Mount Lu

History

Mount Lu contains important sites and temples for Daoism, (Mahayana) Buddhism, Confucianism, and even Christianity. Between AD 386 and 402 during the Jin dynasty, Huiyuan founded Pure Land Buddhism and Donglin Temple on the slopes of Mount Lu. During the Tang dynasty (618–907), Daoist temples were constructed nearby to house sacred scriptures. The White Deer Grotto Academy, founded in AD 940, was developed into a renowned center of academic research during the Song dynasty under the direction of Confucian scholar Zhu Xi. The academy was continually open until at least the 19th century. Other important medieval structures on the mountain include the grave of the famous Tang dynasty poet Tao Yuanming and imperial pavilions during the Ming dynasty.

The Song dynasty poet Su Shi famously described the difficulty of conveying the mountain's beauty in his expression, "Why can't I tell the true shape of Lushan? Because I myself am in the mountain."

In later years, Kuling in Mount Lu became a summer resort for Western missionaries in China. Absalom Sydenstricker, the father of Pearl Buck, was one of the first five missionaries to acquire a property in the Kuling Estate on the mountain. The development of Kuling was instigated by the Reverend Edward Little and Dr. Edgerton H. Hart. The four principal founders of China's Nurses Association and its first president, Caroline Maddock Hart, met in Kuling to form this association.

During the Long March, in early 1935, a battle took place in the area between the Chinese Red Army and nationalist forces, in which Hu Yaobang, later General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, was seriously injured.

Mount Lu was once dubbed the zh (zh, "summer capital") of the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek, China's leader at the time, would frequently spend his summers in the area. In June 1937, Zhou Enlai, then a major leader in the Chinese Communist Party, met with Chiang on the mountain to discuss a united front against the Japanese invasion. In July 1937, Chiang Kai-shek announced his intention for a full mobilization for war against Japan from Mount Lu. In 1946, following the war, the U.S. special diplomatic mission led by General George C. Marshall met with Chiang Kai-Shek to discuss the role of post-World War II China.

Mao Zedong convened three large conferences of senior party officials at Mount Lu, in 1959, 1961, and 1970. The 1959 conference became known as the Lushan Conference. The meeting saw the purge of decorated Chinese Civil War and Korean War general Peng Dehuai, who was critical of Mao's Great Leap Forward policies. The 1970 Lushan Conference took place during the Cultural Revolution, and marked the increasing antagonism between those loyal to Mao and those loyal to his chosen successor Lin Biao.

In 1980 the famous movie Romance on Lushan Mountain, which was entirely shot on Mount Lu, was released to the public and won considerable positive reception. It was considered as the most progressive film since the founding of communist China, because there was a kissing scene in the movie, which was seen as public taboo in the pre-reform and opening up China. It still holds the Guinness World Record for "the longest first run of a film in one cinema" for having been shown continuously since 1980 until today. Mount Lu has long been associated with religious institutions and literary culture; it appears in Chinese literary and artistic traditions as a site of retreat and contemplation.

Attractions and features

Popular attractions on Mount Lu include the Immortal Caverns (仙人洞), Meilu Outhouse (美庐别墅), Five Old Man Peaks (五老峰), White Deer Cavern Academy (白鹿洞书院), Three Tiled Springs (三叠泉), Lulin Lake (芦林湖), Lushan Hot Springs (庐山温泉), Lushan Botanical Garden (植物园), Bamboo Temple (竹山寺), Guanyin Bridge (观音桥), Peach Blossom Garden (桃花源), and the Catholic Church of Mount Lu (庐山天主堂).

• The Lushan Botanical Garden features tens of thousands of plant species.
• Below the Five Old Men Peak is the White Deer Grotto Academy, named after the poet Li Bo () (not to be confused with the famous poet Li Bai), who raised white deer there. It is one of the most famous higher learning institutions in ancient China.
• West is the Flower Path which provided inspiration to Bai Juyi, a famous poet who lived during the Tang dynasty.
• Between the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake lie the Greater and Lesser Tianchi Lakes, the Jingxiu Valley, and Lulin Lake. On the north bank of the latter is the Mount Lu Museum, which features pottery and bronzes dating from various periods of ancient China, as well as calligraphy from the Tang dynasty and paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
• At the centre (between three peaks), and at an altitude of over 1 kilometer above sea level, is the town of Kuling, which is linked by a mountain highway to neighboring spots in the region.
• World-famous 'Lushan clouds and mist tea' () is grown on the mountain.

Gallery

|File:Lushan Mountain Celetial Cave.JPG|Mountain Immortals Cave |File:庐山基督教堂 2017-08-07 02.jpg|Christian church |File:芦林湖.JPG|Lake Lulin |File:庐山东林寺大雄宝殿.JPG|Donglin temple |File:Lushan White Lotus Grotto Academy.JPG|White Deer Grotte Academy |File:Mount Lushan - fog.JPG|The small peaks of the mountain range can be climbed by visitors. |File:庐山景区 三叠泉附近山景 02.jpg|Mountain scenery near Sandie spring in Mount Lu scenic area |File:庐山三叠泉.JPG| |File:庐山西海风光 - panoramio (9).jpg|Mount Lu West Sea scenery |File:庐山会议旧址远景2019.jpg|Site of the Lushan Conference, now a museum

Climate

| Jan record high C = 19.4 | Jan record low C = -13.6 | Feb record high C = 20.5 | Feb record low C = -11.6 | Mar record high C = 27.7 | Mar record low C = -10.4 | Apr record high C = 26.4 | Apr record low C = -5.1 | May record high C = 28.1 | May record low C = 1.6 | Jun record high C = 29.3 | Jun record low C = 5.8 | Jul record high C = 31.8 | Jul record low C = 11.9 | Aug record high C = 31.9 | Aug record low C = 12.8 | Sep record high C = 30.2 | Sep record low C = 6.5 | Oct record high C = 28.5 | Oct record low C = -2.4 | Nov record high C = 25.1 | Nov record low C = -9.9 | Dec record high C = 18.9 | Dec record low C = -16.7 all-time extreme temperature{{cite web |access-date= 2024-10-06

References

References

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2. "Lushan National Park". United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
3. 崔, 晓义. "庐山—雄奇山水与人文历史的完美融合".
4. Jin, Keyu. (2023). "The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism". Viking.
5. Crawford, Stanley. (2014). "The History of Lushan & Kuling".
6. (2014). "Wuhu Missionaries: Dr. Edgerton Haskell Hart & Caroline Maddock Hart".
7. Lee, Khoon Choy. (2005). "Pioneers of Modern China: Understanding the Inscrutable Chinese". World Scientific.
8. (2017). "Film Tourism in Asia: Evolution, Transformation, and Trajectory". Springer.
9. (1982). "Wen Xuan: Selections of Refined Literature". Princeton University Press.
10. (2017-06-09). "Mount Lu {{!}} China & Asia Cultural Travel".
11. link. [[China Meteorological Administration]]