Nanchang (南昌)

Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi Province, has little to attract visitors’ attention — or even, if we’re being totally honest, to occupy their time. But wandering around the city on a sunny autumn Saturday on our way to Lushan was unusually pleasant. The shopping neighborhoods were busy, but they lacked Changsha‘s oppressive crowds. Of note is the Monument to the Martyrs in People’s Square, which commemorates the 1927 Nanchang Uprising. This was the first major battle between Communist and Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War.

Admittedly, we did skip what is probably Nanchang’s premier attraction, the Tengwang Pavilion. It is one of the “Three Pavilions South of the Yangtze,” along with the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan and the Yueyang Pavilion in Yueyang, Hunan Province. But the entrance fee was a steep 50 RMB, with no student discount. So we walked around until we found a good vantage point for pictures and declared ourselves satisfied.