江西省

Why this place

Jiangxi is quiet but has a surprising number of firsts: Jingdezhen made the world's porcelain for a thousand years, Tengwang Pavilion has been one of the great literary landmarks since the Tang, and Mount Lu and Longhu Mountain are important to Buddhism and Taoism respectively. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, is here too.

What to see

• Jingdezhen's imperial kiln site, the Yue kiln villages and the Fuliang ceramics market
• Nanchang's Tengwang Pavilion and the Bayi uprising sites
• Mount Lu — the villas, temples and the sandiequan waterfall
• Poyang Lake in winter, for the birds
• Longhu Mountain and the Celestial Masters' Taoist centre at Yingtan

What to eat

• Jiangxi cooking — spicy, with river fish and pickles; Nanchang rice noodles for breakfast
• Jingdezhen's cold noodles and the region's cured meats

How to plan

Five days: Jingdezhen two, Nanchang one, Mount Lu or Poyang two.

Best time

March–May and October–November

Cities 11

南昌市 Nanchang景德镇市 Jingdezhen萍乡市 Pingxiang九江市 Jiujiang新余市 Xinyu鹰潭市 Yingtan赣州市 Ganzhou吉安市 Ji'an宜春市 Yichun抚州市 Fuzhou上饶市 Shangrao