Lu Shan is an area that has long been known in China for its great beauty. Poets and painters have immortalised it, although it is recent history that has again popularised the region. After serving as a resort area for foreigners and wealthy Chinese in the mid-eighteenth century, Lu Shan was to become first a summer resort for the Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek in the 1930s and then became the meeting area for the Communist Party's Central Committee.
Now a tourist area, the resort is centered around the village of Guling, 35km south of Jiujiang. Maps of the area can be bought from the shops and stalls all over town, and with one of these it is easy to treck off on your own. Some of the more distant sights may need to be reached by transport (ask at China International Travel Service, Zhongguo guoji luxingshe, near the Lu Shan Binguan, Tel: 0792-8282497). Sights of special interest in the town include the Meilu Villa (Meilu bieshu), named after Song Meiling and former residence of her and her husband, Chiang Kaishek, and the People's Hall (Renmin juyuan), the venue for the Central Committee meetings. |
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