Traveling in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, a small city in eastern Jiangxi and the hometown of the opera composer Tang Xianzu
Preface
Jiangxi, one of Zhejiang's neighboring provinces, seems to be the most easily overlooked. Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, and Shanghai are all more familiar than Jiangxi, yet Jiangxi boasts a wealth of tourism resources. It boasts the Pavilion of Prince Teng, one of Jiangnan's three most famous towers; Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake; Jingdezhen, China's Porcelain Capital; Wuyuan, a spring flower-viewing mecca; and a diverse array of renowned mountains with diverse landscapes and cultures, including Lushan, Sanqingshan, Jinggangshan, Dajueshan, and Longhushan.
Fuzhou is located in the eastern part of Jiangxi Province, so it is also called "Gandong". There are many buildings named "Gandong" in the city, including Gandong Avenue, Gandong Bridge, etc. Fuzhou is the prefecture-level city closest to the provincial capital Nanchang. The eastern part of Fuzhou City borders Fujian Province and it has jurisdiction over two districts and nine counties. The most famous here is "The Four Dreams of Linchuan".
Fuzhou is the hometown of Tang Xianzu, a Ming Dynasty playwright known as the "Shakespeare of the East." It is a city with a profound cultural heritage and many unique natural scenery. This guide will lead you to travel around Fuzhou and get to know this low-key tourist city.
Fuzhoucheck the details
Fuzhou, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangxi Province, is located in the eastern part of the province. It stretches approximately 222 kilometers from north to south and 169 kilometers from east to west, covering a total area of 18,816.92 square kilometers, accounting for 11.27% of the province's total area. Fuzhou administers two districts and nine counties, covering a total area of 18,817 square kilometers. Its total population in 2016 was 4 million, with Gan dialect spoken as the common language. Fuzhou is a National Garden City, boasting 16.6 square meters of parkland per capita and a 43.4% urban greening rate. Its comprehensive environmental assessment ranks seventh nationwide and first in central China. Its forest coverage rate reaches 64.5%, with Zixi County boasting a forest coverage rate of 85.9%, earning it the reputation of a "natural oxygen bar."
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Wenchangli
Wenchangli is the most lively place in Fuzhou and is still under construction. Simply put, Wenchangli is a historical and cultural block, equivalent to Hefang Street in Hangzhou, the Bell and Drum Tower in Xi'an, and Hongyadong in Chongqing.
Today, Wenchangli is not just a block, it also includes many cultural attractions, including the Ming Dynasty opera master Tang Xianzu, whose family tomb is here, the Fuzhou characteristic ancient building Yulong Wanshou Palace is also here, as well as the Western Catholic Church and the Tang Dynasty Zhengjue Ancient Temple. It is a place where diverse cultures merge.
Fuzhou Catholic Church, also known as St. Joseph's Cathedral, is a typical Gothic building. It is also the third largest church in China. The night lights make the entire church golden and silver, which is very spectacular and imposing.
But this church is a little different from the Catholic churches we usually see. The Catholic churches we usually see are all symmetrical in structure, and the style is a triangle with a high middle and low two sides. However, the church in Wenchang is not triangular, but parallel. Statues of Joseph, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary are hung on the outer wall in the center of the church, and the Holy Spirit is great; when you walk into the church, the space is very large, solemn and dignified, and there are people praying inside.
Wenchangli Old Street consists of three streets. Although they are said to be in different directions, they are actually connected from beginning to end, so you can just walk all the way to the end.
The old street is very interesting. The section you just enter is a special exhibition of each county under Fuzhou, just like a city expo, showing the different regional cultures between counties through food and handicrafts.
The picture above shows an exhibition hall of wooden masks. This kind of mask is actually called "Nuo". There is a special dance performed with such a mask, also called Nuo dance, which is a feature of Nanfeng.
The masks on display here have many different themes, including ancient Chinese gods and immortals, as well as some characters from "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin".
After walking along Wenchangli Old Street, you will see the ancient Zhengjue Temple. It was built in the Tang Dynasty and was originally named Kaiyuan Temple. It was founded by Zen Master Daoyi, the eighth patriarch of the Southern School of Buddhism. The temple is very large and the tall tower is very conspicuous from the outside.
Sanweng Garden
Sanweng Garden is a very large urban garden, suitable for a leisurely walk. The scenery in the garden is also very nice and suitable for taking photos.
There are windmills on the other side of the river, which makes you feel like you have arrived in Holland, full of European style. The entire Sanweng Garden is divided by this river. This side of the river is a Chinese garden design, while the other side of the river is a display of Western style, integrating two different styles.
There is a tree in the middle of the circular walkway. It is said that this tree is the treasure of the entire Sanweng Garden. It is a Japanese maple tree and is nearly 500 years old.
Continuing forward, we arrived at the last part of Sanweng Garden, Sanweng Square. In fact, we went in the wrong direction. This is the entrance to Sanweng Garden. Why it is called Sanweng Garden can be explained here. There are three huge human statues in the square. The three Wengs refer to Tang Weng, Shakespeare, and Sai Weng, who are Tang Xianzu of China, Shakespeare of Britain, and Cervantes of Spain respectively. This is a fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, and it also conveys a concept, so different Chinese and Western styles can be found everywhere in the park.
Fuzhou Guild Hall
Yulong Wanshou Palace is the best-preserved ancient building in Fuzhou. It has strong Linchuan cultural architectural features and is also known as the Fuzhou Guild Hall.
Yulong Wanshou Palace was first built during the Song Dynasty by the people of Fuzhou in memory of Xu Xun, a renowned water conservancy expert and Taoist master from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Xu Xun is the patron saint of Jiangxi Province, commonly known as "Fuzhu," also known as Xu Jingyang and Xu Tianshi. To commemorate him and pray for his blessings, Wanshou Palaces, also known as Jingyang Shrines, are erected in every place where Jiangxi people gather, across China and even in Singapore and Malaysia.
This is the entrance to the Fuzhou Guild Hall. The stone archway in front of you has been preserved and has very exquisite carvings on it. The "Yulong Wanshou Palace" in the middle was named and inscribed by Emperor Huizong of Song himself, so this name has been passed down to this day. This is the origin of the Wanshou Palace.
The interior of Yulong Wanshou Palace is divided into three parts. The central axis consists of six parts: stone gate archway, stage, front hall, middle hall, back hall, and back building. The left and right wings are separated by the north-south passages in front of the middle hall. The front three parts each have seven wing buildings, and the back three parts are located to the south of the Fire God Temple and to the north of the Wenxing Temple.
In addition to the grandeur of the building, many details are also worthy of study. The three types of carvings are brick carvings, stone carvings and wood carvings. The craftsmanship of the ancients was very sophisticated.
Nixiantai
Nixiantai has been a famous tower in the south of the Yangtze River since ancient times. It is adjacent to the east bank of Heihe River and is as famous as Youzhoutai in Hebei, Guanquelou in Shanxi, and Yugutai in Ganzhou. It was first built in the Song Dynasty. The Nixiantai we see now has been rebuilt seven times and is about 50 meters high.
Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong and Lu You all wrote poems for him, "Obtaining a panoramic view of Jiangxi Province, overlooking the river and imitating the Xiantai."
There is an exhibition on the first floor, an exhibition of oil paintings from China and Russia. Here you can be influenced by culture. In the distance is the oil painting version of Nihyangdai. These paintings are quite exquisite, including those by Chinese and Russian painters, and the content also reflects the local characteristics of China and Russia.
The seventh floor is the highest level of Nixian Terrace. Standing on the top of Nixian Terrace, you can overlook the entire Fuzhou city.
There is a corridor outside, and we can walk outside to visit. There is actually a pier in front of Nixiantai Square, and you can also take a boat tour on the Fuhe River.
Dream Lake
Menghu Lake next to Nixiantai is actually an artificial lake. It was originally built for flood drainage and later renamed Menghu Lake. It was built into a theme park based on "The Peony Pavilion" in Tang Xianzu's "The Four Dreams of Linchuan". It has Menghu Lake, Mengting, Mengqiao and Mengyuan. Among them, Mengyuan is the most essential part of Menghu Lake.
Dream Garden is actually a small island in Dream Lake, connected by Dream Bridge. Walking on the Dream Bridge, we can see the pavilions and towers in Dream Garden, which restore the scene of Peony Pavilion in an antique style.
In the middle of the Dream Garden is a tall bronze statue of two people hugging and looking at each other. These two people are the male and female protagonists of "The Peony Pavilion", Liu Mengmei and Du Liniang. The Dream Garden revolves around their love story.
Linggu Peak
Linggu Peak was originally a Taoist fairy mountain, about 20 kilometers away from Fuzhou city. Currently, there are buses to the scenic area. There are two entrances to the scenic area, one in the direction of Linchuan and the other in the direction of Jinxi.
The roads leading up the mountain are all repaired with cement steps, which makes hiking very convenient and good for keeping fit.
When you reach the top of the mountain, you will see lush greenery everywhere. After staying in the city for a long time, it is also very pleasing to the eye to see the natural scenery in the wild. Put down your mobile phone and spend more time in touch with nature.
Zhuqiao Ancient Village
Located in Jinxi County, Fuzhou City, this area was once the filming location for the fourth season of the TV series "Where Are We Going, Dad?" In the summer, a large lotus pond stands at the entrance of the village, covered in lush green duckweed. A few lotus flowers have bloomed and faded. Behind the pond lies the ancient village of Zhuqiao, connected by a wooden plank road. It's a tranquil scene, so quiet you'd rather not disturb it.
When we enter the ancient village, the first thing we see is a large pond. There are seven small ponds in the whole ancient village, which are arranged in the village like the Big Dipper, forming seven stars and the moon with this large pond.
Across the pond is the Wenlong Temple, the only Ming Dynasty building preserved in the ancient village. The others are from the Qing Dynasty.
The dyeing workshop by the pond and the bamboo poles used to dry cloth also became our props. Can you see that this photo is actually a reflection in the water? The difference between reality and illusion is very fine, so what you see is not necessarily the truth.
The snack in the ancient village, lotus root candy, looks similar to dragon beard pastry, but there are still some differences. In terms of color, dragon beard pastry is white, while lotus root candy is light yellow. In terms of taste, lotus root candy is not as sticky as dragon beard pastry.
Dajue Mountain
Dajue Mountain is the only 5A-level scenic spot in Fuzhou City and also the most well-known tourist attraction in Fuzhou.
There are many types of tickets for Dajue Mountain, including scenic area tickets, sightseeing buses, cable cars, and rafting. Scenic area tickets and sightseeing buses must be purchased, and then cable cars and rafting can be freely chosen or combined. The cable car is mainly to go up the mountain to see the natural scenery of Dajue Mountain, and rafting is to experience the excitement of canyon rafting.
The sightseeing bus in the scenic area also speeds very fast. The visitor center is at the foot of the mountain, and the starting point of the cable car and rafting in Dajue Mountain are both halfway up the mountain, which is still a very long distance. On the way, you will pass by the Dajue Mountain Ancient Town, where the sightseeing bus will stop. You can ride any bus between these three points.
The sightseeing bus stopped at Dajue Mountain Ancient Town on the way. We got off the bus and wandered around the ancient town. There were shops on both sides, and the shops were full of the same tourist products and delicacies. There were antique Song Dynasty style buildings, and the surrounding mountains were lush and green, shrouded in clouds and mist, as if it was an ancient town in a fairyland.
The infrastructure in the ancient town is very complete. Pavilions, towers, temples, and various ancient street scenes can be found here, instantly taking you back to ancient times and the Song Dynasty. Therefore, many film and television dramas are filmed here.
Take the cable car up the mountain and overlook the entire Dajue Mountain. The cable car is not big and can accommodate up to two people. The one-way trip takes 23 minutes.
Magu Mountain
Magu Mountain is located in Nancheng County, Fuzhou City, approximately 10 kilometers from the urban area. It is named after the Magu Fairy, who visited the area. The mountain boasts stunning scenery and is a sacred site where Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism flourished.
This is the visitor center of the scenic area that was built and put into use last year. It is a magnificent stone archway with some auspicious stories carved on it.
On the left side of the visitor center, there is a building complex. We walked in accidentally and found out that this is a tourism experience and interactive center of Jianchangbang Pharmaceutical (Jianchangbang is a very famous pharmaceutical group in Jiangxi).
The venue also has information about the production process of Magu wine, and other venues introduce the development process of Jianchang Gang. Some traditional tools for the pharmaceutical process are displayed here, and some simple tools can be experienced on site.
Magu Mountain Scenic Area currently offers free admission. You need to take the scenic area's van to go up the mountain. The one-way fare is 3 yuan, and the journey on the winding mountain road takes 20 minutes.
On the way to the top of the mountain, there is a waterfall worth going down to see. If you look closely, you can see two waterfalls pouring down, so this waterfall is called Yu Lian Shuang Fei.
There is a live performance called "Magu Offering Longevity" on the top of the mountain. It is currently free to watch and is only performed on weekends, so it attracts a large number of tourists.
The lotus-shaped one is the central stage, the corridors on both sides are also performance venues, and the rest of the places are auditoriums. There are no seats, so the audience can watch the 360° panoramic view.
Xiandu Temple, also known as Magu Temple, is where it is said that Magu attained enlightenment.
Entering the second courtyard of Xiandu Temple, you'll find the Lugong Stele Pavilion. The four large characters above the pavilion's facade were inscribed by modern calligrapher Cui Xuelu. A stele of Yan Zhenqing's "Record of the Immortal Altar on Magu Mountain," known as "the world's finest regular script," stands in the center of the stele corridor. Standing 2.7 meters tall and 3.9 meters wide, it stands as a monument in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism coexisted on Magu Mountain, where it is also known as a blessed cave paradise. A blessed cave paradise refers to a place where one can cultivate and attain enlightenment. China includes ten major cave paradises, thirty-six minor cave paradises, and seventy-two blessed lands; Magu Mountain is the twenty-eighth cave and the tenth blessed land. It is one of the few places that is both a cave paradise and a blessed land, so many people come to Magu Mountain to seek the truth, and the incense here is very strong.
Nanfeng, the Orange City
Nanfeng County, next to Nancheng County, is famous for its abundant production of Nanfeng mandarin oranges and is also known as the Orange Capital of the World. Orange-shaped buildings and orange buildings can be seen in many places in the county, and even the street lights on the roadside are in the shape of oranges.
There are yachts, pleasure boats and small boats around, and the prices are not expensive. The reservoir also has an interesting name, called Chemo Lake.
The scenery around Chemo Lake is quite nice. The exposed rocks in the distance show the characteristics of Danxia landform, which is a magical geological landform.
Taking a yacht tour in Chemo Lake, the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains on both sides of the lake between the green mountains and clear waters gives you the illusion of being back in Qiandao Lake.
The environment of Chemo Lake is well protected. There are many wild nationally protected birds here. When the yacht approaches the shore, egrets in the bushes will fly up, and there are many of them.
Lichuan Ancient City
Starting from Fuzhou city and heading south, we arrived at the southernmost and easternmost end of this trip. This is the ancient city of Lichuan, an ancient city located on the border of Jiangxi and Fujian.
During the day, there seem to be very few tourists in Lichuan Ancient City, and it seems a bit deserted, which is a huge difference from the ancient cities I have visited before.
Lichuan was once an important passage from Jiangxi to Fujian, where merchants gathered, and so many ancient houses and buildings appeared along the streets.
These ancient buildings in Lichuan Ancient City are very well preserved. Compared with the newly built "ancient cities" in other places, this is a real ancient city. The old street, which is about one kilometer long, is full of preserved buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Walking on the old street, you can feel yourself traveling through the vicissitudes of history.
The B&Bs in the ancient city are generally renovated based on old houses, and the windows of the B&Bs are kept in the original state of the old houses.
There are many interesting shops on the old street, selling oil paintings, clay sculptures, handcraft experiences, pipe culture, and opera culture. Lichuan Ancient City is not as noisy as other ancient cities. It seems that this is what an ancient city should be like, returning to life and returning to simplicity.
Zhang Henshui's former residence is a renowned modern literary master of chapter novels, known for his works such as "A Family of Golden Powder" and "Tears and Laughter." Lichuan is where Zhang Henshui lived as a child, and the residence within the ancient city is the only one preserved in China, making it well worth a visit.
There are many places in the ancient city that are suitable for taking photos, including covered bridges, old streets, mottled walls, and deep alleys.
Next to the former residence, there is a well-preserved covered bridge, Xinfeng Bridge, which was built in the Qing Dynasty. Many residents come here to rest, chat and pass the time.
Taking Xinfeng Bridge as the boundary, the front is the old street part of the ancient city, which is the appearance of the ancient city after renovation, and the back is the part of the ancient city that has not yet been repaired. There are still many residents living here, and some ancient houses have collapsed, but it is the most authentic appearance of the ancient city.
Dongxiang Foling
Fuzhou's high-speed railway station is in Dongxiang. While there was still some time before departure, we came to a scenic spot very close to the high-speed railway station, Dongxiang Foling, which is also a comprehensive tourist attraction.
Xiyin Temple, also known as Foling Temple because it is located at the foot of Foling Mountain, was first built in the first year of Xianqing in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,300 years. During the Song Dynasty, it was as famous as the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and was known as the "Two Hidden Temples of the Holy Spirit."
In the square right in front of Xiyin Temple is a statue of the Three-Faced Guanyin, which represents three different incarnations of Guanyin: the Child-Giving Guanyin, the Dripping Guanyin, and the Thousand-Armed Guanyin. They represent different meanings, and believers can pray to different Guanyins according to their different needs.
The giant long relief in front of the temple tells a series of stories about the Buddha Shakyamuni from his birth to his studies to his enlightenment and finally to Nirvana. The entire life of Shakyamuni is depicted on this relief.
The tall tower on Foling behind Xiyin Temple is called Jihe Tower. It can be climbed up and is the core of the entire scenic area. The Jihe Tower can be seen in various places in the scenic area.
There is also a long reservoir in the Foling Scenic Area. What we see now is only a small part of the front. The white building below the Jihe Pagoda in the distance is the Foling Calligraphy Center. The Foling Scenic Area is still under construction, and the information is not very complete yet.
