Learn Chinese from the comfort of your home, Online with the best teachers in Beijing!
Enjoy the beauty and depth of the Mandarin language. The July semester is open for registration! The course starts July 11th.
We have a limited number of places available, so don't be left out.
Hurry up and register! |
| |
|
|
| |
Or call us - USA & Canada: 1-888-563-7370, UK: 0845-869-7519
|
|
|
|
| Mount Lushan |
 |
Mount Lushan truly merits praise for its beauty. Its peaks, each rising higher than the next, tower majestically over ethereal  mists,. Murmuring springs of water sparkle in the sunlight and falls rush down to crash on rocks like thunder. Here, at Lushan, there are numerous ancient temples that have attracted famous personages from the past, as well as the present. The redwoods are also well known throughout the world. Countless travelers have been fascinated by Lushan’s ever-changing fairyland scenes. Legends and stories woven around its peaks, streams and monuments add to the mystical appeal and imagery of Mount Lushan.
Overlooking Jiujiang Cit in Jiangxi Province, Mount Lushan is bordered on the north by the Yangzi River, which flows past Shanghai into the Pacific. Standing against the shimmering waters of Poyang Lake in the east, Lushan’s 90 some peaks scatter over a vast expanse of green and fertile fields on all sides. Poets likened Lushan to a mountain flowing here from heaven.
 One legend told to explain how Mount Lushan appeared here concerns the ambitious Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC), the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. After unifying the country, this emperor began the construction of his mausoleum on another mountain, Lishan, in Shanxi Province. He planned with a magic whip to crush the mountain and remove it to the sea, so as to clear himself a path to the fairyland. However, when he split the mountain, driving it eastwards onto the bank of the Changjiang River, an immortal came down from heaven and took the magic whip away. Thus, half the mountain remained, right on the shore of Poyang Lake, becoming the present Lushan.
 It was not until the early 1930s that the formation of these mountains finally found their scientific explanation by the Chinese geologist Li Siguang. About seventy million years ago, during the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, the earth’s crust was thrust up in a strong earthquake, forming the arc-shaped Huaiyang mountain range. With the up-thrust of the broken plate, a low elevation formerly at the bottom of the shallow sea, rose to an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level, forming the mountains of Lushan.
The name Lushan also has a story behind it. According to the legend, in the 11th century B.C., during the Zhou Dynasty, seven brothers by the name of Kuang went up the mountain to build a clay-and–reed hut for themselves, but all seven disappeared later, leaving only the empty hut. People believed the seven had become immortal, so they used to call it the "Immortals’ Hut" and pay homage there. In time the mountain was called Mount Kuang, or Mount Lushan, meaning the Hut Mountain. Records concerning Mount Lushan are also found in such ancient Chinese books as Yu Gong (The Tribute of Yu) and Shan Hai Jing (The Book of Mountains and Seas).
Mount Lushan had historically been a Buddhist and Taoist retreat, and from the second century A.D. many monasteries and temples were built among its peaks, these at one time reaching a total of as many as 3000. In time, climate conditions, war and fire destroyed many of these. Those that remain - centuries-old historical sites and exquisitely built halls, stone pagodas and Buddhist cultural relics – have been declared national monuments and placed under government protection.
Xie Xie,
Xu Ying
The ChineseVoice team
|
| |
|
|
|
Lotus Valley
 A place of geological significance, Lotus Valley is typical of Lushan’s ravines, with glacial remains dating back to the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic Era. Two to three million years ago the whole area of Mount Lushan entered the glacial epoch and saw a multitude of glaciers slowly making their way through the mountains and valleys. Geologically, glaciation forms many U-shaped “glacier ravines”, and Lotus Valley is one of these. Mud, sand, pebbles and boulders were carried along by the movement of glaciers. When the glaciers melted and receded, this solid load formed the arc-shaped “terminal ridges”; some were deposited as “lateral ridges” extending along both sides of the glaciers. Borne by the glaciers also were huge rocks which were dropped into the valleys and known as “floating boulders”. “The Rock That Flew Here“, is an example.
 Twin Waterfalls on Wangjiapo Slope
Mount Lushan has been known since ancient times for its waterfalls, some cascading into torrents, some like many small streams hanging from the sky. Twin Waterfalls on Wangjiaopo Slop are likened to a pair of dragons tumbling to earth with a roar that resounds through the valley. Above the falls is Azure Dragon Pool, its water so crystal clear, that one can see through it to the bottom. The pool is ideal for swimming, with dense woods, bamboo and interesting rocks around it.
Guling, “City in the Clouds”
Guling dominates Cow Hill at the Centre of the Lushan area. As its name indicates, Cow Hill has the shape of a lowing cow, its chest thrust out and staring into space. Surrounded by mountains in three directions, with the fourth overlooking a valley, the Cow Hill area is thickly wooded and an ideal site for a new and modern city lying in nature.
With an average summer temperature of 22.6 degrees Celsius, it is also a fine summer resort, with hotels and restaurants, a museum, shops and theatres for visitors’ convenience. A view from Scissors Gorge provides visitors with the spectacle of Jiujiang at night.
Geographically, Cow hill is favored with an alpine climate. There are sanatoriums and inns and with level ground both in the east and west valleys, Cow hill has become one of China’s finest mountain resorts.
Five Old Men Peak
 Walking east on a small mountain path, visitors arrive at Five Old Men Peak, 1358 meters above sea level. The peak is cleft into five summits and is said to resemble five old men sitting majestically. Sunrise at the peak rewards early risers with the rays of the morning sun tinting the white clouds above and the lake below. Five Old Men Peak is radiant too.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Chinese |
Transcription |
Part of speech |
Meaning |
| 庐山 |
lú shān |
Noun |
Lushan |
| 莲花谷 |
lián huā ɡǔ |
Noun |
Lotus Valley |
| 飞来石 |
fēi lái shí |
Noun |
The Rock That Flew Here |
| 王家坡 |
wánɡ jiā pō |
Noun |
Wangjiapo Slope |
| 牯岭 |
ɡǔ lǐnɡ |
Noun |
Guling |
| 说明 |
shuō míng |
Verb |
indicate |
| 五老峰 |
wǔ lǎo fēnɡ |
Noun |
Five Old Men Peak |
| 疗养院 |
liáo yǎnɡ yuàn |
Noun |
sanatorium |
| 宏伟地 |
hónɡ wěi de |
Adv |
majestically |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
The Good Eeath
The old villa at Lushan No. 310 is the former residence of American writer Pearl S. Buck, the Nobel Laureate for Literature, who made a significant contribution to Sino-US cultural exchanges. Born in the United States, Pearl’s childhood was spent with his missionary father in the Yangtze River at the side of Zhenjiang. Several years later, Pearl S. Buck stepped with a cool breeze onto the road of writing and published her masterpiece "The Good Earth" that gained her enormous honor.
"The Good Earth" tells a story about an ordinary Chinese farmer Wang Long and his family. For the readers, it weaves a unique folk scroll of vast rural society in old China, and makes itself become a must reading for western readers to understand China at that time. The author gave the west a flesh and blood image of China using the Chinese people's perspective, building up a bridge between East and West cultural exchange. The book was made into a movie in the 1930s by a Hollywood director.
Romance on Lushan Mountain
 Claimed to be China's first kiss, "Romance on Lushan Mountain" shot in 1980 is not only a fine display of Lushan scenery, but also creates a number of records. This film, for example, is the first Love Theme video after the "Cultural Revolution"; actress Zhang Yu was dressed in 43 different sets of clothes, far more than "In the Mood for Love", where Maggie Cheung changed 23 sets; Zhang Yu was also the "Dream Lover" of the audience throughout the 1980s and was elected the 1st Golden Rooster Award and the Hundred Flowers Award in the same year.
"Romance on Lushan Mountain" greatly enhanced the status of Lushan in people's minds. To this end, Lushan Mountain Scenic Area has built a small theater, which screened the movie all day. "Travel Lushan and watch "Romance on Lushan Mountain" has become a permanent tourist attraction for many years. By the end of 2002, the World Guinness headquarters in Britain had officially awarded the Chinese film "Romance on Lushan Mountain" "the world's longest continuously screened film in the same theater", "the most screenings," "with the maximum bad copies ", "the longest shown film" and a number of other world records, which are frequently updated.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| The great Song Dynasty poet Su Shi (1036-1101) toured Mount Lushan and wrote a poem on the white wall of West Grove Temple: |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Chinese & Pinyin |
Translation |
《 tí xī lín bì 》
《 题 西 林 壁》 |
Witten on the Wall of West Grove Temple |
hénɡ kàn chénɡ lǐnɡ cè chénɡ fēnɡ，
横 看 成 岭 侧 成 峰， |
A mountain ridge seen lengthwise. |
yuǎn jìn ɡāo dī ɡè bù tónɡ。
远 近 高 低 各 不 同。 |
A series of peaks viewed from the side,
with different distances and heights. |
bù shí lú shān zhēn miàn mù，
不 识 庐 山 真 面 目， |
Lushan’s true features I cannot see, |
zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōnɡ。
只 缘 身 在 此 山 中。 |
because I am in its midst. |
| Another great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai (701-762) was attracted so much by the scene of Five Old Men Peak, that he decided to live in seclusion at the foot of the peak, and wrote a famous poem likening it to a lotus bloom: |
 |
|
|
| Chinese & Pinyin |
Translation |
wànɡ lú shān wǔ lǎo fēnɡ
《望 庐 山 五 老 峰》 |
Viewing Five Old Men peak |
lú shān dōnɡ nán wǔ lǎo fēnɡ,
庐 山 东 南 五 老 峰， |
Five Old Men Peak southwest of Lushan, |
qīnɡ tiān xuē chū jīn fú rónɡ。
青 天 削 出 金 芙 蓉。 |
A golden lotus piercing the blue sky. |
jiǔ jiānɡ xiù sè kě lǎn jié，
九 江 秀 色 可 揽 结， |
Embraces the lovely scenery of the Nine Rivers, |
wú jiānɡ cǐ dì cháo yún sōnɡ。
吾 将 此 地 巢 云 松。 |
I long to nest here in the mist-veiled pine grove. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| Route Map of Mount Lushan |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| ChineseVoice Newsletter - Readers' Feedback |
|
|
"Thank you for a most pleasant Newsletter!"
"every two weeks I get a lovely surprise by e-mail. thank you for the great job. Please keep it up!"
"Dear ChineseVoice team. thank you for everything. I keep learning new words each week. it's so much fun!"
"First I want to thank you for all of the e-mails containing your weekly newsletter, it is very helpful to me in many ways. but I've also have taking more interest in learning Mandarin Chinese because I have a lot of Chinese friends and I try to use the little Chinese I do know whenever possible. BUt I want to thank your site for doing a wonderful job in helping people like myself learn more and get better with Mandarin Chinese.. Zhong Guo Hua Hen Hao
Xie Xie Nin."
"Last year I came back from the Olympic games in Beijing. it was amazing and it motivated me to start learning Chinese.
thank you for sending me your newsletter. it helps my studies and I enjoy it very much."
Tell us about your ChineseVoice experience. We wil be happy to post your feedback here.
|
|
|
|
| |
| ChineseVoice Students' Feedback |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All eTeacher's Sites and Blogs:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Follow ChineseVoice on Twitter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Download our new Toolbar for FREE and receive free Chinese related content about learning Chinese, traveling to China, business in China and much more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW from ChineseVoice! Chinese-Character.com - a FREE English-Pinyin-Chinese dictionary. Here you can find hundreds of popular phrases and their translation to Chinese. Enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
