Lu Shan

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On Wednessday Mike and I decided to visit famous Lu Shan ("Mt. Lu"). We arrived at the long distance bus station at about 10:30, bought a ticket for the 11:30 bus, and ate some ramen. Unfortunately, the bus was half an hour late, so we didin't get on Lu Shan until about 1 PM. Mike then found out (good thing I had a Chinese-speaking guide) that the last bus back to Jiujiang left at 4:30. So we had about three hours to explore.

Lu Shan has been famous in China for thousands of years. It rises quite suddenly out of the Yangze river plain to some 1,400 meters above sea level. On the graceful slopes of Mt. Lu, the doctrines of "Pure Land" Buddhism (of the Mahayana, or "big wheel" tradition) were formulated. It has been a sacred spot for Daoist and Buddhist hermits for many centuries. A hundred years ago, it served as a summer retreat for esteemed foreign missionaries and "businessmen"- mostly opium pushers. Lu Shan has also hosted many important political meetings. It also has the distinction of being a UNESCO-designated "World Heritage Site".

Mike has complained that all historical sites in Eastern China are roped off and turned into over-priced theme parks. Well, he is right! Admission for foreigners was 180 yuan . Once inside, there were many expensive shops and hotels. All the routes to important sites were well-paved. Barely felt like being on a legitimate "mountain".

There was an awesome "Cave of the Immortals", and next to it a temple. It was the first Daoist place of worship that I have visited, and was well-worth the trip.

At any rate the scenery was quite beautiful, and the weather was refreshingly cool. The panormas viewed from the mountain were as beautiful as one would expect from exposure to Chinese paintings and poetry. Wednessday was too misty to be able to see very far into the rest of Jiangxi province from the heights of the mountain, but there were tantalizing hints of spectacular vistas. Perhaps I will go back when I recieve a special Foreign Expert discount card- admission will then only cost 15 yuan .

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Photos

Close-Up of the Guardian
Is it a dragon? A turtle? Maybe both?

Comments

[Ellen]

that temple
reminds me quite a bit of a couple of the Buddhist temples I saw in Thailand.