Lushan and Jingdezhen (Part 2 of 13 Days Tour)

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We finally headed to World Heritage Site Lu Shan on the 5th day. The mountain was still covered in snow after the snowing few days ago. Along the way up the mountain, we were asked to alight from the bus to allow the driver to put chains on the wheels to give it more grip on the frozen road. We took the chance to take photo of the winter landscape. Our first stop was to visit the provision shop to buy the “spikes” to put on our shoes to prevent slipping then start a trekking towards a cave called Immortal Cave or “xian ren dong” which has became part of a temple. The walkway was frozen so the trek was slow but we enjoyed the winter landscape along the trek. After the track, we had a bus ride to visit site where 3 key national meeting were held in 1959, 1961 and 1970. The site had been maintained in the original meeting setting. The other building next to it is the Anti-Japanese War museum. The next destination after lunch was the 1286m high Hanpokou which is directly opposite 2 of the peak of Mt Lu. The scenery and sea cloud is spectacular and there is a spot at the peak where Chairman Mao had taken a photo. Today, this spot had been commercialized and you can take photo at the spot where the cameraman will direct you to pose like Chairman Mao. The last stop before going back to Jiujiang was a visit to the Lushan Museum that shows the geographical and cultural history of Lushan. The place where Chairman Mao had stayed when he was there was also on displayed, again in its original setting.

Looking back, it was a right decision to travel to Jiujiang before visiting Lu Shan. The shorter travelling time means the tour agent add in more places for visiting and returning to the hotel earlier for a good rest means we can set off ealier the next day to continue our journey.

On the 6th day, we set off to the porcelain capital, Jingdezhen. Our initial plan was to spend a day in Jingdezhen then travel to Wuyuan on the next day. We checked with the driver and he advised that there is nothing much to do at night. So after negotiating the price with him, we booked his MPV to bring us around in Jingdezhen then sent us to Wuyuan. Along the way, we pass by Poyang Hu - China’s largest fresh water lake. Porcelain is seen everywhere (shops selling them, wall design and even street lamps) to remind you that you are in the Porcelain capital. We visited a museum which was the site of the porcelain production centre for the imperial family during the Ming Dynasty There is a archeological site where the kilns were found and a building displaying showing the porcelain pieces made over the 1800 years. We also visited the nearby Long Zhu Pavilion which is an icon of the city which again houses displays of porcelain pieces. .The most interesting visit was to the Porcelain Production Museum which showcase the production process and visitors can buy and paint their own porcelain pieces. Our last stop was to the local market to get some porcelain wares. We did not buy any pieces as the prices were too high and quite common.

The other entries about this trip can be accessed from here:-

Nanchang and Longhu Shan (Part 1 of 13 Days Tour)


Wuyuan and Sanqing Shan (Part 3 of 13 Days Tour)


Huangshan and Ancient Villages Xidi and Hongchun (Part 4 of 13 Days Tour)


Hangzhou (Part 5 of 13 Days Tour)


Note: The contents (text and photos) of this article remain the copyright of the Author, Jenny. Under no circumstances should the photos or text be used without the express written permission of the Author. Please contact the Author by leaving a message if you wish to use or publish photos or text from this article.

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Photos

Lu Shan- winter landscape and frozen footpath
Shoes with "spikes" were needed to walk here to prevent slipping.

Mt Lu
Winter landscape. The roads were still covered in snow after the last snowing 2 days agos.

Mt Lu
Winter landscape

Mt Lu
Mt Lu was the site where Chairman Mao had held 3 national meetings in 1959, 1961 and 1970.

Mt Lu Museum
Chairman Mao's bedroom during this stay there.

Lu Shan- 1286m high Hanpokou
Hanpokou is a good spot to view the peaks opposite it which rises above the cloud level.

Lu Shan- view from Hanpokou
Cloud sea and peaks seen from Hanpokou.

Poyang Lake
China's largest freshwater lake

Jingdezhen Porcelain Museum
Site where the royal kilns were found.

Jingdezhen Porcelain Museum
Porcelains over the dynasties are displayed.

Long Zhu Pavilion
Icon of Jingdezhen city built in the Tang Dynasty and now houses a museum with porcelains.

Porcelain Production Museum
Porcelain production process by workers dressed in ancient clothings.

Porcelain Production Museum
Ancient workshop for porcelain production.

Jingdezhen Porcelain Market
Shops selling porcelain wares of all shapes and sizes. Another sign to tell you its the porcelain capital.

Jingdezhen shops
Shops selling porcelain wares of all shapes and sizes. Another sign to tell you its the porcelain capital.

Jingdezhen shops
Shops selling porcelain wares of all shapes and sizes. Another sign to tell you its the porcelain capital.

Jingdezhen street
The lamp post are dressed with porcelain sleeves. Another sign to tell you its the porcelain capital.