Mt. Jinggangshan (jǐng gāng shān 井冈山) is located on the common boundary of Jiangxi Province (jiāng xī shěng 江西省) and Hunan Province (hú nán shěng 湖南省), 352 kilometers southwest from Nanchang (nán chāng 南昌). It was these natural indentations that gave the mountain its name of Jing, meaning well and gang, meaning ridge - hence 'Jinggang'. The mountain has great significance in the annals of modern Chinese history for it was here that important events during the Chinese revolution took places.

In 1927, after suffering crushing losses in urban areas, a weakened Communist force led by Mao Zedong (máo zé dōng 毛泽东) sought refuge in Jinggangshan's dense forests. Mao's small band was soon joined by the Communist army led by Zhu De (zhū dé 朱德) and Zhou Enlai (zhōu ēn lái 周恩来) who had been unsuccessful after the Nanchang Uprising as well as Peng Dehuai (péng dé huái 彭德怀) and his legion. These troops and their leaders joined forces in Ciping (cí píng 茨坪), a village of Mt. Jinggangshan and began the Long March. For the tourists who are interested in the history of the revolution, it is possible to take a tour on Mt.Jinggangshan that the people who against great odds struggled to establish the People's Republic of China.

Along with Mao Zedong's hometown, Shaoshan (sháo shān 韶山), Jinggangshan became one of the most important sites of the Communist Revolution. It was celebrated on posters, songs and operas. During the Cultural Revolution, Jinggangshan became a place of pilgrimage for young Red Guards, who took advantage of a nationwide "networking movement". They often made the journey on foot to relive the experiences of their revolutionary forebearers. At its peak, more than 30,000 Red Guards arrived a day, causing terrible problems of food, housing, sanitation. Peak numbers continued for more than two months until the government began to discourage the young people. 

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Five-Fingers Peak (wǔ zhǐ fēng 五指峰)
The peak has the appearance of five extended fingers, hence its name. It is not only the highest point but is the largest and considered to be the most beautiful sight on the mountain. There is no path on which to climb and the unspoiled virgin forest on the mountain is almost without any trace of human beings, which means it remains the home of rare animal species including bobtail monkeys, sambars and the yellow-stomached tragopan. Tourists may climb up to the Sightseeing Platform opposite, which is the best view point for seeing its majestic appearance. The huge peaks confront each other on two sides to form a valley. The group of lakes at the foot of Five-Fingers Peak is like a bright moon shining upon the boundless sea of clouds.

Pen-Rack-Mountain (bǐ jià shān 笔架山)
It is famed for the steep peaks, unique rocks, old pines, sea of clouds, sunrise and the 5 kilometers patch of rhododendrons-the flower of Mt. Jinggangshan City. The blooming rhododendrons here can be called a wonder, every March or April thronged people came here to take photos for the beautiful natural sight.

Dragon-Pond (lóng tán 龙潭)
Waterfalls in the Five-Dragon-Pond (wǔ lóng tán 五龙潭) are famous. When you enter this area long before you catch sight of the falls, you will hear the thunder-like roar of the water. Upper most is the Jade Waterfall (bì yù pù 碧玉瀑) that drops down to the green and limpid Jade Pond (bì yù tán 碧玉潭). The second is Lock-Dragon-Waterfall (suǒ lóng pù 锁龙瀑) which spews out from the yellow cliff top into the Golden-Lock-Pond (jīn suǒ tán 金锁潭). The flow of water is not large but it is famed for what appears like a dragon trapped in it. The next are Pearl Waterfall (zhēn zhū pù 珍珠瀑) and Pearl Pond (zhēn zhū tán 珍珠潭). The waterfall rushes down from a 30 meter high cliff and is caught in its path by a large rock that causes the water to break into thousands of pearl-like droplets that glisten in the bright sunshine, hence its name. The forth are the Flying-Phoenix-Waterfall (fēi fèng pù 飞凤瀑) and Flying-Phoenix-Pond (fēi fèng tán 飞凤潭). At the bottom are the Maiden-Waterfall (yù nǚ pù 玉女瀑) and Maiden-Pond (yù nǚ tán 玉女潭). In addition to these spectacular falls there are unique peaks, rocks and an echo cliff to be found in the sightseeing area.

Maoping (máo píng 茅坪)
It is located in the north foot of Huangyang Jie with many revolutionary sites. Here we have Bajiao Lou (bā jiǎo lóu 八角楼), those who are familiar with Chinese history may recall that Mao Zedong lived, worked and finished two splendid revolutionary works here. The first hospital of the base was established in Panlong Shuyuan (pān lóng shū yuàn 攀龙书院) of Maoping. You can visit the treatment room, medicine room and see some of the equipment used at the time. Another site that provided support to the base is a bedclothes factory which mainly produced the army clothes, hats and bullets bags. Each of these sites made a contribution to the achievements of the Red Army.

Huangyang Jie (huáng yáng jiè 黄洋界)
It is one of the five famous sentries. The monument to the Defence of Huangyang Jie is made up of an upright stele and a transverse stele, on which are carved the inscriptions of Mao Zedong and Zhu De. The old residences of the Red Army leaders remain here and many stories about the revolutionary period have come down to us. A trench is also preserved and many tourists put on Red Army attire to be photographed near the trench as a souvenir.

Ciping (cí píng 茨坪)
The center of the Mt. Jinggangshan area and red revolution base of China, is the place where many sights can be seen. Ciping is a mountain city and was the location of the highest leading department of the Mt. Jinggangshan revolutionary base. Mt. Jinggangshan Revolution Museum (jǐng gāng shān gé mìng bó wù guǎn 井冈山革命博物馆) was established here in 1959. On the way to the mountaintop there are five kiosks. There is a pentagon exhibition hall on the mountaintop decorated with the statuary of workers, peasants and soldiers.

Monument and Memorial to the joining of Forces
(huì shī jì niàn bēi 会师纪念碑)
It is situated in the Dragon-city (lóng shì 龙市) area, southwest of Huangyang Jie. The monument commemorates the achievement of Mao Zedong and Zhu De. The five exhibition rooms present the important event in Chinese history to tourists. The monument is 19.28 meters high, 5 meters long and 4 meters wide which indicates the date of join forces-May 4th, 1928. The two sides of the monument are inlaid with red marble, symbolizing two oriflammes, depicting the successful meeting of the two forces on Mt. Jinggangshan.

About Travel : Jinggangshan Airport situated in Taihe County (泰和县), 30 kilometers from downtown Ji'an (吉安) and 65 kilometers from Jinggangshan City. At present, it operates flights to Beijing (běi jīng 北京), Shanghai (shàng hǎi 上海), Guangzhou (guǎng zhōu 广州) and Shenzhen (shēn zhèn 深圳). Beijing-Kowloon Railway passes Ji'an. Jiangxi-Guangdong, Taihe-Jinggangshan expressways and No. 105 and 319 National Highway make it much easier to access.
Admission Fee: 
CNY 156 (Busy season: 16th March - 15th November) 
CNY 130 (Slack season: 16th November - 15th March )
Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00

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