Nanchang Travel Guide
The over 1000-year-old Tengwang Pavilion and the praised 'Essay on Tengwang Pavilion' ensure the fame of Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi Province. The name of the city literally means 'a prosperous south part of China'. It is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, bordering the Poyang Lake in the southwest, Guangdong and Fujian in the south and Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hubei in the north. It lies between 115°27′-116°35′ east longitude and 28°09′-29°11′ north latitude. The city covers a total area of 740.236 square kilometers with a population of 4,913,100.
It is a beautiful city with the Gan River, the mother river of local people, traversing through the whole city. Water is her soul or in other words water carries all her beauty. Lakes and rivers in or around the city bring a special kind of charm to the city. It is honored as 'a green pearl in the southern part of China' thanks to its clear water, fresh air and great inner city virescence.
It is also a famous historical and cultural city with a history of over 2,200 years. It belonged to the ancient Yangzhou during the period of Xia Dynasty (21st - 17th century BC), Shang Dynasty (17th - 11th century BC) and Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 221BC). It got the name of Nanchang during the Western Han (206BC - 24AD) Dynasty when the famous General Guanying built up Guan City at this area. Therefore, it was also called 'Guanying City' and 'Guan City' at that time. It also had the name of 'Yuzhang' (Han Dynasty) and 'Hongdu' (Sui and Tang Dynasty) in ancient China.
Long and splendid history endows the city with many cultural relics, amongst which the Tengwang Pavilion is the most famous. It is no exaggeration to say that Tengwang Pavilion is the pride of all the locals. Many men of letters left their handwritings here which tremendously enhance its classical charm. There are also many other beautiful attractions, such as Lushan National Park, Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Mt. Jinggang and Poyang Lake.
Transportation in the city is convenient for passengers to go around. Changbei International Airport provides daily flights to Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Sanya, Beijing, Kunming, Guiyang, Qingdao and Chongqing. Nanchang Railway Station and West Railway Station have trains for Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chongqing, Shenyang and other cities daily. You can easily find long-distance buses running to other cities, towns and counties within Jiangxi Province as well as Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hefei and other cities outside Jiangxi Province.
Metro becomes a new transportation in this city. Nanchang Metro line 1 and line 2 are in service now. Line 1, linking Shuangang and Yaohu Lake West. With the length of 17 miles (28 kilometers), it passes 24 stations. The southern extension of line 2 extends 19.6 km (12 mi), connecting Nanlu and Metro Tower via 17 stations. In the near future, Nanchang will have other 14 lines that have connections all over the city. In addition, Nanchang Port is the most important water transportation transfer point. From this Port you can travel by ships to visit Poyang Lake, Stone Bell Hill, Poyang Lake Bird Protection Area, Dagu Hill and other attractions.
When visiting the city, you can find many nice local products, such as Cloud and Fog Tea from Mount Lushan (Lushan Yunwucha), Lidu Writing Brushes (Lidu Maobi), Lidu Wine, Nanfeng Honey Tangerine (Nanfeng Miju), Rice Noodles, Frozen Rice Sugar, Jiangxi Arrowroot Flour, Qiyun Mountain South jujube cake, Shitou Street Fried Dough Twists and Loquat. You can buy them as souvenirs or gifts for your friends and relatives. You can also learn much about the traditional culture through the local custom. Wanshou Worship Temple Fair and Longgang Uphill are two famous conventions in this city. The Music Cultural Form of Nanchang Caicha Drama is also a highlight.
The city is also famous for its delicious food. The traditional Nanchang Cuisine (Gan Cuisine) plays a very important role in Chinese food culture. When visiting the place, you should have a taste of Gan Cuisine. You can also enjoy other nice cuisines, like Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, etc. It is a must for you to taste the nice local snacks, such as the Rice Noodles and Shitou Jie Mahua.
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