- Healing power of travel away from the everyday routine
WRITER
Zhu Shichao
(AP China Indirect Procurement Team)
1. Mount Sanqing, Jiangxi
There is no better place than Hong Kong to have a fun shopping experience, but Zhejiang is best for enjoying the tranquil quiet of beautiful countryside (of course, by my own standards as a Chinese person). I heartily recommend the famous Five Great Mountains for a great climbing experience and it'd be great to visit a nice hot spring resort. Every travel experience leaves a good memory and I would like to introduce you to one of my most memorable travel destinations: that's Jiangxi, China.
Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi is one of most visited mountains in eastern China. It is located south to famous Huangshan, north to Jiuqu boasting beautiful jade green waves and east to the historical village, Jingdezhen. It also reaches as far west to Xihu known as Heaven on Earth.
Many means of transportation are available from Shanghai to Mount Sanqing, Jiangxi, including train, high speed railway, car and airplane. My friends and I chose high speed railway for convenience sake. As we were going to climb Mount Sanqing the next morning, we went to a hotel located at the foot of Mount Sanqing and unpacked. From there we saw the entrance to the magnificent mountain and the lush green trees surrounding it.
The gauzy mist of early dawn got our clothes wet, but the mixture of clean, crisp morning air and stunning spectacle blew our mind away. We felt like we were getting more and more close to clouds as we walked up the slightly slippery wooden stairs to the top of the mountain. The whole view of soaring mountain peaks from the mountain top was totally worth going to all the trouble of climbing it.
In fact, it takes at least 2–3 days to see all the attractions around Mount Sanqing. There are attractions on both the east and west sides of the mountain and each wooden stair heights up to 1,600m, which means that you need physical strength and energy. But, despite it all, millions of tourists come to Mount Sanqing every spring.
To give you some useful tips, pack a thin, light raincoat and a long-sleeved jumper because, even though Mount Sanqing is not very high, there is a great temperature difference between day and night. And, if you want to spend enough time looking around the various attractions on offer there, book a room at the hotel/lodge located halfway up the mountain. There is nothing better than enjoying the beautiful natural scenery with a cup of tea in a log cabin in the mountain at the end of a long, weary day. A quiet night on Mount Sanqing helps to relieve fatigue and helps all the worries go away from your mind.
2. Rape flower garden in Wuyuan
Saying goodbye to beautiful Mount Sanqing, we headed to Wuyuan, known as the most beautiful village in China. In point of fact, I didn't know much about the village, but I saw things there that were very Chinese. I was especially impressed by the roof tiles still painted in beautiful blue after going through many storms. The buildings were perfectly symmetrical, and the roof tiles and pavilions in the yard were exquisitely crafted.
It offers architectural beauty everywhere, but what pleases tourists most is delicious food. In Wuyuan, you will find lustrous home-dried pork, rice cake with great chewy texture and famous dumplings filled with minced meat and vegetables. They all seem to be simple, but their traditional recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, pleasing both the eyes and mouths of tourists.
After stuffing ourselves with good foods, we went to the rape flower garden, something that's simply not to miss in Wuyuan. Many places in Jiangxi, China are famous for beautiful rape flowers and, among all, Jiangling and Huangling are the most famous. The view of pink peach blossoms, white pear blossoms and terraced yellow rape flowers along white and black roofs is truly picturesque.
There is one thing that I shouldn't miss, besides beautiful landscape and delicious food. That is my Amorepacific China fellows; members of the Indirect Procurement Team. Travel was great and unforgettable because of them. I hope that our friendship and mutual respect continue as it did throughout the travel.