Mt. Lushan National Park

Map of Lushan Mountain  Lushan National Park Photos

Lushan National Park is a well-known tourist attraction both in China and abroad. It has appealed to innumerable visitors on account of its natural sceneries and cultural heritages.

Lushan lies in the south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. It has a vantage position to the south of China's longest river, the Yangtze River, to the north of the Tengwang Pavilion, to the east of the railway from Beijing to Kowloon and to the west of China's largest freshwater lake, the Poyang Lake.

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 the mountain. 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 Ling 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.