Sandiequan waterfall
The mountain's best known.
钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Liuxingy — CC BY-SA 4.0 · rheins — CC BY 3.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alex Ansley from Wuhan, China — CC BY-SA 2.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of China's most famous mountains, about 25 km long and 10 km wide between the Yangtze to the north and Poyang Lake to the east; its highest peak, Dahanyang, reaches 1,474 metres, a sea of clouds covers it almost 200 days a year, and it is known for its views, waterfalls and cool summers. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1996, and it is also a UNESCO Global Geopark. The mountain inspired great poets: Li Bai wrote his famous poem on the Lushan waterfall, and Su Shi said he could not see Lushan's true face because he was inside the mountain; it is also home to the White Deer Grotto Academy, founded in 940 and one of China's oldest seats of learning. In the late 19th century the summit town of Guling became a summer retreat where Western missionaries built stone villas, and it is now the heart of a visit, with hotels and streets from which visitors head to the Sandiequan waterfall, Jinxiu Valley, the Hanpokou viewpoint over Poyang Lake and Ruqin Lake. Tickets cost CNY 160 in season and 135 off season, valid seven days, with free entry throughout March; the park bus you need to get around costs extra, the cable car about CNY 120 return, and the Sandiequan waterfall has its own paid cable car, per visitor guides. Allow at least two days.
The mountain's best known.
Over the peaks.
And its stone villas.
Lushan City and Guling town, Jiujiang, Jiangxi
At least two, as the ticket is valid seven days and the sights are far apart; many visitors stay overnight in Guling on the summit.
Choices on the mountain are limited, so look for restaurants under the halal sign in Jiujiang or Guling, or bring food, and ask about ingredients, as local cooking uses pork.