Travel Destinations: Lushan, Jiangxia Province, China

Lushan is a beautiful mountain range in Jiangxi Province. It will cost a whopping Y135 to get in, almost as high as its peaks, but the incredibly beautiful mountainous views and the stunning European style architecture to be found here makes it all worthwhile.

Lushan, like other mountains, has been the source of inspiration for all types of artists throughout the centuries – poets, painters, writers – and has served as the backdrop of turbulent political events in Chinese communist history.



During the late 19th century, Westerns came to Lushan (known as Kuling to Westerners) as a summer retreat. They fashioned Guling village in the shape of a typical English village and the quaint little stone cottages and villages are still there today.

In 1959, the Central Committee of the Communist Party held the critical meeting here which led to the dismissal of Peng Dehuai and sent Mao into political wastelands.

In the summer, Lushan welcomes flocks of travellers, both Chinese and foreign, who come here to seek refuge from the scorching heat. In the winter, the rising mountain mists shrouds the area to make it look like something out of a beautiful fairytale.

So what is there to see and do on Lushan? There are a whole range of cultural attractions on the mountain, and the many mountain roads and trails can be explored.

The Lushan Museum (Lushan Bowuguan) was once the former residence of Chairman Mao. Today, it houses some interesting artefacts from Lushan’s communist links.



Meilu Villa (Meilu Beishu) was built in the 1930s by Chiang Sai-shek. It is always crowded with visitors but still a good place to visit. You will find it by taking a short walk down the hill from Guling.

Visiting Lushan wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Site of the Lushan Conference, which is the venue for the Chinese Communist Party’s historical conference.

If you are looking for natural and more historical sites, then Lushan has plenty on offer. The north-western rim on the mountain offers some of the most spectacular views across Jiangxi’s plains. Take care walking around these precarious slopes and see the Immortal’s Cave (Xianren Dong), then continue onwards to Dragon Head Cliff (Longshou Ya). This is a natural rock platform which tilts above a breath-taking vertical drop.



Not far from Lulin Lake, sits the sober Three Ancient Trees (Sanbaoshu). These trees, a gingko and two cedar trees, are unbelievably old – they were planted by Buddhist monks five centuries ago.

Visit the Botanical Gardens (Zhiwu Yuan) are another great place to visit. These gardens house some lovely subalpine tropical plants that thrive on Lushan in the cooler highland climate. When the camellias, conifers and rhododendrons are in bloom, the area looks incredibly beautiful.

Many travellers come here from either Nancheng or Jiujiang. Regular buses depart from Nanchang, taking around an hour and half. Buses from Jiujiang depart from the long-distance bus station which also connects with Nancheng.