Ain't No Mountain High

The Jiangxi Province (Administrative Region #13) does not exactly beckon to the foreign tourist in come-hither fashion - instead, it kind of pouts languidly. However, because it abuts Hunan's eastern border, it is just the kind of low-hanging fruit that can be plucked in a single weekend by a comprehensive adventurer such as myself. Its capital, Nanchang, is reminiscent of Changsha in its decidedly manageable quotient of glamor and pizazz. Mount Lu (庐山), my ultimate destination in Jiangxi, once inspired Tang-era poets but now mostly just coddles Chinese yuppies. A rarefied climate and the sighting of fall foliage - a rarity in Changsha - were enough to justify a weekend among its lofty peaks, but it offered none of the opportunities for cultural discovery that are sure to emerge from Region #14.