Saturday, October 23, 2010

Jinggang Mountain/井冈山 (06/11/2010-06/13/2010)

I had the fortune to go to Jinggangshan as part of a company retreat to reflect upon Mao's strategy (seemingly ironically, but not so) when applied to investments. Why? It's considered to the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army, and was, in a way. its last stand following the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising. What began with 1000 exhausted soldiers, concluded with the China we see today.

History aside, it was also a beautiful nature reserve with numerous trails winding along mountain passes. I had a rare chance to breathe fresh air, free from industrial pollution, and to truly enjoy nature for the weekend.  The museums were informative, but sadly I couldn't understand most of the exhibits. This area really was catered for domestic tourists and I think I maybe saw one or two other foreigners the entire weekend (and it was pretty crowded in the neighbouring towns).  After seeing places such as Guilin, Pingyao, Luoyang, and now here, I wonder how many more hidden gems there are scattered in this vast country.


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