Day 2 in Mt. Lu 庐山

I hiked with a hostelmate to the peak of Wulao Peak 五老峰 which is divided into five parallel peaks by a pass, like five old men sitting on the ground, so people call these five peaks from one mountain "Wulao Peak". It is connected to Poyang Lake, and its peak touches the sky. It is 1,436 meters above sea level. Although it is slightly lower than Dahanyang Peak, it is more majestic. The famous poet Li Bai once wrote "Looking at Wulao Peak of Mount Lu", "Wulao Peak in the southeast of Mount Lu, the blue sky cuts out golden lotus. The beautiful scenery of Jiujiang can be seen, and I will build a nest among the clouds and pines here."

We then visited Dakou Waterfall 大口瀑布 which is also called Rainbow Waterfall, because after the rain, you can often see colorful rainbows under the bright sunshine. There are also scenic spots such as Xianrenzhilu, Yingzui Stone, Luotuofeng, Huangdankou, etc. Dakou Waterfall is also a typical glacial relic.

Lushan is one of the nine places for viewing the sunrise in China. The best place to view the sunrise is at Hanpokou 含鄱口 in the middle of Hanpo Peak in the East Valley of Lushan in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. You can also view Poyang Lake, which is a battleground for military strategists throughout the ages. During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang "burned the Red Cliff", Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang fought hard in the late Yuan Dynasty, the Taiping Army defeated Zeng Guofan in the Qing Dynasty, and millions of troops crossed the Yangtze River during the War of Liberation. All of these took place in this area.

Our last stop was ‘Meilu’ 美庐 was once the summer residence of Chiang Kai-shek and the "Chairman's Headquarters". It was the "beautiful house" where the "first lady" lived. Its evolutionary history is closely linked to the vicissitudes of the century. It was once a "forbidden garden". The villas in Lushan are magnificent, and "Meilu" is the best among them. This villa was built in 1903 by Lord Lannoz of Britain and transferred to Ms. Barry in 1922. Ms. Barry and Soong May-ling had a deep personal relationship. In the summer of 1933, Ms. Barry gave this villa to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife to live in. In 1934, Ms. Barry gave this villa as a gift to Soong May-ling. From then on, Soong May-ling became the only owner of this villa.