Riverside Town Jingjiang: Beyond Soup Dumplings and Pork Jerky, What Kind of City Is It?

Golden October, osmanthus blossoms scent the air, it's the season for putting on autumn weight. Many journeys to Jingjiang begin with crab soup dumplings and end with pork jerky. Yet Jingjiang is not just a city of food; it's a riverside city, a city rich in history, and a city of heroes.

Jingjiang, guarding the gateway between river and sea, defending the entire Wu region, is also known as Mazhou, Yinsha, Mucheng, and other names. In ancient times it was an old course of the Yangtze River. During the Eastern Han Dynasty the river channel shifted south, gradually forming sandbars. By the end of the Three Kingdoms period, accumulating sand became land, and Sun Quan of Wu kept horses here. The county was established in the seventh year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, then named 'Jingjiang,' with a history of 551 years to date.

Crisp autumn breezes make it the perfect season to explore ancient sites and seek tranquility.

Gushan, the lone island that has stood midstream for eons; Mazhou Academy, carrying over 700 years of cultural heritage; the Four-Eyed Well with its trickling spring water; the antique-style Wanshou Archway; the ancient Bell Tower with its resonant chimes; the exquisitely crafted Kuixing Pavilion... All these are nestled amidst the city’s green trees and lawns. Ancient charm and modern urbanity blend harmoniously into the slow-paced life of this small riverside town, Jingjiang.

Day 1 Morning: Dongxian Diyifan Crossing Campaign Memorial Park – Mazhou Academy – Gulou Square (Kuixing Pavilion, Bell Tower, Four-Eyed Well, Wanshou Archway) Afternoon: Yuewang Temple – Liu Guojun Former Residence – Gushan Temple. Day 2: Nanyuan Soup Dumplings – Xijiao Bonsai Garden – Wanyaogou Red Tourism Base – Pork Jerky Street – Return. 💰 Tickets: Mostly free; Gushan Temple entry fee is 10 yuan. 🚗 Transport: Self-drive, navigate to 'Dongxian Diyifan' to start a journey of ancient discovery.

Jingjiang Gushan: 'Through the ages, the lone isle drifts between heaven and earth; in midstream of Wu and Chu, a single sandbank is entrusted.'

Gushan is the earliest land within Jingjiang's territory. Historical records say it was originally a towering reef on the Yangtze River. Later, due to river currents, silt continuously accumulated at its base, gradually forming land around the Eastern Han period.

Gushan rises 55.6 meters above sea level. It has steep slopes on three sides, only the southern slope is gentle; narrow east-west and long north-south, from afar it resembles a large stone lion sitting south-facing north. Jingjiang county annals describe it as 'shaped like a suanni beast.' It is the only hill on the northern bank of the Yangtze east of Yangzhou.

Ancient trees are lush on Gushan, and the air is fresh. Climbing the steps you can gaze over the entire cityscape of Jingjiang. Through the ages, sages and locals alike have ascended to enjoy distant views, leaving behind many splendid lines of poetry.

For the Yuan-dynasty poet Zhu Yifeng, Gushan was: 'Beyond the shadows of a thousand sails, surrounding mountains bow; in a ten-thousand-mile current, a single pillar floats. At dusk the moon is bright, the sky like water; sitting here, cool air invades the high tower.'

For the Ming-dynasty official Shang Chen it was: 'Gushan suddenly rises, embracing flat sands; below, it still connects to a hundred thousand homes. Fishing lights flicker by distant isles; treasured pearls shimmer unevenly in sunset glow.'

And in Ming poet Shen Kui's verse: 'Smoke clears, the empty river comes into full view; in midstream of Wu and Chu, a lone sandbank is lodged.'

Ming’s Xu Jian saw: 'Looking down from the height, one's spirit soars; entering the temple, the scent of incense is pure.'

For Zhejiang native Tong Pei, Gushan meant: 'At the temple gate, sea-vapors surge; on the monk's couch, he sleeps amid wind and waves.'

And for Chan Master Cangxue of Ming: 'A single emerald spiral, exquisitely serene; looking back, the vast mist spits out the moon.'

Legend has it that when Gushan was still an isolated island, a monk named 'Dade' came to clear the land, subdue demons and tigers, and build a temple to practice the Way. At its peak, Jingjiang had over 160 temples: Xilai Nunnery to the east, Yuewang Temple to the west, Baota Temple to the south, Qinglong Temple to the north, and in the center, Gushan Temple. Gushan Temple sits atop Gushan, originally built in the early Tang Dynasty and named Zhengxian Temple; it is Jingjiang's oldest and most influential temple.

Sunlight filters through branches, casting dappled shadows on the apricot-colored walls, like an ink wash painting. Stepping into the temple is like entering a place far from the madding crowd; the lay practitioners and monks are as gentle as spring breezes and rain.

Winding paths lead to secluded spots on Gushan, incense smoke curls upward, and the Mountain Gate Hall, Guanyin Hall, Mahavira Hall, and Sanbao Tower spread across the summit in sequence, captivating visitors!

Six Ming-dynasty stone carvings are set into the walls, their ancient images telling the story of Jingjiang’s 'Horse-Carried Sandbank.'

Mazhou Academy: Abandoned three times, rebuilt four times, carrying forward Jingjiang’s cultural legacy for over 700 years.

White horses carrying sand, the Wu emperor pasturing horses, the loyal spirit of Wumu (Yue Fei)—over time, Jingjiang has gathered its unique humanistic charm. According to the Jingjiang county annals, from the founding of the county to the abolition of the imperial examination system, it produced 35 civil examination jinshi degree-holders, 140 juren; and 3 military jinshi, 39 military juren.

This is naturally thanks to the heritage of Mazhou Academy, which existed even before the county was established. First built during the Xianchun period of the Southern Song, rebuilt in the Chongzhen period of the Ming, and again during the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing, it has weathered vicissitudes—abandoned three times and rebuilt four times. For over 700 years, Mazhou Academy has carried Jingjiang's cultural lineage, making it the earliest, longest-running, and most influential academy in Jingjiang.

Records say that when the Song court fled south, Kong Ruohan sojourned in Taixing. Over a hundred years later, during Xianchun, his fifth-generation descendants, the brothers Kong Yuanqian, built 'Mazhou Academy' beside Chongsheng Temple on Xisha, the first academy in Jingjiang’s history, marking the formation of its cultural tradition.

In the Qing Dynasty, Jingjiang successively built Jiteng Academy, Dongchuan Academy, Zhengyi Academy, and Chongwen Academy. Zhengyi Academy was later renamed Mazhou Academy by the county magistrate Jia Yiqian. Today's Mazhou Academy is located inside Jingjiang No.1 Middle School, its prototype being the Jingjiang County Higher Elementary School on the original site of Zhengyi Academy.

Kuixing Pavilion (Wenchang Temple): 'Kuixing touches the dipper and stands alone at the head of the turtle'

The first county magistrate Zhang Ruhua built the Confucian school and temple, ushering in a new cultural atmosphere in Jingjiang with one school and four academies. Later, to promote literary prosperity, and due to the local topography, a towering Kuixing Tower was constructed east of Zhengyi Academy, in the southeast of the school complex. Today, the Confucian temple and school have been submerged in the river of history, leaving only Kuixing Tower to bear witness to the scholarly pursuits of generations past and present.

Kuixing Tower was constructed on a one-meter-high platform, a three-story pagoda-style building with six flying eaves featuring double dragons playing with a pearl. The exterior uses wood, while the interior is brick wall structure; the walls are red, signifying literary prosperity. For a thousand years, the tradition has been passed down, and scholars have left a lasting fragrance. The two historic sites, Mazhou Academy and Kuixing Pavilion, continue to transmit Jingjiang’s humanistic charm.

Bell Tower (Chongsheng Temple): The gentle elegance of Jiangnan gardens

Hanshan Temple, Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell reaches the traveler’s boat; Guanyin Temple, Guanyin Temple, the morning and evening bell marks the hours.

Chongsheng Temple, also called Guanyin Temple, was moved into the city by Magistrate Zhang Ruhua and built at Yaqian Port. It was the largest and longest-lasting temple in Jingjiang's history, with relics that survive to this day. Through seas turning into mulberry fields, the ancient Bell Tower and Four-Eyed Well of Chongsheng Temple have been well preserved. The Bell Tower, Four-Eyed Well, and Wanshou Archway in Gulou Square, as well as the Plum Pavilion and Sweet Osmanthus Hall in People’s Park, all have myriad connections to Chongsheng Temple.

The Bell Tower was first built during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty, located a few dozen steps in front of Chongsheng Temple. It has two floors, surrounded by a colonnade on the ground level, with double-eaved xieshan roofs, carved architraves, interspersed dougong brackets, a high ridge resembling a swimming dragon, and corner rafters suspended like flying phoenixes.

A large bronze bell hangs from a beam on the upper floor. The present bell is not the original; it was recast later in Suzhou, bearing inscriptions such as 'national peace and people's tranquility' and 'favorable weather.' The resonant bell can not only tell time but also encourage self-reflection and self-discipline.

Four-Eyed Well (Chongsheng Temple): Exquisite structure, ingenious design

The Four-Eyed Well was first built during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty by a monk named 'Liaofan' from Chongsheng Temple. Over the well stands a four-corner pavilion with a xieshan roof, four arched gates, chi-dragon heads on the ridge, and carvings of phoenixes, bats, and two dragons playing with a pearl. It shines in harmony with the nearby Bell Tower, exuding the gentle charm of Jiangnan gardens.

The Four-Eyed Well is structurally refined and ingeniously designed. Its uniqueness lies in its four well openings shaped like eyes, giving it the folk name 'Four Eyes.' When the water level drops below the arch dividers, if you lean over and look into the well as if into a mirror, the four openings will reflect your image simultaneously, and echoes within the well will reverberate back and forth for a long time.

Wanshou Archway: Whispering the smoke-like past of Jingjiang

The Wanshou Archway originally served as the mountain gate of Chongsheng Temple, first built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, funded by then county magistrate Zhao Yingyu, who was also a master calligrapher. He personally inscribed the plaque 'Wanshou Fang,' wishing that Jingjiang would pass on its beauty for ten thousand generations. The present archway was rebuilt in 2003 when the Bell Tower Square was constructed, located over a hundred meters north of the original site in front of the southern entrance of People's Park.

The lush People’s Park and Bell Tower Square have become the lungs of old Jingjiang city, a landmark for citizens to rest amid the hustle and bustle. Scattered historical sites within them quietly tell the misty tales of Jingjiang, carrying the spiritual sustenance of generation after generation.

Yuewang Shengci Temple: 'Thirty years of fame and merit, all dust; eight thousand miles of road, under cloud and moon.'

During the Jianyan period of the Southern Song, Yue Fei once garrisoned Jingjiang. Legend has it that the ancestors of Jingjiang, to thank Yue Fei for protecting the ferry, built the Yuewang Shengci Temple. It is one of the earliest historic sites in Jingjiang and the only living shrine to Yue Fei. The town name Shengci Town derives from this.

Today's Yuewang Temple is a four-courtyard Song-style complex. Above the mountain gate, a stone horizontal plaque reads 'Yue Zhongwu Shengci Hall,' while the courtyard walls on both sides are inlaid with square stone carvings of 'Loyalty to Serve the Nation.' Inside the hall, a stele bears a carving of Yue Fei in civilian official attire.

Past the mountain gate stands the ancient and dignified main hall of the living shrine, named Siyue Hall. In front of it, a double-dragon screen has a history of over 800 years.

The hall has a single-eaved xieshan roof and three-tier bracket sets. Entering, pillar couplets read: 'Thirty years of fame and merit, all dust; eight thousand miles of road, under cloud and moon.' A seated statue of Yue Fei rises inside, wearing a red-tasseled commander's helmet, a purple python robe, arms revealing golden armor, and martial boots on his feet. His demeanor is heroic and solemn. To either side, eight subordinate generals are vividly rendered.

Behind the statue is inscribed Yue Fei’s famous poem 'Manjianghong.' Around the temple, covered walkways embrace secondary halls, embedded with tablets of ci poems, shi poems, and a stone carving of Yue Fei's handwritten 'Former Expedition Memorial,' offering endless reflection as one strolls.

Liu Guojun Former Residence: The patriotic ambition of a modern national industrialist

Liu Guojun's former residence features whitewashed walls and black tiles, filled with ancient charm. The courtyard is lush with flowers and trees, with dappled light and shadow—a residence full of Jiangnan grace. It consists of the Guojun Hall, a corduroy culture museum, and the Liu Guojun Memorial Hall.

Liu Guojun, a native of Shengci Town in Jingjiang, was hailed as the 'Pride of National Industry' and the 'Titan of Textiles' for his significant achievements in the national textile, dyeing, and printing industry. He donated repeatedly to establish schools and restore Yuewang Temple, never forgetting his hometown ties. The residence includes the old house, Jingxiu Hall, Shanyu Hall, etc., and is a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit.

The Yuewang Temple and Liu Guojun's former residence face each other east and west, echoing one another. It is said that Yuewang Temple embodies the ancient Chinese national hero’s spirit of ‘loyalty to serve the country,’ while Liu Guojun’s residence reflects the modern Chinese national industrialist’s patriotic resolve to be self-reliant and give back to society.

Wanyaogou: Jingjiang’s ‘Little Yan’an,’ ‘Little Moscow’

The forerunners blazed a trail for later generations, who in turn carry on their work to comfort the loyal souls. Due to its special geographical position, Jingjiang has always been a front line in times of war. From Sun Quan’s horse pasturing to a strategic river defense point, countless battles have taken place here. Wanyaogou was a key area of struggle during the Anti-Japanese War and Liberation War, once housing the Jingjiang county party committee, county government, and independent regiment. Weapon factories, clothing factories, and Hongyi Middle School were also located here, earning Wanyaogou the nickname 'Jingjiang’s Yan’an.'

The Wanyaogou Red Tourism Base is built around the existing old county party committee and government site, serving as a patriotic education base. Students from schools often come to pay respects. The entire base is set amid idyllic farmland; golden rice ears dance in the autumn breeze. Today’s peaceful life was won by the countless martyrs commemorated in this memorial park.

Across a stone bridge and a stone archway inscribed 'Never Forget the Original Aspiration,' you reach the revolutionary martyrs’ memorial area. Surrounding stone wall reliefs depict major events of the war years, and behind the martyrs’ monument are carved the names of one martyr after another.

The memorial hall is a cluster of white-walled, black-tiled buildings. The two floors document Jingjiang people’s arduous and extraordinary combat history during wartime, serving as the physical carrier and historical witness of Jingjiang’s revolutionary culture.

Dongxian Diyifan: The eastern starting point of the thousand-mile Crossing Campaign

Cross the Yangtze and liberate all China: Jingjiang was the eastern starting point of the thousand-mile front in the Crossing Campaign. On April 21, 1949, in that spring 73 years ago, over 200,000 troops of the Tenth Corps of the Third Field Army of the PLA surged across the Yangtze from Jingjiang, breaking through the river defenses in one sweep and pressing south.

In 1999, General Ye Fei, former commander of the Tenth Corps, inscribed 'Dongxian Diyifan.' In 2019, for the 70th anniversary of the Crossing Campaign, the Dongxian Diyifan Memorial Park was built on the site of the original campaign.

Inside the Dongxian Diyifan Memorial Hall, it records how the people of Jingjiang united as one, actively supporting the front by collecting grain and fodder, building roads, and aiding the army in crossing the river, making tremendous contributions to the victory of the Crossing Campaign.

The memorial park features clear gurgling waters, lush greenery, and colorful red maple woods. Sculptures of soldiers and civilians training together are scattered around. On the riverside plaza, an iron sail is raised high, and crossing soldiers charge with heads held high, recreating the scene of army-civilian unity sweeping across the Yangtze.

Xijiao Bonsai Garden: Landscape poetry and painting in water-and-stone bonsai

The scholar-official class of Suzhou likes to entrust their landscape sentiments in Suzhou-style gardens, while Jingjiang people prefer to express theirs through water-and-stone bonsai. Since the early 1980s, generations of Jingjiang bonsai artisans have tirelessly pursued the art of bonsai and the art of living.

At Xijiao Bonsai Garden, we encountered an artistic feast of landscape bonsai. Jingjiang landscape bonsai is a splendid gem in the art of bonsai, originating in the Han and Tang dynasties, developing in Ming and Qing, and flourishing in the present. Using rocks of various shapes, through artistic conception and technical processing, adorned with plants, pavilion ornaments, and shallow white marble trays, it creates miniature landscapes that condense heaven and earth, like silent poems and three-dimensional paintings.

Stone and hill bonsai represented by 'Green Reflections of the Lijiang River' and 'Layered Clouds on Misty Hills' were selected for a set of Chinese landscape bonsai stamps issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and the Central News Documentary Film Studio even produced a special feature film titled 'Love for Landscapes.'

Through the long years, the cultural lineage endures. A graceful hill, ten miles of riverside greenery, the reeds and rushes of Tuosha, a blessed land, have become a gleaming pearl by the river.