China - Mount Lushan

Mount Lushan, located by the Poyang Lake, 36 kilometers south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, covers an area of 350 square kilometers. The Hanyang Peak, the highest, rises 1,474 meters above sea level. At Lushan, towering peaks and dangerously steep cliffs on all sides surround a relatively gentle center. The landscape here is spectacular with some 100 peaks being veiled in mist for some 191 days annually on average. It is particular cool in summer and is therefore a world-renowned summer resort.

Mount Lushan has plenty of scenic attractions, including the Wulaofeng (Five Elderly Men Peaks), Xianrendong (Immortal's Cavern) and the White Deer Cave Academy, which, situated on the Houping Hill south of the Five Elderly Men Peaks, was one of the earliest institutes of higher learning in China. It was first built by Li Bo, an official of Tang Dynasty (618-907) at the beginning of the seventh century and was extended during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It was one of the four largest academies in China, and teachers such as Zhu Xi and Lu Xiangshan, philosophers of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), had many students here.

In 1996, Mount Lushan was placed on the world cultural heritage list.