Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, is located along the Ganjiang River. For many centuries, it was a storage and distribution center for the famous porcelain from nearby Jingdezhen. In 1937, it became famous when on August 1, Zhou Enlai led an uprising against Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalist army at Nanchang before retreating to the nearby Jinggang Mountains to form one of the first armed forces of the Chinese Red Army. Today, the anniversary of the uprising is celebrated each year in China as the day the People's Liberation Army was founded.

There are few sites of historical value or interest in Nanchang. However, from here, one can take excursion tours to the famous summer resort, Lushan Mountain, and China's porcelain capital Jingdezhen.

Lushan Mountain Resort
Lushan is 95 miles north of Nanchang, at the center of an area covering many scenic spots in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi River.

Lushan has been praised for centuries for its natural beauty. Far back in the Han Dynasty (306 B.C.-330 A.D.), China's great historian, Sima Qian, wrote in his classic, “The Historical Records”: “I mounted Lushan in the south and examined how Yu the Great had dredged the nine streams.” It has inspired many poets and scholars of past dynasties to compose numerous literary works.

The scenery in the Lushan tourist area is breathtaking, and historical relics are abundant. Up in the mountains are towering peaks, steep gorges, overhanging cliffs and cascading waterfalls. Due to the surrounding mountains, thick forests, rivers and lakes, Lushan has long spring and cool summers, which make it a celebrated summer resort. At the foot of Lushan Mountain lies the biggest freshwater lake in China, the Poyang Lake, the Shizhongshan Hill and the ancient city of Jiujiang. All of them possess unique charms.

Jingdezhen

Jingdezhen, long hailed as the “capital of porcelain,” is 75 miles north of Nanchang.

The town has a long history, and is listed as one of the Four Great Towns of ancient China. It covers an area of 3,031 square miles, and has a population of 611,030.

Porcelain was first made there during the Han dynasty (306 B.C.-330 A.D.). Since the Tang Dynasty, the white glazed china produced there had earned the name “artificial jadeware.” In the Northern Song Dynasty, officials were assigned by the emperor to the town to supervise the manufacturing of porcelain for the royal families, and Jingde china began to make its fame abroad. In the following centuries, Jingde china was sold to many countries across the world.

Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, a major pottery and china industry has developed.

Jingdezhen, with a mild and cool climate, is also an interesting tourist resort. The town nestles in mountains and is encircled by the Yangzi River. Visitors can see lovely lotus blossoming in the Lianhuatang Pond and enjoy the sweet scent of osmanthus from the Wufengge Pavilion. There is a famous ancient kiln at Hutian, and an ancient Ming street at the Sanlumiao. The newly constructed exhibition ground for the display of ancient porcelain industry, called the Guzhen kiln, is of great interest. The Pottery and China Pavilion, the Pottery and China College, the Pottery and China Institute and more than a dozen major china manufacturing works are also worth visiting.