Mount Lu (Lushan,Mt. Lushan National Park) is situated about 20 kilometers due south of the city of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, in southeastern China, not far from the borders of Hubei and Anhui Provinces. Mount Lu holds a special place in the hearts of the people of China, since it has a history as one of the country's original spiritual centers, being revered especially by Taoists and Buddhists. Zhang Daoling, the interpreter, as it were, of Taoism (the spiritual father of Taoism was Lao-tzu, but it was Zhang Daoling, more commonly referred to as Zhang Ling, who "codified" Taoism and thus brought it to a broader mass, having founded the first Taoist sect, the Tianshi Dao, or "Celestial Path" sect), practiced Taoism on Mount Lu during the Eastern Han (CE 25-220) Dynasty. Zhang Ling was also a member of the Orthodox Oneness School of Taoism, popularly called Wudoumi Dao, or "Way of Five Pecks of Rice" school of Taoism.*
The national park covers an area of 500 square kilometers (about 320 square miles) and has more than 90 mountain peaks. The tallest of these is Hanyang Peak which soars to a height of 1473.4 meters (4,834 feet). Lushan owes its reputation to its wonderful, elegant, steep and spectacular features that embrace ravines, waterfalls, grottoes, rocks and rivulets. There are 12 main scenic areas, together with 37 attractions, over 900 cliff inscriptions, and over 300 steles. The major spots include Wulao Feng, Sandie Spring, Lulin Lake, Flower Path, Ruqin Lake, Jinxiu Valley, Xianren Dong and Donglin Temple, etc.
Wulao Feng, 1,436 meters (about 4,711feet) above sea level, is located in the southeast of Lushan. Its five parallel peaks once formed a single apex and standing on the top you will be rewarded with a magnificent view of the distant mountains, trees, lakes, and a seemingly endless sky.
Sandie Spring lies below Wulao Feng. It drops through three craggy tiers with a fall of 155 meters (about 509 feet). The upper part is like snow falling down to the pond; the middle reach wanders and twists with splashing sprays dancing in the air; while the lower level resembles a jade dragon running in the pond. This is considered to be the best of the Lushan waterfalls. It is said that you are not a true visitor here if you miss Sandie Spring. However, it was not discovered until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) due to its hidden position in a deep gully.
Gu Ling, located in the center of Lushan, is 1,164 meters (about 3,819 feet) above sea level with mountains on three sides and the valley on the other. The original name of Gu Lushan Mountain tourLing was Guniu Ling, as it looks like a bull. Gu Ling Street is 1,167 meters (about 3,829 feet) long and it has a variety of shops, hotels, restaurants, bookshops, bars, coffee houses and dance halls that together form a town high in the sky. The Center Park in Gu Ling was built in 1954. After several reconstructions it now covers 10,000 square meters (about 11,960 square yards). In the park there is a large half moon shaped parterre in which stands a great stone bull that is the symbol of Gu Ling. He is two meters (about seven feet) in height and four meters (about 13 feet) in length. The base of the bull bears character 'Gu Ling'. Meandering pathways, fragrant flowers, flourishing trees and a pavilion all add to lively atmosphere of this delightful place.
Countless writers, artists, calligraphers, and other famous personages from China's past have written similar poems in homage to Mount Lu, or to specific sites on the mountain, just as there are over 900 cliff inscriptions and over 300 stelae on Mount Lu with poems and couplets in praise of this famous mountain.
Another popular site on Mount Lu is Hanpo Pass, which lies between the Five Old Men Peak ridge and another famous Lushan peak, Nine Wonder Peak. The deep natural depression called Hanpo Pass - though it is in fact a lower-level mountain range itself - has a series of stone steps carved into the face of one of its slopes, atop which stands Hanpo Pavilion. Hanpo Pavilion offers the best panoramic view of the entire area, given its central location, from whence one can also see Poyang Lake glimmering in the distance. Hanpo Pavilion is also THE venue to observe the rising sun as it clears the highest mountain peaks east of the pavilion and floods the lower mountain ranges, valleys and gorges below with bright light that catches reflective surfaces here and there, and casts deep shadows on the leeward side of trees, rocks, and even entire canyon walls. It is said to be a very tonic experience.
Other prominent sites on Mount Lu include Xianren ("Supernatural being") Cave, Bailu Cave, Ninety-Nine Rounds, Heaven Pool, Lushan Clouds, and the other famous waterfall on Mount Lu, Sandie Spring Waterfall, which some consider of greater beauty than Three Step Waterfall. Hidden in a deep ravine, Sandie Spring Waterfall was first discovered during the Southern Song (CE 1127-1279) Dynasty. It is a wispy stream of water that falls from a great height, dispersing into a snowy-like mist that crashes onto the stone surface below, then glances off into a spray that shoots over another precipice and into a jade-green pool below. There is a saying at Mount Lu that a visitor has not yet seen Mount Lu until s/he has laid eyes on Sandie Spring Waterfall.
The village of Gu Ling is located in the heart of Mount Lu, at about 1200 meters above sea level. Gu Ling, whose name stems from the Chinese name for a bull, since the city is supposed to be in the shape of said animal (the city's symbol is of course a bull, a large statue of which occupies a prominent place in the village), has a number of hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, souvenir kiosks, coffee- and tea houses, and also dance halls. But Gu Ling is not just asphalt, bright lights and merrymaking; a meadow full of colorful, fragrant flowers surrounds the village, with pathways that wind among trees and which will eventually lead one to a cosy, quiet pavilion.
It is no surprise that Mount Lu's Quaternary Glaciation National Geopark is listed under UNESCO's Global Geoparks Network, nor can it come as a surprise, given Mount Lu's religious-cultural heritage, that Lushan National Park has been listed, since 1996, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The all-embracing spirit of Lushan means that it has various styles of architecture ranging from Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals to Byzantine structures, Japanese buildings, Islamic mosques and villas of 25 countries, all of which make Lushan a large-scale World Village.
Ticket Price:
Prices vary with the season, i.e., peak- versus off season. The price during the peak season (November to February) is 135 Yuan per person; the price during the off season (March to October) is 85 Yuan per person.
Other charges include 15 Yuan for Meilu Villa, 10 Yuan for the Site of Lushan Conference, 45 Yuan to visit the rather remote, but stunningly beautiful, Sandie Spring Waterfall, 10 Yuan admission fee to visit Lushan Museum, 10 Yuan to visit Donglin Monastery, 20 Yuan to visit Bailu Cave Study, and 50 Yuan to take the cable car to visit Xiufeng Peak, which is south of Mount Lu proper, near Lake Poyang, and one of the five jungle areas south of Mount Lu.
Opening Time:
From 6:00AM to 8:00PM, daily.
How to get there:
From the city of Jiujiang, you can take the regular bus to Lushan National Park Scenic Area. If you are already in the area of Mount Lu, there are local taxis that can take you to almost any particular destination within the park area you desire. Moreover, the local taxi drivers are very knowledgeable about the park and can offer invaluable advice.
Tips:
1) Best time to visit the park: You can visit Lushan National Park any time of the year, as the park is open year round. Different seasons offer different views of the park, of course.
2) Food: Mount Lu is famous for its delicious and nutritional food. The area is especially famous for its stone-baked "Lushan San Shi" (Lushan "Three Stone"): stone baked fish, stone baked agaric (mushrooms), and stone baked chicken.