7 Days in Chuzhou

The 317-m Langya ridge holds the pavilion raised in 1046, the one Ouyang Xiu made famous in his 400-plus-character essay; the temple path keeps most of the climb in shade.

1. chuzhou langya mountain
2. chuzhou zuiweng pavilion

An hour west, 32 pairs of spirit-way statuary line the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang's parents, then comes the village where 18 households signed the 1978 contract that opened rural reform.

1. chuzhou ming imperial tomb
2. chuzhou xiaogang village

South of Fengyang town the Jiushan karst cave opens about 1.5 km of floodlit passages, and the Langxiang valley labyrinth sits roughly 5 km on within the same forest park.

1. chuzhou jiushan cave
2. chuzhou langxiang valley

Ouyang Xiu raised the Fengle Pavilion in 1046 as well; the lake by the northwest wall is the Xijian of Wei Yingwu's 8th-century verse about the rising tide and the unmanned ferry.

1. chuzhou fengle pavilion
2. chuzhou xijian lake

High-speed rail covers the 60-odd km to Nanjing in under 30 minutes — the Ming wall, the museum's jades and the Confucius Temple river quarter fill a day; back in Chuzhou by evening.

1. nanjing

The memorial honors Quanjiao's 1701-born author of the 55-chapter Scholars; the old town lanes and a market lunch carry the afternoon.

1. chuzhou wu jingzi memorial
2. chuzhou city markets

The pass built under the 10th-century Southern Tang guards the old road west; a slow lake loop and an early train close the week.

1. chuzhou qingliu pass
2. chuzhou xijian lake