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Nanchang,
the capital of Jiangxi Province, is located along
the Ganjiang River.
For
many centuries, it was
a storage and distribution center for the famous porcelain from
nearby Jingdezhen. In
1937, it became famous when on August 1, Zhou Enlai led
an uprising against Chiang Kai-Shek’s
nationalist army at Nanchang before retreating to the nearby
Jinggang Mountains to form
one of the first armed forces of
the Chinese Red Army. Today, the anniversary of the uprising is
celebrated each year in China as the day the
People's Liberation Army was founded.
There are few sites of historical
value or interest in Nanchang. However,
from here, one can take
excursion tours to the famous summer resort, Lushan Mountain, and
China's porcelain capital Jingdezhen.
LUSAHAN MOUNTAIN
RESORT
Lushan is 95 miles north of Nanchang, at the center of an area
covering many scenic spots in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi
River.
Lushan has been praised
for centuries
for its natural beauty. Far back in the Han Dynasty (306 B.C.-330
A.D.), China's great historian, Sima Qian, wrote in his classic, “The
Historical Records”:
“I
mounted Lushan in the south and examined how Yu the Great had dredged
the nine streams.”
It has inspired many poets
and scholars of past dynasties to compose numerous literary
works.
The scenery in the
Lushan tourist area is breathtaking,
and historical relics are abundant. Up in the mountains are towering
peaks, steep gorges, overhanging cliffs and cascading waterfalls. Due to
the surrounding mountains, thick forests, rivers and lakes, Lushan has
long spring and cool summers, which make it a celebrated summer resort.
At the foot of Lushan Mountain lies the biggest freshwater lake in China,
the Poyang Lake, the Shizhongshan Hill and the ancient city of
Jiujiang. All of them possess unique charms.
JINGDEZHEN
Jingdezhen, long hailed as the “capital
of porcelain,”
is 75 miles north of Nanchang.
The
town has a long history, and is listed
as one of the Four Great Towns of ancient China. It covers an
area of 3,031 square miles, and has a population of 611,030.
Porcelain was first
made there during the Han dynasty (306 B.C.-330 A.D.). Since the Tang
Dynasty, the white glazed china produced there had earned the name
“artificial jadeware.” In
the Northern Song Dynasty, officials were assigned by the emperor
to the town to supervise the manufacturing of porcelain for the royal
families, and
Jingde china began
to make its fame abroad. In the following centuries, Jingde
china was sold to many countries across the world.
Since the founding of
the People's Republic in 1949, a major pottery and china industry has
developed.
Jingdezhen, with a mild
and cool climate, is also
an interesting tourist resort. The
town nestles in mountains and is encircled by the Yangzi
River. Visitors
can see lovely lotus blossoming in the Lianhuatang Pond and enjoy the
sweet scent of osmanthus from the Wufengge Pavilion. There is a famous
ancient kiln at Hutian, and an ancient Ming street at the Sanlumiao. The
newly constructed exhibition ground for the display of ancient porcelain
industry, called the Guzhen kiln, is of great interest. The Pottery and
China Pavilion, the Pottery and China College, the Pottery and China
Institute and more than a dozen major china manufacturing works are also
worth visiting.
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