In March, Wuyuan.
Rapeseed flowers bloom across hills and valleys, golden seas of flowers extending from foothills to mountaintops. Huizhou-style white walls and black tiles dot the landscape, cooking smoke rising gently. A small stream flows past the village, reflecting blue sky, white clouds, yellow flowers, and pink walls.
This is the scene that countless photographers dream of.
Jiangxi is a place that makes you want to retreat from the world.
Province Profile#
- Location: Southeast China, south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River
- Best Travel Season: March-April (Wuyuan rapeseed flowers), July-August (Lushan summer retreat)
- Highlights: Wuyuan flower seas, Lushan clouds and mist, millennium porcelain capital, red cradle
Must-Visit Attractions#
Wuyuan: China’s Most Beautiful Countryside#
Wuyuan is praised as “China’s Most Beautiful Countryside”—see rapeseed flowers in spring, sun-drying crops in autumn, with different beauty throughout the year.
Jiangling is Wuyuan’s most spectacular rapeseed flower viewing spot, with terraced fields spiraling from foothills to mountaintops, golden seas of flowers stretching as far as the eye can see. Standing at the summit looking down, it’s like a giant oil painting.
Huangling is famous for “sun-drying in autumn.” In autumn, villagers dry red chili peppers, yellow corn, and white beans on rooftop drying racks—colorful, like a spilled palette.
Likeng is a small village with bridges and flowing water, clear streams running through the village, white-walled and black-tiled old houses on both banks. Sitting in a teahouse by the stream, watching elderly people wash vegetables by the river, ducks playing in the water.
Best Experience: Stay in a village homestay in spring, wake up at five in the morning to see the flower seas in the morning mist.
Lushan: True Face Unknown#
“Viewed horizontally as ridges, vertically as peaks, from far or near, high or low, never the same. Not knowing Lushan’s true face, only because one is in the mountain.”
Lushan is famous for its clouds and mist, shrouded in fog over 200 days a year. Sea of clouds, cloud waterfalls, and Buddha’s light are all Lushan’s wonders.
Three-Step Waterfall is Lushan’s most spectacular waterfall, water cascading 155 meters down a cliff in three stages, magnificent in momentum. Locals say “Not visiting Three-Step Waterfall means you haven’t truly been to Lushan.”
Hanpokou is the best place to watch sunrise and sea of clouds. In the early morning, clouds surge beneath your feet, the sun rises from the lake surface, with ten thousand rays of golden light.
Guling Town is a small town on the mountain, called the “Exposition of World Architecture.” A century ago, Westerners built hundreds of villas here, still well-preserved today.
Best Experience: Come to Lushan for summer retreat, stay in an old villa, and wander through the clouds and mist.
Jingdezhen: Millennium Porcelain Capital#
Jingdezhen has over 1,700 years of porcelain-making history, the “Porcelain Capital.”
Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Expo Area shows the complete process of traditional porcelain making—throwing, trimming, painting, glazing, firing. Master craftsmen use skills passed down through generations to transform a lump of clay into exquisite porcelain.
Taoxichuan is a creative park transformed from old factory buildings, with red brick buildings and towering chimneys now becoming art galleries, studios, and markets. On weekend nights, young ceramic artists set up their creations—dazzling array of works.
Best Experience: Try throwing clay yourself and create your own piece of porcelain.
Special Experiences#
Nostalgia at Tengwang Pavilion#
Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang is famous for Wang Bo’s “Preface to Tengwang Pavilion.”
“Sunset glow and solitary ducks fly together; autumn waters and vast sky share one color.” Standing on the pavilion, looking down at the Gan River, imagine the magnificent scene of a thousand years ago.
Red Tourism Journey#
Jiangxi is the cradle of revolution. Jinggangshan is the cradle of the Chinese revolution; Ruijin was the capital of the Chinese Soviet Republic. Take a red tourism journey and feel those eventful years.
Gannan Navel Oranges#
Come to Jiangxi in autumn and taste Gannan navel oranges. Xinfeng and Anyuan oranges are most famous—thin skin, plenty of juice, bursting with sweetness.
Travel Tips#
- Transportation: Nanchang is Jiangxi’s transportation hub, with high-speed rail connecting to all parts of the country. Wuyuan has a high-speed rail station, and Jingdezhen also has an airport.
- Accommodation: In Wuyuan, stay in village homestays; in Lushan, stay in Guling Town; in Jingdezhen, stay near Taoxichuan.
- Note: Wuyuan is crowded in spring—recommend visiting on weekdays or staying in villages to avoid crowds. Lushan is a summer retreat—book accommodation in advance.
Jiangxi’s beauty is hidden in those unassuming corners.
A small village in Wuyuan, a cloud in Lushan, a piece of porcelain in Jingdezhen… all are scenery worth savoring carefully.
Come to Jiangxi and rediscover your poetic self.
Tomorrow, we head to Shandong to see the majesty of Mount Tai and the hometown of Confucius.