Jingdezhen: New Look of Ancient Porcelain Capital

Known as the world porcelain capital, Jingdezhen is a city with an abundant culture and a long history. While its 1,000-year-long porcelain industry gifts Jingdezhen a splendid history, the exhaust emission from the porcelain making once greatly damaged the city’s environment. Through years of comprehensive treatment, Jingdezhen has been turned into a National Garden City suitable for both living and establishing business.



Pollution Reduction – Giving the Porcelain City a Blue Sky and Green Water



To control the pollution caused by coal furnaces, Jingdezhen has been implementing environmental protection policies for more than a decade.



First, the energy structure has undergone changes and coal has been replaced by gas. Jingdezhen Coking Gas Plant, constructed with an investment of more than 200 million yuan, boasts clean and high-efficient gas-fired furnaces. The central heating system has reduced pollution. 223 industrial kilns in urban areas and 606 smokestacks have been torn down, putting an end to the pollution caused by furnaces.



Second, porcelain enterprises have been relocated out of the city to industrial parks. In just a few years, all ceramic enterprises in the city have been removed to industrial zones. Such new furnace method and advanced porcelain making techniques as energy-saving tunnel furnace using light-in-weight gas and sandwich roller kiln are employed, putting an end to the urban pollution caused by industrial wastes emission.



Third, the Blue Sky Project has been put into practice and large sums of money have been invested for city greening. At present, the already-constructed green space in the city spans an area of 1,704 hectares. With the greening rate reaching more than 50 percent, the public green space per capita amounts to 7.03 square meters. Environment has been greatly improved.



Through efforts of more than ten years, Jingdezhen has been changed into a beautiful, ecologically-friendly city with picturesque landscape, gardens, and profound cultures. The city has been ranked top for four consecutive years in Jiangxi’s quantitative assessment of cities’ environment comprehensive treatment. It has been designated as the National Garden City and Jiangxi Clean City. In 2006, Jingdezhen’s comprehensive project for air pollution reduction was conferred China’s Human Habitat Environment Model Award. In 2007, the city was selected by China’s National Forestation Commission as one of the 20 candidates for the “National Green Model City.”



Jingdezhen Ceramic History Expo Area – A Witness of the City’s Splendorous History



Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture History Expo Area consists of “Zhen Kilns”, Royal Kiln Museum, Hutian Ancient Kilns and Folk Ceramic Culture Museum, exhibiting the history of the 1000-year-old porcelain city.



With a history of 600 to 700 years, Jingdezhen "Zhen Kilns "are the best preserved ancient kilns in the world and are long-year places for ceramic researchers, ceramic lovers and visitors from home and abroad.



There are many only-existing and sole pieces collected by the Jingdezhen Royal Kiln Museum. Absorbing the element from the cultural exchange between the East and the West, this museum is regarded by experts as the “No.1 Museum under the Heaven” for the studying and researching of Jingdezhen porcelains.



Hutian Ancient Kilns possess the largest ancient porcelain-making sites. And tourists can enjoy the unique musical performances by porcelains in Folk Ceramic Culture Museum.



National Ceramic Technology Town – Future of the Porcelain Capital



A pilot project, Jingdezhen “National Ceramic Technology Town”, through development of nearly three years, has taken up a preliminary shape as a base for China’s ceramic technology research and development, and ceramic manufactured productions.



The annual-held China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo, a base for ceramic trading and information exchanging, has become a well-known brand. The expo has attracted exhibitors from the US, Japan, South Korea, France, Sweden, and African countries.

Jiangxi Walk in Fields of Gold

What better way to celebrate spring than by walking through yellow rape flower fields in the countryside? The rape flower has for centuries been used as fodder for farm animals and it's an important crop due to the oil pressed from its seeds. It has now also become a new tourist attraction for city dwellers.


As the mercury rises, some rural areas will soon be surrounded by a sea of the bright yellow rape flowers that are coming into bloom all over China. Pack your bag and take your camera to capture the first sign of spring.

Crowned "one of the country's most beautiful villages," Wuyuan has earned its fame as a heaven on Earth dotted with caves, rock formations, secluded villages and numerous historic sites. It has nationally famous rape flowers that flourish over the mountains, along the country roadsides, and on the terraced fields.


Each year from January to March, the village is crowded with visitors from all over China. In recent years, Wuyuan has become many Shanghainese people's top choice as a place to go to embrace the arrival of spring.


Wuyuan lies in the northeastern part of Jiangxi Province, on the boundary of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces. It is in the center of the golden triangle of Yellow Mountain, Lushan and Sanqing mountains, all famous mountains in the country.


Among the rape flower sites in Wuyuan, Jiangling is the must-see. Seas of yellow flowers bloom from the top of the mountain down to the valley floor. Standing on the peaks of the mountains, it is possible to see waves of golden blossom, dotted with several old villages stretching away in the distance.


Wuyuan often has heavy mists. Good pictures require patience but as the mist lifts, the magnificent scenery will unfold slowly.


The best rape flower route is Ziyang Town-Xiaoqi-Jiangling-Qingyuan. All of these places boast large fields of rape flowers, but the roads are muddy and bumpy. Be careful.

Transport:


Take the Huhang Highway. Transfer to Hangjinqu Highway at Raocheng. Turn right after getting off the Changshan ramp. Drive in the direction of "Kaihua, Wuyuan." The whole trip takes about five hours.


There are also shuttle buses between Shanghai and Wuyuan. The bus ticket is 100 yuan and the trip takes eight hours.


Accommodations:


Wuyuan has many hotels, but if a more individual trip is desired then staying in a farmer's home might be a better idea. In Wuyuan, the more remote the area is, the cheaper the room rate. In Qinghua and Xiaoqi, one night in a farmer's house costs around 60 yuan .



Ancient towns in the southern part of the Yangtze River


The rape flowers in the water towns of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River might not be as magnificent as those in Wuyuan and Minle, but they have their own elegance and beauty.


These old towns are crisscrossed with waterways and have small patchworks of rape flowers and rice fields.


A boat ride through these centuries-old towns with their stone bridges will give the visitor an idea of their grace.


Water towns, such as Tongli, Zhouzhuang, both in Jiangsu Province, and Nanxun in Zhejiang Province, are all good examples.

Jiangxi Cancels Eight Hotels' Qualifications

The Jiangxi Tourism Bureau has announced that a total of thirty-five hotels have passed their star-grade renewal while eight lost their star-grade qualifications, four had the renewal deferred, and four were requested to rectify problems within a specified time.


According to local media, the Star-Grade Hotel Assessment Committee of Jiangxi has reviewed those hotels which have held star-grade qualifications for five years and selected some other hotels around the province for renewal. Of these, thirty-five hotels including the Jiujiulong Hotel, Nanchang passed the renewal.


Four three-star hotels including Nanchang GuiHuaCun Hotel, Jiangxi Lushan Sports Hotel, Yingtan Longhu Villa, and Ji An Hotel had their renewal deferred because renovations have not been completed. The four-star Yichun Jinxiu Villa, the three-star Jinggang Mount Hotel and Nanchang Guancheng Holiday Village as well as Jiwei Hotel were given warnings and are required to be renovated with a time limit because some of their facilities and service levels failed to meet the relevant standards. All eight hotels are required to have their renovations or rectification completed before June 1st 2008 to have their star-grades renewed.


The eight hotels that had their star-grade qualifications revoked are the four-star Lake View Hotel Nanchang, the three-star Lushan Wangjiangting Hotel, and the Wuzhou Miramar Hotel as well as the Wuzhou Jinsha Resort Hotel, the two-star Nanchang Jiaotong Hotel, the Nanchang Jianglong Hotel, the Nanchang Post Hotel and the Ganzhou Dayu Mudanting Hotel.

Jiangxi Kongmu River National Wetland Park

A photo taken on December 19, 2007 shows the entrance of Kongmu river national wetland park in Xinyu, East China's Jiangxi Province.

December 22, chinadaily.com.cn - Kongmu river national wetland park, which covers an area of 1,563.9 hectares, is the first of its kind in Jiangxi. Wetland has the function of preserving water resources as well as beautifying the city. Building wetland park is an effective way of wetland protection. Kongmu river national wetland park is composed of river, lakes, ponds as well as paddy fields.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.



The scenery of Kongmu river national wetland park.

Three Days on Sanqing Mountain

Sanqing Mountain lies in Shangrao, northeast part of Jiangxi. It is not a good idea to try to cover the mountain in one day. A three-day journey could be ideal for urbanites longing for refreshment.

Day 1

Morning: Take the cable at 9 am to ascend the mountain. At about 100 meters from the cable are many hotels, the average price for a room is 300 yuan . Along the way there are many sights for snapshots including the Heavenly Gate peaks. The Wanshouyuan is a good place to take rest and learn about the Taoist tradition.

Afternoon: Walk along the Western Coast Plank Road. The 4-kilometer road, 1,600 meters over today's sea level, marks the ancient coast line.

Night: Put up a tent along the way and fall asleep in the murmuring of pines, or admire the bright stars. At Nanqingyuan along the plank road, you can find a few hotels that generally charge 450 yuan or more for a room.

Day 2

Morning: Wait for sunrise at the Sunny Coast. A spectacular sight is to see a giant rock shaped like a snake's head suddenly revealed in the dispersed mists.

Noon: Simple lunch nearby Sanqinggong, which is a 1,600-year-old Taoist temple.

Afternoon: Climb the Yujing Peak. At 1,816 meters above sea level, it is the tallest peak in Jiangxi and offers a panoramic view of the entire scenic region.

Night: Put up a tent near the Oriental Goddess Platform in Nanqingyuan.

Day 3

Morning: Take a leisurely walk in the Nanqingyuan area, where you might chance upon golden leopards, monkeys, deer and other animals living among the pines, firs and azaleas.

Afternoon: Leave the mountain by the cable.

Climbing High to Blessed Coolness

As the temperature keeps climbing, it takes a lot of patience to stay in the oven of Shanghai. Even the dust in the air seems roasted. So why not slip away to somewhere cool for a refreshing holiday?



In northern Jiangxi Province, Lushan Mountain faces the Yangtze River to the north and on the east borders Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China.



It is best known for three spectacles: the cloud sea, the waterfalls and the craggy cliffs, which have been depicted in many poems since ancient times.



The ever-changing mist that can come or disappear suddenly makes the mountain a mystery.



At the cinema in the center of the mountain, a film called "Romance on Lushan Mountain" has been shown since 1980, which is a Guinness World Record for its longest screening time in the same cinema.

Jiangxi Chase Flowers

Spring is time of flowers. Last year's warm winter leads to the early blossom of flowers. Blooming flowers never wait, they blossom and then wither. Let's catch the transient beauty and enjoy spring.







Located in Jiangxi Province, Wuyuan is a typical town in China's southeast area, with trees and water around. Decorated by kinds of flowers, Wuyuan's spring is as beautiful as a picture.








Mid-March is the best time to appreciate flowers in Wuyuan. The best-known flowers in Wuyuan are rape plant flowers. They are so common that you may not notice them when you pass by. But in Wuyuan, you'll see acres of them, the yellow wave will refresh you. Besides, there are there are pear flowers, peach flowers, Michelia floribunda and azaleas.