninth Heaven, Thousands of Peaks Competing for the Best, Three Dragons Rushing to Sea and Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) Enjoys Music. Visitors may also enjoy various special meteorological phenomena, of which the most important ones are: Cloud Sea, Cloud Waterfall, Sanqing Divine Light, Five Colors Road in the Clouds, and Meteor Showers. During winter, you can experience another landscape type, mountain blanketed in snow. Mountain Sanqingshan has been an important spiritual center for Taoism, an ancient religious culture unique to China. The historic Taoist stone structures, such as Sanqing Temple, Dragon and Tiger Palace and Wind and Storm Pagoda remain important relics of the Taoism culture.
 
Mountain Sanqingshan presents a stunning array of natural beauty combining primeval landscapes and pristine flora. Few, if any, other world sites can rival it in terms of grandeur and majesty of Mother Nature. Come and visit, you will find it a special and beautiful place, not only for China, but also to the world.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Fairy Lake Scenic Resort

Covering an area of 198 kilometers (76 square miles) in total, Fairy Lake Scenic Resort is located 16 kilometers southwest of the suburb of Xinyu city, Jiangxi province. It is a famous lake-type national scenic area and Asia's largest gene pool for subtropical varieties of trees. The scenic area is a collection of karst caves, elegant islands and ancient towns, tombs and stone inscriptions. In total, it is divided into five principal scenic zones: Wulong Lake, Zhongshan Valley, Qianyang Lake, Dagang Mountain, Jiulong (Nine-dragon) Bay.
The name of the lake came from a famous legend. A long time ago, seven bird faries in feather clothes were looking for their dreamed paradise. When they flew over Fairy Lake, they were immediately drawn to the scenery and transformed into beautiful maids upon landing. Then they took off the feather clothes and a handsome young man caught sight of them. He was instantly attracted. He quietly hid one of their feather suits and then went over to them fervor. Upon seeing him, the fairies quickly put on feather clothes and rose to the sky. Yet the one without the feather suit could not fly away. When she realized she was in a hopeless situation she also noticed the handsome boy. Then they fell in love with each other and got married, lived happily ever after.
With vegetation coverage of more than 95 percent, Fairy Lake Scenic Resort has very beautiful scenery. There are also many splendid historical and cultural heritages around here. With more than 300 ancient cultural sites, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, ancient stone carvings, former revolutionary sites, and display of specimen collections from nearly ten thousand pieces of cultural relics. Two sites dating back to Paleolithic period 200 thousand years ago, 10 neolithic sites, around 70 Shang and Zhou dynasties sites, and six sites from the Spring and Autumn Period have been discovered.
The most popular scenic spot here is Love Island. Love Island covers an area of more than 7 square meters. Taking the love culture as the leading, this island aims to create love heaven for lovers all over the world. There are there are a “Grand View Garden" of wedding, which shows different wedding customs around the world; the biggest wedding photography base in Asia, and many beautiful churches.
For those like Chinese food, Fairy Lake Scenic Resort is a good choice for visiting. Fairy Lake teems with wild fishes, which makes a lot of delicious dishes. In addition, honey, sweet tea and rice wine also attract tourists to taste.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum

Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum is the first ceramic-themed museum in China. Located in the Panlongshan, the western suburb of Jingdezhen City in Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum covers a total area of 830,000 square meters. It was built in 1979 and officially opened on October 1, 1984.
This ceramics museum has collected over 5,000 items of historical relics. Around 100 items are Class One relics, most of which are products of government porcelain kilns, the porcelains left from the Yuan Dynasty and the samples showing the processing technique of the celadon of the Yuan Dynasty. The celadon pillow with the pattern of dragon and tiger left from the Song Dynasty combines the technique of piercing and picking-up; the celadon vase with the pattern of plums left from the Yuan Dynasty is one of the best among the celadon products left from the Yuan Dynasty; and the celadon big plate, 72 cm in diameter, with the pattern of a sea animal, is a special product produced from the imperial porcelain kiln at that time.
In addition to the wide variety of articles in the exhibition, the beautiful antique architecture of the museum attracts tourists too. The antique architecture is in two parts: Ming Garden and Qing Garden. The 'Wangbo Residence' in Ming Garden is a house in the typical Hui style. The two most representative buildings in Qing Garden are the 'Yuhuantang', a memorial temple in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and the 'Dafu Residence', meaning a residence for scholars in the Qing Dynasty. The two gardens are composed of ancient kiln-workshops, ancient kilns, and ancient structures that were originally scattered throughout Jingdezhen City but have now been collected here by the government.
Near the Qing Garden are a group of kiln-workshops in which the ceramics are manufactured. Tourists can not only watch the manufacturing process and appreciate the elaborate techniques, but also experience the process themselves. Visitors can buy any beautiful ceramic works they like.
Nowadays, it has become the most famous cultural tourist attractions in Jingdezhen. October is the best time to visit Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum, for the annual "Jingdezhen National Ceramic Festival" begins on October 12th and lasts for one month.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Monday, May 25, 2015

Ancient Sanlu Temple Street

Jingdezhen is a world-renowned porcelain metropolis. It has a porcelain making history of over 1700 years, which has been crystallized into it's rich cultural tradition of ceramics, rare ceramic relics, superb ceramic craftsmanship, unique ceramic customs, graceful performance of ceramic musical instruments and beautiful rural scenery make up the peculiar tourist culture of Jingdezhen, and hence make Jingdezhen the only Chinese tourist city featuring ceramic culture.
Ancient Sanlu Temple Street is a famous scenic spot in Jingdezhen City. In ancient times, Sanlu Temple street used to be the bustling wharf in Jingdezhen, along which large numbers of merchant ships moored. It is located on the west bank of the Chang River, in the center of Jingdezhen. It is a famous street in China, renowned for its long history and beautiful traditions that come from its ancient culture. It is composed of three parts each of which fully reflects its prosperous past and its important position as a transportation center: Ming Street, Qing Street and the Old Pier.
Ming Street was established in the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368) and is about 90 meters (about 295 feet) long and 3 meters (about 9.8 feet) wide. This arch-shaped street is paved with blue bricks, which are put together and arranged in the shape of turtle shells. From a distance it seems as if crowds of tortoises are creeping toward the pier from the village. The old buildings flanking the sides of the street are, like the rest of the street, very well preserved and have survived through more than 600 years of political and other historical changes. These Ming Dynasty buildings are now listed in the major protected heritage areas of Jindezhen because of their architectural and historical value.
Qing Street was established in the Qing Dynasty (1368-1644) and is much longer and wider than the Ming Street. It is 231 meters (about 758 feet) long and about 4 meters (about 13 feet) wide and is paved with long blue flagstones. The ruts on the stones were created by the old-fashioned wheelbarrows that were in common use in the past. This was a very prosperous commercial area during the Qing Dynasty and the shops, teahouses and residences along side of the street are well preserved. In the 1990's there was a rebuilding project which added some modern buildings to the street and they live side-by-side with the buildings of the past. Here is yet another place in China where the modern and the ancient come together to serve the present.
This charming Old Pier is made up of three layers of blue stones. Since the Ming Dynasty it has been an important pier for ferries. From here the exquisitely beautiful and fancy porcelains of Jingdezhen were transported to important homes across China and around the world. This is a pier that can meet the requirements of transportation during any season. While we take this as commonplace now, it was very uncommon 700 years ago. This pier was unique for its time and even now. Located on this ancient pier is the famous Sanlumiao Temple that was established to memorialize the great poet, Qu Yuan.
Finally, not to be missed on Jingdezhen Old Street are several well-maintained residences, most of which were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. These exquisitely designed and decorated residences were clearly the elite residences of their time and demonstrate the highest skills and architectural knowledge of Chinese artisans of their eras. Visiting these residences offers a unique view into the philosophical and artistic sensibilities of Chinese culture during their time.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Mt. Jinggang-----Revolutionary Based Area

Brief Introduction
Mt. Jinggang is located on the common boundary of Jiangxi Province and Hunan Province, 352 kilometers (about 219 miles) southwest from the capital city - Nanchang. The mountain areas have a high center that is surrounded by a somewhat lower level and between them they present two obvious steps. At the point that these steps are divided the relative height is 500 meters (about 1640 feet).
It was here that the famous Five Sentries (the five Red Army military strongholds built) stood overlooking the difficult terrain. Another feature of the area is the many well-shaped basins among the ridges. It was these natural indentations that gave the mountain its name of Jing, meaning well and gang, meaning ridge - hence 'Jinggang'. It covers a fairly wide area but it is possible to arrange for a car to carry you to the various separate sites of interest. These are not far from each other and the cost, which can be negotiated, will be reasonable.

Base of the Red Army
The Jinggang Mountains is known as the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army, predecessor of the People's Liberation Army and the "cradle of the Chinese revolution". This mountain has great significance in the annals of modern Chinese history for it was here that important events during the Chinese revolution took place. For those who are interested in the history of the revolution, it is possible to take a tour on Mt. Jinggang that the people who against great odds struggled to establish the Peoples' Republic of China.
Mt. Jinggang is famous for the fact that it was here that forces led by Zhu De joined those headed by Mao Zedong. Together, the combined forces of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) marched on to a victory that was to establish the new China under the Chairmanship of Mao Zedong. The mountain with its special features is quite different from the other sights, which makes a visit so rewarding.

Tourism
Jinggang Mountain is rich in natural resources. With a forest coverage rate of 64%, more than 3,800 different plants grow here, including over 30 rare tree species and over 20 rare animal species. Owing to its rich resource of animals, a nature reserve of 16.6 square kilometers was established here by the state in 1981. The mountain was selected as one of the key national scenic spots in 1982. Major scenic spots in the mountain include Five-Fingers (Wuzhi) Peak, Dragon-Pond (Longtan) waterfall, Huangyang Jie , and Ci Ping.
The first site of interest is Five-Fingers (Wuzhi) Peak; this is the highest in the Jinggang mountain range. The peak has the appearance of five extended fingers, hence its name. The steep peak extends in an imposing way from southeast to northwest. There is no path on which to climb and the unspoiled virgin forest on the mountain is almost without any trace of human beings. Tourists may climb up to the Sightseeing Platform opposite, which is the best view point for seeing its majestic appearance. The Mt. Jinggang River twists and turns as it races through this valley. On the mountainside, and visible from a long distance, is a large waterfall that appears like a thin silk veil hanging from the sky. Five-Fingers Peak is now the nature reserve of Jiangxi Province.
The next site is the Dragon-Pond (Longtan) waterfalls also referred to as the Five-Dragon-Pond. When you enter this area long before you catch sight of the falls, you will hear the thunder-like roar of the water. Upper most is the Jade Waterfall that drops down to the green and limpid Jade Pond. The second is Lock-Dragon-Waterfall which spews out from the yellow cliff top into the Golden-Lock-Pond. The flow of water is not large but it is famed for what appears like a dragon trapped in it. The next are Pearl Waterfall and Pearl Pond. The waterfall rushes down from a 30 meter (about 99 feet) high cliff and is caught in its path by a large rock that causes the water to break into thousands of pearl-like droplets that glisten in the bright sunshine, hence its name. The forth are the Flying-Phoenix-Waterfall and Flying-Phoenix-Pond. At the bottom are the Maiden-Waterfall and Maiden-Pond.
Huangyang Jie is one of the five famous sentries. The well-known Defence of Huangyang Jie happened here and Mao Zedong's poem-Xijiang Moon was written to commemorate it. The old residences of the Red Army leaders remain here and many stories about the revolutionary period have come down to us. A trench is also preserved and many tourists put on Red Army attire to be photographed near the trench as a souvenir. Some of the old equipment is kept there as well as the tools and materials used to make currency. Some Silver dollars (Yinyuan) were unearthed when the mint was restored and in the Currency Museum you can see these coins that were minted by the Red Army.
Ciping, the center of the Mt. Jinggang area and red revolution base of China, is the place where many sights can be seen. Ciping is a mountain city and was the location of the highest leading department of the Mt. Jinggang revolutionary base. Now many places of interest in connection with the revolution can be seen here. Among these are the Mt. Jinggang Revolution Museum, the Tower of the Revolutionary Martyrs and military statues. Mt. Jinggang Revolution Museum was established here in 1959. The museum uses modern techniques of sound, light and models to illustrate the important events of the revolution. The main natural beauties in this area are the Southern Mountain Park in south Ciping and the Yicui Garden. On the way to the mountaintop there are five kiosks. There is a pentagon exhibition hall on the mountaintop decorated with the statuary of workers, peasants and soldiers.
The famous Monument and Memorial to the joining of Forces on Mt. Jinggang is situated in the Dragon-city (Longshi) area, southwest of Huangyang Jie. The monument commemorates the achievement of Mao Zedong and Zhu De. The five exhibition rooms present the important event in Chinese history to visitors. The monument is 19.28 meters (about 21.1 yards) high, 5 meters (about 5.5 yards) long and 4 meters (about 4.4 yards) wide which indicates the date of join forces-May 4th, 1928. The two sides of the monument are inlaid with red marble, symbolizing two oriflammes, depicting the successful meeting of the two forces on Mt. Jinggang.
Mt. Jinggang has an indispensable place in Chinese revolutionary history and offers a good insight into the history of the Chinese revolution. However, this is not only a Red Army tourist spot but is also an area of natural beauty that offers you plenty of scope for relaxation.
For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com