Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

New school and new school year.
But where in the land of Beers N Noodles am I?

If you are a traveller looking for a place that will give you a variety of interesting options, then Jiangxi province in southern China is definitely the place for you! An interconnected web of rivers, lakes and shimmering rice paddies, Jiangxi is defined by its water along with the pristine beauty of its misty mountains. Farmers in slickers and heavy boots till the fields in drizzling rain as snow white birds whirl overhead, and off at the edges of the province, low lying hills of pencil thin pines give way to more substantial mountain ranges, seemingly shrouded in perpetual mist.

Jiangxi Province is situated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its neighbouring provinces include Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and Anhui. Jiangxi got its name during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) and because the Gan River runs through this province from north to south, it is also called Gan for short.

At the northern border is Poyang Lake, which is not only the largest fresh water lake in China, but also the largest winter habitat for white cranes. When winter approaches, nearly three thousand white cranes migrate to Poyang Lake to spend their winter. On the east side of this lake is Mt. Lushan with its lush mountains, enveloping clouds and mists, rapid streams and numerous deep pools and waterfalls. Mysterious and enchanting sceneries nestle in its secluded valleys and deep ravines. Sudongpo, a well-known poet of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), in honour of the 'Cloud Sea' of Mt. Lushan for its ever changing mist, wrote;

The failure to get a real perspective of the mountain,
Only results in the fact that you are right in the midst of it!

Its modern as well as ancient Chinese historical sites will whet your appetite for learning about its culture. To top it off, Jingdezhen 'China's Capital of Porcelain' is also found within the province borders. Ceramics were produced here over one thousand eight hundred years ago and it was once the sole supplier for the Forbidden City in Beijing. While it certainly doesn’t wind up on many people’s travel lists, the province has its own surprises and it can be just the spot if you’re after a more remote corner of China.

Jiangxi makes it into most history books on account of its revolutionary credentials.

The Nanchang Uprising on 1^st August 1927 marked the origin of the communist army, and seven years later the fabled Long March began from the First Red Army’s beleaguered outpost in the Jinggang Shan Mountains. But underneath the nationalist veneer lies some truly beautiful scenery. Its bucolic charms of Wuyuan, with its preserved villages, terraced rice fields and deep hallows splashed with wildflowers along with the rarely visited Hakka Country on the borders of Guangdong and Fujian provinces beckons travellers looking for a slice of authentic rural China to break the trip.

History

Jiangxi’s Gan River Valley was once the principle trade route that linked Guangdong with the rest of the country in imperial times. Its strategic location, natural resources and a long growing season ensured that the province has always been relatively well off. Jiangxi is most famous for its imperial porcelain, although its contributions to philosophy and literature are perhaps more significant, particularly during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Lushan was an important Buddhist centre, and also served as the home of the famous White Deer Grotto Academy, re-established by the founder of neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi (1130 – 1200) as the pre-eminent intellectual centre of the time. Taoism played a role in Jiangxi’s development after Longhu Mountain became the centre of the powerful Zhengyi sect in the 8^th century.

Peasant unrest arose during the 16^th century and again in the 19^th century when the Taiping rebels swept through the Yangzi River Valley. Rebellion continued into the 20^th century when Jiangxi became one of the earliest bases for the Chinese communists.

Here is a list of links to when I travelled northern Jiangxi during my 2009 Summer Beers N Noodles Adventure…it honestly does have some of the most beautiful scenery found in China!

Romantic Serenity in Small Likeng Village
Fruity Meejyo Bars in Big Likeng Village
A Beautiful Ancient Bridge & City Adventure
Jingdezhen, A Vibrant City Full of China
Feeling Glazed At The Ancient Royal Kiln!
Luotiancun, Shuinan & Jingtai Village Adventure
On The Crossroads of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi
A Sunny Afternoon On the Yangzi
Mc Stunners & The Dongling Monastery
The Beers N Noodles Adventure Ends On Mt Lushan

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Sound Garden
The album was ‘Louder Than Love’
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