Visit Huangshan for Pines, Pay Homage to Taoism at Sanqing, Seek Waterfalls at Lushan, Worship Buddha at Jiuhua -- A 21-Day Tour of Huangshan, Sanqing Mountain, Lushan, and Jiuhua Mountain

📍 Kuala Lumpur · 👁 8683 reads · ❤️ 24 likes

I had long yearned for the strange pines and sea of clouds of Huangshan, and wanted to visit it long ago, but I never made the trip until this spring, when I finally made up my mind to go. Because of Li Bai's poem "Looking at the Waterfall of Mount Lu" and the film "Love on Mount Lu," I became eager to see the beauty of Lushan. When planning the itinerary, I found that Lushan was not far from Huangshan, so I decided to visit both this year. While looking for train tickets, I realized the return trip from Jiujiang to Tianjin would be too long by train, so I finally chose to return via Nanjing. This added Jiuhua Mountain, on the way from Jiujiang to Nanjing, and Sanqing Mountain, known as "Little Huangshan," to the list. The final destinations for this year's trip were several famous mountains located at the border of Jiangxi and Anhui. I originally planned to depart after the Qingming Festival, but due to the need to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the departure date was not confirmed until mid-May.

Total expenses (for two people): 19,654.03 yuan, including:

Transportation: 3,251.00 yuan

Accommodation: 6,321.34 yuan

Tickets (including scenic area buses, cable cars, etc.): 5,735.80 yuan

Shopping, meals, local transportation, and miscellaneous: 4,345.89 yuan.

We boarded the train to Huangshan around 10 a.m. After more than 6 hours, we arrived at Huangshan North Station. At the Huangshan Tourist Transport Hub on the right side of the exit, we bought bus tickets to Tangkou Town, arriving less than an hour later.

Tangkou Town, located at the southern gate of Huangshan, is the main service and reception base for Huangshan tourism, serving as a transit station for tourists. The hotel we booked was right next to the Tangkou transfer center, and we arrived in the evening.

Huangshan is shrouded in clouds and fog for more than 200 days a year. In the morning, the sky was covered by thick clouds, and we worried that the mountain would be enveloped in dense fog. But since we had already come and booked a hotel on the mountain, we decided to go up and take our chances.

Huangshan Scenic Area is located in Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Originally named Yishan (Black Mountain) because the peaks and rocks looked blackish from a distance, it was renamed Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) during the Tang Dynasty, meaning "Mountain of the Yellow Emperor." Huangshan is one of the Three Sacred Mountains (San Shan) among the Five Great Mountains (Wu Yue). It has 72 named peaks, all showing great beauty. The three main peaks—Lotus Peak, Bright Summit, and Heavenly Capital Peak—are all over 1,800 meters above sea level, towering and majestic. It is known as "the most wonderful mountain under heaven." As the saying goes, "After seeing the Five Mountains, one no longer cares for other mountains; after seeing Huangshan, one no longer cares for the Five Mountains." This was the feeling of Xu Xiake after his two visits to Huangshan, and it is the highest praise for the mountain.

The Huangshan scenic area is divided into the front mountain and the back mountain. The front mountain refers to the area from Ciguang Pavilion to Bright Summit, including Hot Spring, Jade Screen Pavilion, and Tianhai Scenic Area, with main attractions such as Welcome Pine, Banshan Temple, Heavenly Capital Peak, Jade Screen Pavilion, Lotus Peak, One-Line Sky, and Aoyu Peak. The back mountain refers to the area from Cloud Valley Temple to Bright Summit, including Beihai (North Sea) and Xihai (West Sea) scenic areas, with main attractions such as Shixin Peak, Lion Peak, Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion, West Sea Grand Canyon, Flying-Over Stone, and Pine Valley Nunnery.

We chose the route of going up the back mountain via the Cloud Valley Cable Car and coming down the front mountain via the Jade Screen Cable Car.

After breakfast, we took a scenic area bus to the Cloud Valley Cable Car and then the cable car up the mountain. The cable car traveled through the clouds and fog, and after more than ten minutes, we arrived at the upper station of White Goose Ridge. When we stepped out, the mountain was indeed shrouded in thick fog, and we could only see blurry silhouettes of peaks in the distance. We had booked the Baiyun Hotel near Bright Summit. From White Goose Ridge, we had to pass through Shixin Peak, Lion Peak, and Bright Summit to reach the hotel. Thus began our Huangshan trip in the dense fog.

Walking through the mist, we could only see pines growing in the crevices of the cliffs. Huangshan pines grow in hard granite, showing incredible vitality. Their branches are twisted, their crowns flat, lush and full of life. Each pine tree, with its unique natural shape, displays a simple, steady, and powerful aura, yet each has a different expression, creating a peculiar beauty.

We walked for more than half an hour in the thick fog and arrived at Shixin Peak.

Shixin Peak is located east of Sanhua Wu in the Beihai area of Huangshan. It protrudes above a deep chasm, one of the 36 minor peaks, at an altitude of 1,683 meters. Here, strange rocks vie for beauty, and unique pines stand in abundance. The peak is surrounded by precipices on three sides, shrouded in clouds and mists, presenting a unique elegance. On the western side of the peak's waist, dense tall pines grow along the slope, vigorous and varied, giving rise to the saying, "Without reaching Shixin Peak, you cannot see the Huangshan pines."

Shixin Peak is not high. The fog on the summit thickened and thinned. In the moments when the fog dispersed, we could see pines and Stone Bamboo Shoots Ridge shrouded in thin mist.

Stone Bamboo Shoots Ridge lies between Shixin Peak and Immortal Peak. Strange rocks on the ridge rise like bamboo shoots after rain. When clouds and mist linger, the pines and rocks present a magical scene.

Descending from Shixin Peak, we came across an old pine tree, tall and vigorous, exuding a majestic and tiger-like aura. Its dark green crown looked like a black tiger lying on the slope. Approaching it, we saw the sign: this was the Black Tiger Pine, one of the ten famous pines of Huangshan.

Past the Black Tiger Pine, we continued forward. The fog sometimes scattered and sometimes gathered. At a viewing platform, we happened to catch a gust of wind that blew away the fog, allowing us to see clearly the famous Huangshan wonder—"Dream Pen with Flowers Blooming."

In Sanhua Wu within the Beihai Scenic Area, there stands a solitary peak shaped like a writing brush with its tip pointing upward. On the "brush tip" grows an old pine with twisted branches stretching out like blooming flowers, hence the name "Dream Pen with Flowers Blooming."

Further ahead, past the Shilin Hotel, we reached Cool Terrace and "Monkey Gazing at the Sea."

Cool Terrace protrudes from a perilous rock face open on three sides, known as the Number One Terrace of Huangshan. In front is the Back Sea with changing peaks and clouds; below are stone steps winding up with eighteen bends; to the right are jagged stone bamboo shoots. In the distance, the vivid "Eighteen Arhats Worshipping the South Sea" can be seen. This is an ideal spot for watching the sea of clouds, but unfortunately, we saw only a vast whiteness before us.

"Monkey Gazing at the Sea" is located in front of Lion Peak in the Beihai Scenic Area. It is a strange rock formation. A stone monkey stands alone on the peak, seemingly gazing into the distance or ready to leap, quietly watching the sea of clouds. Amid the swirling mist, Taiping County at the foot of the mountain appears and disappears. The monkey takes in this fantastic scene. With changing winds and shifting light, it is a magnificent sight.

When we reached the viewing platform for Monkey Gazing at the Sea, the fog was heavy, and the monkey hid in the thick mist, refusing to show itself. We waited a while but saw no signs of the fog clearing, so we went down.

Back at Cool Terrace, a gust of wind blew, and the fog gradually dispersed. The peaks, previously wrapped in clouds and mist, suddenly appeared before us.

Seeing the beautiful scenery, we became excited. But soon, everything was shrouded in fog again. We returned to the fork in front of Shilin Hotel and continued toward Bright Summit.

Bright Summit is 1,860 meters above sea level, the second highest peak of Huangshan. Its top is flat and spacious. On clear days, you can see the wondrous scenes of the East Sea and the peaks of the West Sea, including Heavenly Capital, Lotus, Jade Screen, and Aoyu peaks. On the summit stands the highest meteorological station in East China—the Huangshan Meteorological Station. It is also one of the best places to watch the sunrise and the sea of clouds.

After walking for over an hour in the fog, constantly going up and down, we reached Bright Summit around 2 p.m. At that time, Bright Summit was thick with fog, and we could only vaguely see the sphere on top of the meteorological station building. After a short rest at Bright Summit, we continued downhill.

A ten-minute walk downhill from Bright Summit brought us to Baiyun Hotel. The area was still shrouded in fog, and we didn't feel like going anywhere else. After checking in, we went to our room to rest, hoping for good weather the next day.

Bright Summit—Huangshan Meteorological Station

In the morning, seeing that the peaks around the hotel were still covered in thick fog, we were a bit disappointed. After breakfast, we stayed in the hotel until after 9 a.m., and noticing a brightening in the distant sky, we decided to go to the West Sea Grand Canyon.

From the hotel, we could either take the popular scenic train directly to the bottom of the canyon or walk from Bright Summit via Flying-Over Stone and Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion. We chose to walk to the canyon so we could see more scenery.

Bright Summit was still a vast white mist. On the way from Bright Summit to Flying-Over Stone, we passed a viewing platform called Qunfeng Peak. With its wide views, it would be a great place to watch the sea of clouds on a clear day, but at that time, we could see nothing except the blurred shadows of a few pines growing on the rocks. At the Flying-Over Stone viewing platform, we could only see its vague outline in the mist.

Flying-Over Stone is located northwest of Bright Summit. It is 12 meters high, 8 meters wide, 1.5-2.5 meters thick, and weighs about 360 tons, with a strange shape that astonishes people. Even more surprising is that this huge boulder stands on a flat rock about 12-15 meters long and 8-10 meters wide. The contact surface between the two rocks is very small, as if the upper stone flew in from beyond the sky, hence the name "Flying-Over Stone." Geologists believe this wonder was formed during geological changes, truly a natural creation. The magic stone in the 1987 TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber" was this very stone.

Flying-Over Stone in the fog

After a short break at the viewing platform, we continued. This section was downhill. Passing Echo Wall and reaching Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion, we saw a bright light in the distant sky, and the fog gradually dispersed. We could clearly see towering peaks, winding ravines, and dense pines.

Past Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion, we arrived at the entrance of the West Sea Grand Canyon.

The West Sea Grand Canyon, located in the western part of Huangshan Scenic Area, is renowned for its beauty and strangeness. It combines deep mystery and steep danger, with towering cliffs and myriad ravines, as well as beautiful peaks and strange rocks. It is the most beautiful and profound part of Huangshan, the most representative and thrilling, the most attractive and stunning, and the best place to showcase nature's incredible work and the majestic beauty of the motherland's mountains and rivers.

It takes more than two hours to descend from Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion to the bottom of the canyon, all on stone steps. Entering the canyon, we saw numerous strange rocks, mysterious deep valleys, and cliffs that seemed chopped by axes. Giant stone slabs piled up like building blocks, forming fragmented peaks in the deep valley. Everywhere was a scene, every scene unique, changing with each step, overwhelming the eyes.

The front desk clerk at the Tangkou hotel yesterday suggested we must visit Bu Xian Bridge if the weather was good. It was already after 2 p.m. when we took the scenic train back from the West Sea Grand Canyon to Baiyun Hotel. After a short rest at the hotel, we decided to go see Bu Xian Bridge while the weather was still clear.

Beside Baiyun Hotel, there is a small path leading to Bu Xian Bridge. After walking for over 20 minutes along the path, we reached the Xihai Yaotai viewing platform, where we could see the entire West Sea Grand Canyon. Next to the platform was a small iron gate. It takes one hour round trip from here to Bu Xian Bridge, and three hours to walk from Bu Xian Bridge to the bottom of the West Sea Grand Canyon. This small iron gate closes at 5 p.m. It was almost 4 p.m. when we arrived. The guard on duty confirmed we had booked a hotel on the mountain and that we would only go to Bu Xian Bridge and return. He registered us and let us through the gate, reminding us to return on time. Except for tourists staying on the mountain, regular tour groups don't come here, so there were few people on this path. We only met a few young people who had hiked up from the bottom of the West Sea Grand Canyon. Strolling and stopping, we reached Bu Xian Bridge after more than 40 minutes.

Huangshan Bu Xian Bridge was built in 1988. A small arch bridge spans between two cliffs, suspended over a thousand-foot abyss, extremely steep and full of charm.

Xihai Yaotai viewing platform

Actually, this was just a close-up view of the West Sea Grand Canyon from different angles. Because of the different positions and perspectives, the scenery looked different. After a short while at Bu Xian Bridge, it started to drizzle, so we hurried back the same way.

Although the rain stopped early in the morning, the mountain was still covered in thick fog. By 9 a.m., the fog still showed no signs of clearing, and the weather forecast predicted thundershowers for today. So we had to prepare to descend in the dense fog. Starting from Baiyun Hotel, after a ten-minute walk we reached Aoyu Peak.

Aoyu Peak is a small peak on the way from Jade Screen to Beihai, named for its shape resembling a giant fish (a mythological turtle-like creature). It is the first of the thirty-six minor peaks of Huangshan. On the peak there is a triangular Aoyu Cave, with the characters "Tian Zao" (Heaven-made) carved on the cave's lintel. The cave is narrow, about 5 meters deep, with light entering from the upper right, allowing a glimpse of a line of blue sky. Exiting the cave, the view opens up. In front of the peak, there are several rocks that from a distance look like snails, forming scenes such as "Aoyu Eating Snails" and "Old Aoyu Laying Eggs." On the back of the peak, there is a large rock shaped like a turtle, called "Aoyu Carrying a Gold Turtle."

Aoyu Peak is a must-pass point between the front and back mountains of Huangshan and a must-visit spot. Climbing to the top, we only saw a vast white fog. It should be a great place for viewing, but at that moment, only a few pines wrapped in mist could be seen.

Aoyu Peak in the fog

Passing through Aoyu Cave, a gigantic whale appeared before us in the thick fog. Its long, raised body and huge, high head were lifelike; its mouth wide open, as if ready to swallow everything.

There were many people here, mostly tourists who had come up via the Jade Screen Cable Car that morning and were returning after reaching Bright Summit. After lingering there for a while, we continued down to a fork: to the right was Jade Screen Pavilion, to the left was Lotus Peak. We chose the left path to climb Lotus Peak, the highest peak of Huangshan.

Huangshan Lotus Peak is located north of Jade Screen Pavilion. It is the highest peak in Huangshan, at 1,864.8 meters. Standing on the summit and looking around, thousands of peaks compete in beauty, and myriad ravines seem to smoke. On a clear day, you can see Tianmu Mountain to the east, Lushan to the west, and Jiuhua Mountain and the Yangtze River to the north. After rain, the spectacle of the sea of clouds in all directions is even more magnificent. Another wonder on the summit of Lotus Peak is the iron chains around the top covered with all kinds of locks. These are "heart-linking locks" of young couples or spouses, symbolizing eternal union.

After walking a steep mountain path, we arrived at the foot of Lotus Peak, only to learn that due to weather conditions, Lotus Peak was closed today.

We waited there for a while, but the weather showed no sign of improving. We had to leave with regret and continue toward Jade Screen Pavilion, where the iconic sign of Huangshan—the Welcome Pine—stands on the left side.

Jade Screen Pavilion is the perfect place for the wonders of Huangshan. Behind the pavilion is Jade Screen Peak, where the famous "Yuping Sleeping Buddha" lies on the summit, with the head on the left and feet on the right, very lifelike. On the peak rock is carved Mao Zedong's cursive poem "Such Great Beauty in Our Rivers and Mountains." This is the best place to view the sea of clouds over the Front Sea. On a clear day, you can also see strange rocks like "Immortal Drifting on the Sea," "Goat Crossing the River," "Gold Turtle Looking at the Moon," "Squirrel Leaping to Heavenly Capital," and "Peacock Playing with Lotus," all beautiful and picturesque.

Huangshan Welcome Pine is located on the left side of Jade Screen Pavilion, growing from the crevice of Lion Rock. It is 10 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of 0.64 meters, and is at least 800 years old. Two large side branches extend forward from the middle of the trunk, stretching 7.6 meters, just like a hospitable host raising arms to welcome guests from afar. It is graceful and dignified.

The Welcome Pine is a must-see for every visitor to Huangshan. When we arrived, it was almost noon, and many tourists were gathered there, making it very crowded. Everyone was eager to take photos with the pine. We first found a less crowded place to rest and have something to eat. Just after eating, we heard a commotion from the crowd. Looking up, the fog had cleared a bit, and the Welcome Pine was clearly visible.

Looking up, the carvings on Yuping Peak were clearly seen.

People were enjoying the scene when suddenly a gust of fog rose from the valley. The Welcome Pine and Yuping Peak, like shy maidens, retreated back into the thick fog. After waiting a while and seeing that the fog still hadn't lifted, we decided to descend via the Jade Screen Cable Car.

Coming out of the lower station of the Jade Screen Cable Car, we directly took a scenic area bus to Huangshan Hot Spring.

Huangshan Hot Spring has always been known together with the strange pines, strange rocks, and sea of clouds as the "Four Wonders" of Huangshan. The hot spring gushes out from under Purple Cloud Peak, flowing all year round. The water temperature is around 42°C, making it a high-altitude hot spring. The water quality is mainly bicarbonate, extremely clear, colorless, odorless, and sweet, drinkable and bathable. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor bathed here for 49 days, regained his youth, and ascended to immortality, so it is also called "Spiritual Spring."

Bathing in the hot spring water relieved the fatigue of climbing for the past few days. We didn't leave the hot spring until after 8 p.m. and took a bus back to our hotel in Tangkou Town.

It rained heavily during the night. In the morning, following the advice of the front desk clerk, we went to play at Nine-Dragon Waterfall in the morning. He helped us book tickets and arranged a car to take us there, round trip for 60 yuan. The waterfall is not far from Tangkou Town. Soon the driver took us to the entrance of the Nine-Dragon Waterfall scenic area and left his phone number, telling us to take our time and call him when we came out.

Huangshan Nine-Dragon Waterfall is located on the path up West Cloud Valley. It is 600 meters long with a drop of 300 meters. The waterfall has nine bends, each forming a pool, creating a magnificent spectacle of nine waterfalls and nine pools. During the rainy season, the huge cliff pours water straight down for a hundred meters, like a white silk hanging, as if the Milky Way has fallen to the ground, with extraordinary momentum.

Entering the scenic area, we saw a waterfall over ten meters long cascading down. The pool beneath the waterfall was emerald green, bright and charming. Looking up, we could see the top of Heavenly Capital Peak appearing and disappearing in the clouds, majestic and beautiful. Following the stone path upward, accompanied by the sound of flowing water, the surrounding bamboo forest was lush and green. One waterfall after another, each with its own scenery, we unknowingly reached the ninth waterfall. The water fell like the Milky Way, splashing pearls and jade, extremely magnificent.

It was almost noon when we returned from Nine-Dragon Waterfall. We asked the front desk clerk to help us arrange a car to Hongcun. It takes about an hour from Tangkou Town to Hongcun. We wanted to personally experience the idyllic charm of Huizhou-style houses, so we specially booked a homestay in the Hongcun scenic area. The homestay owner picked us up at the entrance and took us to the lodging. After dropping off our luggage, we began exploring Hongcun.

Among the many unique Huizhou-style villages in southern Anhui, Hongcun is the most representative. The entire village is built against the mountains and by the water. The mountains are green because of the water, and the water is lively because of the mountains. It has both the wild charm of mountain forests and the appearance of a water town. It is a peculiar ox-shaped ancient village in the ancient Yixian Peach Blossom Land, known as "the village in Chinese painting." Each household in the village is connected by water channels, with clear springs flowing gently through the houses. The blend of natural scenery and cultural connotations is the characteristic that distinguishes Hongcun from other residential architectural layouts, making it a great wonder in the world's historical and cultural heritage. The entire village now has well-preserved over 140 Ming and Qing residential buildings. The "Three Carvings" of Chengzhi Hall are exquisite and magnificent, earning it the reputation of "the Folk Imperial Palace."

Main places to visit in Hongcun include South Lake and Moon Pond, as well as Chengzhi Hall, Shuren Hall, Jingxiu Hall, and many other well-preserved, unique, and meticulously crafted Ming and Qing ancient houses. Strolling among them, a strong leisurely feeling intoxicates the heart.

Hongcun is a must-visit place when traveling to Huangshan. Many tour groups come here, filling the small village with tourists everywhere. We followed the crowd to visit several ancient residences in the village. Suddenly it started to rain. Since we had seen enough, we returned to our lodging.

Hongcun's night scenery is also beautiful. After dinner, the rain stopped, and we went out to see the night view. The village was quieter without the noise of tour groups, with only a few independent travelers wandering around. But soon, it started raining again, and we hurried back to our lodging to rest.

At dawn, the sky cleared, and the sun's rays gilded the edges of the clouds. Taking advantage of the quiet morning, we went to the village again. Hongcun was just waking up, without the daytime hustle and bustle. The houses and trees on the shore were quietly reflected on the water. Some villagers were washing things by Moon Pond, and early-rising tourists walking around spoke in hushed voices. Everything was peaceful and serene.

The sun hadn't fully risen before it was blocked by thick clouds, and the sky became overcast again. Today we had to leave this place and go to Huangling Scenic Area in Wuyuan. We returned to the homestay for breakfast, and the landlady took us to Hongcun bus station. From Hongcun, we took a bus for one and a half hours to Huangshan North Station, then took a bullet train to Wuyuan.

Wuyuan County is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, at the junction of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. It is one of the six ancient counties of Huizhou, known as the "Land of Books" and "Land of Tea." It is a nationally renowned cultural and ecological tourism county, hailed as "the most beautiful village in China."

Wuyuan County has many ancient villages with rich Huizhou cultural heritage and is also one of the famous places to see rapeseed flowers. We missed the blooming season, so this time we chose Huangling, famous for its "drying crops in autumn." It takes about an hour by car from Wuyuan High-Speed Rail Station to Huangling Scenic Area. We booked the only hotel in the scenic area—Wuyuan Huangling Autumn Harvest Inn. At the entrance, we checked in and took the cable car up the mountain. The hotel's electric cart was already waiting at the cable car exit.

Huangling is a Huizhou ancient village nearly six hundred years old, with classic Huizhou architecture and typical mountain village residences. The houses are arranged in a fan-shaped terraced pattern around the water outlet. Now, all the original villagers have moved out. After the scenic area was re-planned, Tian Street is like a jade belt connecting the well-preserved classic ancient buildings. Huizhou-style shops line the street, with shops in front and workshops in the back, like a moving miniature version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

Hotel rooms are scattered in different locations within the scenic area. The enthusiastic hotel butler took us to our room. Our reserved room was at the end of Tian Street. After settling in, we went to Tian Street. It was afternoon, and there were many tourists on the street. We had lunch on Tian Street, then passed through the north entrance with the "Tian Street" archway and arrived at Leixin Bridge. Leixin Bridge is also called Glass Bridge or High-Altitude Plank Road. This is the place where Guan Guan and Xie Tong from the TV series "Ode to Joy 2" came to travel.

Leixin Bridge spans between two mountains. The bridge deck is made of wooden planks, with a glass section in the middle. Standing on the bridge, you can overlook the layered terraced fields on the two mountains and the Xiaoyong Village nestled in the valley. Below the center of the terraced fields, at the bottom of the valley, there is a pond that locals call "Huangling's Dimple." If it were the season of rapeseed flowers, this would be an excellent place to appreciate the terraced flower sea.

Most group tour visitors turn back at Leixin Bridge. We saw a small path opposite the bridge, and below there was another bridge. We asked the scenic area staff and learned that we could circle back from below, so we decided to take that route.

After crossing Leixin Bridge, there was a viewing platform not far away. From the platform, we could see the ancient Huangling village quietly lying on the mountainside slope, with white walls and black tiles, staggered and layered. We continued along the small path, accompanied by wildflowers and the chirping of insects, looking at the green fields, breathing the fresh and humid air, enjoying the comfort and tranquility in the embrace of nature. Stopping and walking, after descending a section of steps, we reached the bridge we had seen from Leixin Bridge—it turned out to be Woyun Bridge.

After crossing Woyun Bridge, we lingered a while at a nearby viewing platform and then returned to Tian Street.

Following stone steps upward, we arrived at the ancient Huangling village.

Huangling is a well-preserved Huizhou-style ancient village with authentic ancient village features and folk customs. A large area of Huizhou old buildings leans steadily along the slope, high and low, intertwined. The entire ancient village, surrounded by flowers and green trees, is as quiet and beautiful as a fairyland. During the harvest season, the space between houses becomes a world of drying mats, with colorful crops piled up against black roofs, a magnificent sight.

Now, to promote tourism, as long as the weather is clear, the scenic area displays "autumn drying" all year round. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the sky was overcast, with occasional light rain, so we didn't get to see the grand scene of "autumn drying."

After touring the ancient village, we went down stone steps to Huangling Huaxi Water Street.

Huangling Huaxi Water Street has rugged terrain with a large drop. The narrow stream rushes along, hitting the stones in the water channel, almost flowing straight down, forming several small waterfalls in the drops. The buildings on both sides of the water street are in traditional Huizhou style, including neat brick-and-stone buildings and slightly rustic earth-walled buildings, showcasing diverse architectural styles. Gray walls, green tiles, flying eaves, and upturned corners; horse-head walls rise and fall in a staggered pattern; wall paintings and brick carvings are exquisite and lifelike. "Green bricks, small tiles, and horse-head walls; winding corridors and lattice windows of flowers" is a true depiction of the buildings on Huangling Water Street.

At the end of Huaxi Water Street is a yew forest. Many side paths from the small road lead back to Tian Street. We took one side path up and found ourselves right next to our hotel. Since we had seen most of the place, we went back to the hotel to rest.

We heard that Huangling's night scenery is very beautiful. After dinner, we went to the village again to enjoy the night view.

Huangling at night has a unique charm. Walking on the bluestone paths, we could see beautiful light shows everywhere. In the dense forest, it felt like being in a world of stars, with dots of light like countless fireflies, pleasing to the eye.

At night, Huangling had fewer tourists, and the ancient village returned to tranquility. It started drizzling again, so we hurried back to the hotel.

In the morning, before the arrival of large numbers of tourists, the ancient village was even more peaceful and serene. After breakfast, we strolled around the village again. Distant terraced fields on the hillside were shrouded in morning mist, contrasting with the black-tiled white-walled Huizhou houses, sketching a picturesque rural landscape. Surrounded by it all, we felt like we were in a fairyland.

Around 10 a.m., tourists gradually increased, and we left Huangling for our next destination—Sanqing Mountain.

To get from Wuyuan to Sanqing Mountain, we needed to take a high-speed train to Shangrao first, then transfer by car to the Wai Shuangxi Cable Car Station of Sanqing Mountain. When we got off the cable car from Huangling, a bus to Wuyuan High-Speed Rail Station was about to depart, and we arrived at the station around noon. We had booked train tickets from Wuyuan to Shangrao online for after 3 p.m., but after arriving at the station, we could not change to an earlier ticket. We arrived at Shangrao Station around 4 p.m. At the Shangrao East Bus Station on the right side of the exit, we learned that there were no more buses to the Wai Shuangxi Cable Car Station of Sanqing Mountain that day. So we had to stay overnight in Shangrao and go to Sanqing Mountain early the next morning.

The place we stayed last night was very close to the station. In the morning, we left our luggage at the hotel and took a bus to Sanqing Mountain. The bus ride from Shangrao East Bus Station to Wai Shuangxi Cable Car Station took about an hour and a half. After asking the driver about the return time, we began our journey to Sanqing Mountain.

Sanqing Mountain, also known as Shaohua Mountain or Ya Mountain, is located at the junction of Yushan County and Dexing City in Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province. It is named after the three peaks—Yujing, Yuxu, and Yuhua—which resemble the three highest deities (Yuqing, Shangqing, Taiqing) of Taoism sitting on the mountain. The scenic area features thousands of peaks competing in beauty, ancient trees, and year-round clouds and mist, full of immortal charm. Its unique granite stone pillars and peaks, lifelike granite-shaped rocks, rich ecological vegetation, and changing climate wonders create a unique landscape in the world, presenting an enchanting natural beauty, known as "the most beautiful mountain in the world." At the same time, it is a famous Taoist mountain with a thousand-year cultural heritage. According to legend, Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty built a thatched hut here to refine elixirs. The ancient Taoist building complex on Sanqing Mountain is ingeniously arranged according to the "Eight Trigrams" layout, combining subtlety with grandeur, and is considered a unique example of ancient Chinese Taoist architectural design, known as "the open-air museum of ancient Chinese Taoist architecture."

As soon as we stepped out of the cable car and started climbing, it began to drizzle. Fortunately, we had booked the Rishang Mountain Villa not far from the cable car station, so we hurried up the mountain. After climbing about 20 minutes of steps to the villa, the rain became heavier. We checked in and rested in our room.

The hiking route on Sanqing Mountain forms two loops in a figure "8." Rishang Mountain Villa is located right at the intersection of the two loops, making it a well-positioned hotel on the mountain. Around 10 a.m., the rain gradually stopped. Today we planned to visit one of the loops: the West Coast Scenic Area, Sanqing Blessed Land Scenic Area, and Sunshine Coast Scenic Area.

Leaving the hotel, the sky was overcast. Many tourists who had just arrived were gathered on the platform outside the hotel. To get to the West Coast Scenic Area from the hotel, we needed to climb a section of steps, then walk along a high-altitude plank road that is 4 kilometers long.

The West Coast, also known as the West Sea Plank Road, is the longest, flattest, and most open high-altitude suspended plank road on Sanqing Mountain and even in the world. It is the most thrilling and beautiful scenic area of Sanqing Mountain.

On a clear day, strolling on the high-altitude plank road above the grand canyon and looking at the distant mountains gives a feeling of exhilaration. To the east, endless cliffs; to the west, deep and mysterious canyon as a sea; in the distance, continuous mountains and a sea of mist. Strange peaks stand in abundance, jagged rocks rise, nature's work is marvelous; rich vegetation makes the canyon even more lush, giving a wonderful feeling of "wandering freely in the West Sea, happy as an immortal."

Now the mountain was filled with fog, and we could only faintly see nearby objects. Fortunately, there were blooming azaleas along the plank road to enjoy.

The Yusonglin Service Area is the end of the West Coast Plank Road. From here, continuing forward is the Sunshine Coast Scenic Area. A side path leads to the Sanqing Blessed Land Scenic Area. Many tourists rested here, and we unhesitatingly headed toward the Sanqing Blessed Land.

The Sanqing Blessed Land Scenic Area carries the profound Taoist culture of Sanqing Mountain. The Taoist buildings follow the layout of mountains and rivers and the Eight Trigrams, merging natural scenery with Taoist philosophy, blending with the natural beauty of Sanqing Mountain.

Few people come to the Sanqing Blessed Land, and we didn't encounter many people along the way. We were accompanied by squirrels and other small animals. It started raining again when we were near Sanqing Palace, and the surrounding scenery was all shrouded in mist.

Sanqing Palace is the iconic building of Taoism on Sanqing Mountain, a blessed land gathering its rich cultural heritage, and the "open-air museum" of the ancient Taoist building complex.

Sanqing Blessed Land Scenic Area

Leaving Sanqing Palace, we continued along stone steps to the Sunshine Coast Scenic Area.

The Sunshine Coast Scenic Area, also known as the East Coast, is 3,600 meters long and is the best place to view the magnificent scenery of the eastern part of Sanqing Mountain. On a clear day, walking on the Sunshine Coast, stepping on floating clouds, wearing a veil of mist, feels like wandering in a fairyland. Looking into the distance, the magnificent scenery of high mountains and stone forests is in full view.

Walking on the plank road, the distant peaks were shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing. The rain fell harder, the fog thickened, and the surrounding scenery gradually became wrapped in thick fog.

Sunshine Coast Scenic Area

After more than 5 hours of hiking, we returned to Rishang Mountain Villa.

It rained all night. In the morning, the rain cleared, and the sea of clouds appeared.

After watching the sea of clouds from the platform in front of the hotel, we hurried back to our room to pack and headed to another loop of Sanqing Mountain—the Nanqing Garden Scenic Area. From Rishang Mountain Villa, we could either go up the steep slope via One-Line Sky through Yutai to Nanqing Garden, or take the relatively easier Southeast Plank Road to go around, which was longer. We chose the Southeast Plank Road route.

The Southeast Plank Road is an outward cantilevered reinforced concrete plank road, 1.3 to 2 meters wide, with a total length of about 3,700 meters. Walking along the plank road hanging on the cliff, looking into the distance, mountain breezes blew away the clouds and mist, revealing the peaks. The undulating mountains were like dark eyebrows, the unpredictable wonders giving us a marvelous feeling like in a fairyland.

From the Southeast Plank Road, we could also overlook the Wanshouyuan Scenic Area.

Wanshouyuan Scenic Area is located at the southern foot of Sanqing Mountain, themed on auspicious longevity culture. The strange peaks and rocks in the scenic area are naturally formed, containing traditional Chinese longevity culture and the Taoist way of self-cultivation. The entire scenic area is like a natural bonsai.

In the morning, there were only the two of us on the plank road. Mesmerized by the beauty, we walked slowly, stopping often. After more than an hour on the plank road, we heard noise ahead—we had arrived at Nanqing Garden Scenic Area.

Nanqing Garden is one of the most spectacular natural scenic areas on Sanqing Mountain, at an altitude of 1,557 meters. The most impressive sights are several iconic anthropomorphic peaks, such as Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain and Goddess of Spring, both vivid in form and spirit.

Nanqing Garden is a must-visit spot on Sanqing Mountain. Many tourists had just come up from Jinsha Cable Car. Everyone gathered in front of the two landmarks—Goddess of Spring and Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain—taking photos. The goddess and python seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with visitors, hiding behind thick clouds one moment and then clearly appearing after a gust of mountain wind.

After seeing Goddess of Spring and Giant Python Emerging from the Mountain, we walked from Nanqing Garden through Yutai down the steep stairs of One-Line Sky. It was already after 11 a.m. when we returned to Rishang Mountain Villa. We checked out and took the cable car down the mountain.

Yesterday we asked the bus driver and learned there was a bus back to Shangrao at 12:00. When we arrived at the place where we got off yesterday, we were told the bus to Shangrao would depart at 12:45. Fortunately, our train to Jingdezhen was at around 3 p.m., so we had plenty of time.

We returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage and had the hotel owner grill two Shangrao chicken legs for us. After eating, we went to the train station and caught the train to Jingdezhen on time.

Jingdezhen is a famous porcelain capital, rich in ceramic culture. Today, we first went to the Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum to learn about Jingdezhen's ceramic culture.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum is located at Panlonggang, Fengshushan, Changjiang District, Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province. Covering an area of 83 hectares, it is a cultural tourism scenic area integrating cultural exhibition, ceramic experience, and entertainment and leisure. It is the only national-level tourism scenic area in China themed on ceramic culture.

From the People's Square near our accommodation, there are many buses to the museum. After getting off, we walked along a quiet ancient path for visiting porcelain to enter the scenic area and began to get up close with Jingdezhen's ceramic culture.

The Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum has the world's oldest porcelain production line, as well as kilns from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Fengxian Master Temple, the process of handmade porcelain in Jingdezhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and traditional famous porcelain masterpieces. You can learn about the ancient ceramic culture from many aspects.

The most interesting part is the exhibition area of ancient kilns of different dynasties. Here, you can not only see ancient porcelain kilns of various forms but also watch many old craftsmen demonstrating traditional handmade porcelain techniques in the porcelain-making workshops.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Porcelain-Viewing Ancient Path

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Porcelain Workshop

The Dragon Kiln is one of the traditional Chinese ceramic kilns. It is built along the slope of the mountain, shaped like a dragon, hence the name. The dragon kiln has a simple structure, divided into the kiln head, kiln bed, and kiln tail. It is usually fueled by thatch and branches. It has low cost, large firing capacity, and can make full use of waste heat. Built on a natural slope, the flame draft is strong, creating a reducing atmosphere for firing celadon and bluish-white porcelain. The dragon kiln made outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Jingdezhen's ceramic industry in the Song Dynasty.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Song Dynasty Dragon Kiln

The Mantou Kiln (Bun-shaped Kiln) is one of the typical kilns used in Jingdezhen during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. It is named for its shape resembling a steamed bun (mantou). Some Mantou Kilns have a horseshoe-shaped plan, so they are also called Horseshoe Kilns. The firing temperature can reach up to 1,300 degrees, and it can create a reducing atmosphere. Through continuous exploration by Jingdezhen kiln workers, the construction and firing techniques of the Yuan and Ming Mantou Kilns reached the highest level of this type of kiln in traditional Chinese ceramic industry.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Yuan Dynasty Mantou Kiln

The Gourd Kiln is the abbreviation of Jingdezhen's gourd-shaped wood-fired porcelain kiln, unique to Jingdezhen. It first appeared in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties and gradually fell out of use after the emergence of the egg-shaped kiln (Zhen Kiln) in the early Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty Gourd Kiln combined the advantages of the Song and Yuan dragon kilns and mantou kilns, and its firing techniques made significant progress, contributing greatly to the development of Jingdezhen's porcelain industry in the Ming Dynasty and the formation of the Qing Dynasty Zhen Kiln.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Ming Dynasty Gourd Kiln

The Qing Dynasty Zhen Kiln (abbreviated as Zhen Kiln) is a unique style of kiln among traditional Chinese kilns. The kiln house is a timber-framed building with a length of 15-20 meters, a volume of about 300 cubic meters, and a maximum height of about 6 meters. It uses pine wood as fuel (hence also called "Wood Kiln"), producing a long flame with little ash and no harmful substances, suitable for firing reducing atmosphere, which is good for the glazing effect of white porcelain, blue-and-white porcelain, and colored glazes. The Zhen Kiln is the best-preserved and most valuable ancient porcelain kiln.

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum—Qing Dynasty Zhen Kiln

Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Custom Museum

After visiting the ancient kiln museum, we took a taxi at the entrance to Fuliang Ancient County Government Office, located in Fuliang County.

Fuliang Ancient County Government Office was built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, 170 years ago. It is the only well-preserved feudal county government office south of the Yangtze River, and one of the few remaining ancient county government offices in the country, known as "the First County Government Office in China" and "the First Government Office South of the Yangtze." The architecture combines Huizhou and Jiangxi styles. The entire building faces south, with grand scale, well-arranged, connected corridors, integrating solemnity and lightness, dignity and elegance. The remaining structures on the central axis include the Screen Wall, Head Gate, Etiquette Gate, Government Courtyard, Main Hall, Second Hall, and Third Hall, basically maintaining the original style. In the 33rd year of Qianlong, the Fuliang County Chief was granted a five-grade promotion, making it the highest-ranked county government office in China. Touring the ancient government office, while appreciating the "wonderful" architectural art and experiencing the style of the ancient government, you can also learn about the history, politics, and culture of feudal government offices.

Since it was still early when we returned to the city from the ancient government office, we decided to visit the Imperial Kiln Factory not far from our accommodation.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Kiln Factory was established in Jingdezhen to produce porcelain exclusively for the imperial palace and for the emperor to reward officials. Palace porcelain began to be marked with the emperor's reign name. Due to the privileged status of the Imperial Kiln Factory, it always gathered the ceramic elites and skilled craftsmen of Jingdezhen. Although it fired porcelain exclusively for the emperor, objectively it created a large number of ceramic treasures for the Chinese nation, a cradle of ceramic art. Many have been lost overseas, but many ceramic treasures are still collected in the Palace Museum and displayed to domestic and foreign tourists.

Longzhu Pavilion is located on the Zhushan official kiln site in Jingdezhen. Since the Ming Dynasty, it has been the representative building of the Imperial Kiln Factory and the site of Ming and Qing official kilns. Therefore, it became a symbol of Jingdezhen porcelain and now is the city emblem of Jingdezhen. Beneath the ground around Longzhu Pavilion lie countless precious cultural relics, leaving behind many valuable artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Jingdezhen Longzhu Pavilion Official Kiln Porcelain Museum has exhibited representative selected pieces over the years.

Yaoli, anciently called "Yao Li" (Kiln Village), got its name because Jingdezhen is the birthplace of ceramics. As early as the middle Tang Dynasty, there were handicraft workshops producing ceramics here. Until the beginning of this century, when the porcelain kilns were moved out, "Yao Li" was renamed Yaoli.

Yaoli Scenic Area integrates natural scenery such as mountains, forests, waterfalls, and canyons, as well as cultural landscapes including ancient towns and ancient kiln sites. It combines beautiful landscapes and humanity, is primitive, simple, and quiet, with a suitable climate throughout the year. It is a green home to enjoy the baptism of nature, a good place for antique exploration and understanding the unity of heaven and humanity. It is known as "the source of porcelain, the home of tea, and the sea of forests." Yaoli scenic area includes five sub-areas: from northeast to southwest, they are: Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area, Meiling Leisure Resort, Raonan Ceramics Theme Park, Porcelain Tea Ancient Town Tourist Area, and Kaolin Mine Relics Park.

Yaoli is 50 kilometers from Jingdezhen city center. There are few buses from the city to Yaoli, and the scenic areas are scattered. Porcelain Tea Ancient Town and Wanghu are more than ten kilometers apart with no shuttle bus. For convenience, we booked a one-day tour of Yaoli today. Last night, we agreed with the driver on the departure time. Early in the morning, the driver came to the hotel on time to pick us up.

After about an hour's drive, we first arrived at Raonan Ceramics Theme Park.

Raonan Ceramics Theme Park concentratedly reflects the long and brilliant ceramic culture of the Donghe River basin in Jingdezhen. It preserves several ancient kiln sites from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and other periods, as well as many porcelain industry relics such as ancient mine caves and ancient water-powered trip-hammers. It is of great value for studying the production status of ancient Jingdezhen porcelain industry. Among them, the Raonan accumulation is the most representative cross-section feature of ceramic production found in the world. Raonan Ceramics Park once fired glazed tiles for the construction of the imperial palace for Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and it was the earliest architectural porcelain produced in Jingdezhen.

Raonan Ceramics Theme Park

Raonan Ceramics Theme Park is not large; it can be visited in about an hour. Then, after a ten-minute drive, we arrived at the most beautiful part of Yaoli—Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area.

Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area features steep mountains, dense forests, and magnificent scenery. It has flowing springs and flying waterfalls, strange rocks and caves, thousand-year-old camphor trees, and virgin forests. It integrates mountains, water, rocks, and forests, combining danger, wonder, steepness, and beauty. It brings together the changing scenery of four seasons, making it an excellent tourist destination for exploration.

The Nanshan Waterfall Group in Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area consists of four sections: Nanshan Waterfall, Shihua Waterfall, Feilong Waterfall, and Piaojin Waterfall. The waterfall group is over 400 meters long, with a drop of 220 meters, and the main waterfall is 70 meters wide. One water source forms four waterfalls, connected end to end, from large to small, from fast to slow, sometimes broken, sometimes continuous. Each of the four waterfalls has a different scenery.

Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area

After lunch at the Wanghu Ecological Tourist Area, we returned to Yaoli Ancient Town.

Yaoli Ancient Town is one of the first famous historical and cultural towns in Jiangxi Province, with a history of over two thousand years. A winding and clear Yao River runs through the town from east to west. Along the river, hundreds of Ming and Qing ancient buildings are scattered in a well-arranged manner, with flying eaves and upturned corners, white walls and black tiles, set against the green mountains and clear waters. Strolling on the bluestone-paved streets of the ancient town makes you feel as if you have entered a historical picture of Ming and Qing society.

On the way back to Jingdezhen, the driver told us that every Saturday evening, the night market at Taoxichuan Creative Plaza is very lively. Since it was Saturday today, we decided to visit Taoxichuan Creative Plaza in the evening.

Taoxichuan Creative Plaza is located in the eastern part of Jingdezhen. It is a new-style literary and artistic block themed on ceramic art, blending history and modernity, tradition and fashion. It is a new cultural landmark and a new city name card of Jingdezhen.

In addition to large ceramic exhibition areas and some fixed shops, the night market has many small vendors setting up stalls, selling all kinds of ceramic works. Prices range from expensive to cheap, so you can slowly hunt for things you like.

Taoxichuan Creative Plaza

We took a train from Jingdezhen to Jiujiang Railway Station around 8 a.m. Not far from the exit, there was a bus to Jiujiang Bus Station, from where we took another bus to Lushan.

Lushan, also known as Kuangshan or Kuanglu, is one of China's top ten famous mountains. Lushan has majestic mountain topography, with many steep cliffs and waterfalls, and is often shrouded in clouds and mist. It is world-famous for its grandeur, wonder, danger, and beauty, known as "the most beautiful mountain under heaven."

We booked a hotel in Guling Town, located on the mountainside of Lushan. We took a bus to Guling Town. The bus first stopped at the visitor center at the foot of Lushan. The driver told us to get off here to buy tickets to enter the scenic area, then get back on the bus to continue to Guling Town. We got off, checked in through the ticket gate, and then returned to the bus. The bus drove on the winding mountain road for more than an hour and arrived at Guling Town.

Guling Town, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a valley on one side, is the center of Lushan tourism reception. It is known as the "City in the Clouds" and is the political, economic, cultural, and tourism center of Lushan, which holds three gold plaques: World Cultural Landscape, World Geopark, and World Excellent Eco-tourism Scenic Area. During the day, you can lean on the railing here to overlook the vast Yangtze River, Poyang Lake, and the beautiful scenery of Jiujiang city. At night, you can enjoy the bustling lights of Lushan and Jiujiang city. It is a paradise for cultivating the mind.

We arrived at Guling Town at noon. The bus stopped at a tunnel entrance not far from the bus station. It was raining heavily, so we called the hotel owner to pick us up.

The rain stopped around 3 p.m. We decided to take a stroll around Guling Town first. The hotel was on Guling Street. Not far from the hotel was the Street Park.

Standing in the Street Park, we looked out. The crimson and green iron roofs were like colorful mushrooms scattered in the green valley, quiet and ethereal, cold and warm colors blending wonderfully, as if forming a fairy-tale world.

From the Street Park, we went through a nearby tunnel and walked along the road to Meilu (Beautiful Villa).

Meilu is a unique cultural landscape of Lushan, showing a side of the changing modern history of China. "Meilu" once served as Chiang Kai-shek's summer official residence and was the "beautiful house" of the "First Lady." Its historical trajectory is closely linked to the global events of the century. It was once a "forbidden garden," wrapped in floating mist day and night, fascinating and confusing. Now, Meilu has opened its true face, attracting tourists from home and abroad with its unique charm and style.

Opposite Meilu is the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, but it was under renovation and not open to the public. Starting from the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, old houses with iron roofs were hidden among the green trees on both sides of the road—this is the old villa area of Lushan.

The old villas of Lushan are located in Donggu (East Valley). Since 1895, when British missionary Edward Little spent 200 silver taels to lease 800 acres of land around Changchong River in Guling to build a summer resort, more than 20 countries including Britain, France, the United States, Germany, and Russia have built Western-style buildings here. These buildings are beautifully shaped, with various styles and rich cultural heritage, like a United Nations meeting, earning the name "World Architecture Museum of Villas." After liberation, national leaders such as Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De also lived here. "Without seeing the old villas of Donggu, you cannot know Lushan truly." The old villas of Lushan take you into the real life scenes of early 20th-century Lushan, allowing you to understand the origin of Lushan's old villas and experience the history and culture of Lushan. Each old villa, after a century of vicissitudes, has its own story, and together these stories form the story of Lushan.

Strolling among the old villas of Lushan on moss-covered stone steps, time passed quickly. It was already after 6 p.m. We returned to Guling Street for dinner, then wandered through the shops before going back to the hotel to rest.

The sightseeing bus routes on Lushan are divided into the East Line and West Line, connecting the attractions on the mountain. We took the sightseeing bus first to the East Line's Five Old Men Peaks.

Five Old Men Peaks are located in the southeast of Lushan. Because the mountaintop is cut by a saddle, it forms five parallel peaks that look like five old men sitting on the ground. From different angles, they appear differently: some like a poet reciting, some like a warrior singing, some like an old man fishing, some like an old monk meditating. The third peak is the most dangerous, with strange rocks in various postures, magnificent and beautiful; the fourth peak is the highest, with pines curling like dragons on the top, and below there are five minor peaks—Lion Peak, Golden Seal Peak, Stone Ship Peak, Lingyun Peak, and Flagpole Peak—further down are Guanyin Cliff and Lion Cliff, and behind the valley is Qinglian Temple.

Climbing the stone steps up the mountain, we walked through a thin layer of clouds and soon reached the first peak.

The second peak is very close to the first, but it was shrouded in clouds at that time.

We went up and down along the mountain path. When we reached the third peak, a gust of mountain wind blew, tearing a hole in the clouds, revealing the blue sky and clouds floating around.

Continuing on, we arrived at the highest peak of the Five Old Men Peaks—the fourth peak. The view suddenly opened up. The sky was blue, and the clouds floated like continuous cotton wool among the mountains.

We lingered on the fourth peak for a while, then continued to the fifth peak. Near the fifth peak, there was a fork: upward to the fifth peak, and a downward path leading to Three Fold Waterfall. We continued up the stone steps to the summit of the fifth peak. At that time, the surroundings were wrapped in clouds and mist, and the scenery appeared and disappeared through the dense gaps.

Descending from the fifth peak, we returned to the fork and took the downward path. After more than an hour, we reached the entrance of Three Fold Waterfall.

The Lushan waterfall group, mainly composed of Three Fold Waterfall, Stone Gate Stream Waterfall, Yellow Dragon Pool and Black Dragon Pool Waterfall, Wangjiapo Double Waterfall, and Jade Curtain Spring Waterfall, is known as one of the ten most beautiful waterfalls in China.

Three Fold Waterfall, also known as Three-Level Spring or Water Curtain Spring, has a drop of 155 meters. Ancient people said, "Among Kuanglu waterfalls, the first is Three Fold," and it is called "the first wonder of Lushan." The first fold falls vertically from a height of over 20 meters; the second fold bends and pours into a pool. To experience the visual impact of Three Fold Waterfall up close, you need to go down to the bottom to see the third fold.

From the entrance, there is a cable car to the first fold. We didn't take the cable car but walked down the stone steps, accompanied by a stream. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the service point for the first fold, which is also the end of the cable car. From here, we had to go down another 1,600 steps on foot to reach the bottom of the third fold.

Standing at the third fold and looking up, we saw the splashing water of Three Fold Waterfall like myriad pearls flying from the sky. Standing at the "Waterfall Viewing Pavilion," we could also look down at the three folds. The waterfall sounded like drumming and thunder; the water splashed like jade, falling into the deep valley. Looking up and down each provided its own beauty, hence the saying, "If you haven't been to Three Fold Waterfall, you haven't truly visited Lushan."

From Three Fold Waterfall, you can directly go down the mountain and exit via the East Gate of Lushan back to Jiujiang city. But since we were staying at Guling Town on the mountain, we had to go back up. We climbed up 1,600 steps back to the first fold, took the cable car back to the entrance, and then took the sightseeing bus to Hampo Estuary.

Hampo Estuary is located on the middle section of Hampo Ridge in Donggu, Lushan. At the southern end of the ridge, there is a stone archway with three gates on four pillars. The central part is engraved with "Hampo Estuary" and the sides with "Lake Light" and "Mountain Color." Behind the archway, on the ridge, there is a pavilion with an umbrella-shaped red roof and green pillars, called Hampo Pavilion.

On a clear day, climbing Hampo Pavilion and looking around, you can see the lake light and mountain colors in full view. The vast space, wide vision, low lushness, stillness of the mountains, and movement of the water—the extreme differences in beauty contrast, reflect, and connect into one. Fantasy and broad-mindedness are the essence and charm here.

When we arrived at Hampo Estuary, the mountains were shrouded in mist. Looking at "Plowshare Point" to the west, the mist-wrapped peaks were vast and indistinct. Opposite, Hanyang Peak and the Five Old Men Peaks to the south were hidden in thick clouds, appearing and disappearing. The vast Poyang Lake was completely blocked by thick fog. Many people gathered at Hampo Pavilion, waiting for the mist to clear. After a while, a gust of wind passed, and Hanyang Peak and the Five Old Men Peaks half-revealed themselves. Soon, the mist gathered again, and they disappeared back into the clouds. Poyang Lake remained hidden under the thick clouds, refusing to show itself.

We planned to visit Tianmu Hot Spring at the foot of the mountain after visiting Lushan. We returned to Guling Town from Hampo Estuary and asked at Lushan Bus Station what time there was a bus to Tianmu Hot Spring. We learned that to go from the mountain to Tianmu Hot Spring, we first had to take a bus back to Jiujiang city, then take a bus to Xingzi Bus Station in Lushan City, and then transfer to another bus to Tianmu Hot Spring. Outside the bus station, we saw private cars waiting to take passengers back to Jiujiang. In conversation with a driver, we learned that it was about an hour's drive from Guling Town to Tianmu Hot Spring. If we chartered his car, he could pick us up at the hotel and take us to Tianmu Hot Spring for 150 yuan. We thought it would be convenient to charter a car with luggage, so we took the driver's phone number.

Today we planned to visit the West Line attractions of Lushan. In the morning, we took the bus to the first stop: Hua Jing (Flower Path) near Rugin Lake.

Rugin Lake is named because its shape resembles a violin. There is an elliptical island in the middle of the lake, connected to the shore by a zigzag bridge. The island is surrounded by green pines, like an emerald necklace laid flat on the lake. At the eastern end of the island is Yi Qin Pavilion, and at the western end is a waterside pavilion.

Hua Jing is also called "Bai Sima Hua Jing" because Bai Juyi once walked this path to enjoy flowers. The garden is planted with peach blossoms and various famous flowers. The famous line by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi in his poem "Peach Blossoms in Dalin Temple"—"In the human world, all flowers have fallen by the end of April; but here, mountain temple peach blossoms just begin to bloom"—refers to this place. On the grass, there is a round pavilion with a red umbrella-shaped roof, called Hua Jing Pavilion. Inside the pavilion, a stone slab is engraved with the characters "Hua Jing" (Flower Path), said to be written by Bai Juyi himself.

There were not many tourists yet, and the path among the green trees was particularly quiet.