Xiufeng Peak

Xiufeng Peak Highlights: Must-See Features and Attractions

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Xiufeng Peak Scenic Area is located on the south side of Lushan Mountain. It consists of several peaks such as Xianglu, Heming, Shuangjian, Jiemei, Wenshu and Guibei. The mountain where Xiufeng is located has many distinguished peaks each of which is very unique. Li Bai’s famous poem “Looking at Lushan's Waterfall” is written about the beautiful scenery now in Xiufeng Scenic Area. Xiufeng's waterfalls are spread out all over the mountain side, some are wide some are narrow, some flow fast and some slow. There is also an ancient "Xiufeng Temple" on Xiufeng Mountain. The building is beautifully constructed and there are many historical relics on site. You can see the palace where Emperor Kangxi lived during his southern tour.

Follow Li Bai and walk the path of Lushan's beautiful peaks that he once traversed

As a child, you must have read Li Bai's 'Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu': The sunlit Xianglu Peak emits purple haze, from afar the waterfall appears to hang before the river. It cascades down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way has fallen from the ninth heaven. This time, we have come to the Xiufeng scenic area of Lushan to see if the waterfall, more than a thousand years later, is still as magnificent as described by the immortal poet Li Bai. We set off from Nanchang early in the morning and drove for about two hours to reach the Xiufeng scenic area of Lushan. There weren't many people, and we had hired a guide in advance to explain some of the attractions at the foot of the mountain, including the origin of the Clever Spring and Chiang Kai-shek's villa. There is only one road up and down the Xiufeng scenic area, and to save energy, we took the cable car up the mountain. During the cable car ride, we could see from a distance the Lushan waterfall described by Li Bai, like a piece of trembling white silk hanging from the mountain top, falling into the valley. At this moment, we were slightly disappointed because the Lushan waterfall we saw was not as spectacular as the 'three thousand feet' described in Li Bai's poem. The guide said that the waterfall of Lushan is particularly affected by the weather, and the water volume only increases after rain or when it rains. The Lushan that Li Bai saw back then must have been just after the rain, while the Lushan we saw was under a clear sky, which led to the difference between what we saw and what Li Bai saw back then. After reaching the top of the mountain, we first went to the source of the Lushan waterfall. Along the way, there were lush forests and bamboo, ancient trees reaching the sky, and we passed several small temples. After walking for about fifteen minutes, we arrived at the so-called 'Milky Way' source. Perhaps also due to the weather, the source of the Lushan waterfall was somewhat stingy at this time, and the slowly flowing mountain stream contrasted sharply with the spectacular waterfall that cascaded down. Only the two characters 'Milky Way' boasted of its subsequent momentum. After viewing the source of the waterfall, we continued to walk down the mountain. During the journey, we deeply experienced the capricious weather of Lushan, with its unpredictable sunshine and clouds. One moment clouds gathered and rain fell, and the next moment the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed, with the scorching sun overhead, our bodies drenched, clothes clinging to us, hot and stuffy, which was really not too comfortable. Following the winding mountain road, we could hear the sound of water from afar, and occasionally we could see the waterfall clinging to the cliff, cascading straight down, appearing and disappearing among the overlapping mountains. When we reached the Jiutian Pool, everyone could view the Lushan waterfall up close. Although the waterfall at this time was not as majestic as Li Bai's 'cascading down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way has fallen from the ninth heaven,' looking up at the waterfall from the position of Jiutian Pool, the water rushing down from the steep cliff with a drop of more than 30 meters, the thunderous sound of water hitting the rocks echoing in the mountains, the splashing beads and misty water vapor were also extremely magnificent. Continuing down the stone path in the mountains, it wasn't long before we arrived at the Longtan at the foot of the mountain. The pool water was clear to the bottom, and as green as jade. On the surrounding rocks, there were many inscriptions left by literati, which were spectacular. Next to it was the Shuyu Pavilion, which was called one of the two marvels of Kuanglu by Su Shi, echoing the beautiful love story of Li Jing, the ruler of Southern Tang, and the Shuyu fairy. On the way back, we also passed by the grass sea of Poyang Lake. It had just rained, and we couldn't go down to the lake surface, but the lush green spread from our feet all the way into the lake, lush and full of vitality. If there's a chance, we must come again to experience the charm of the grass sea.

NEIL BARNETT