10 Days in Yichun (Jiangxi)

Base yourself in the spring town, where the old well is said to have flowed at 68-72°C for more than 800 years — evening foot baths are the local ritual.

1. yichun jx wentang springs

Cableway up early, then the Qingyun plank walkways under the 1,735.6-metre Taiping summit; the hot pools back in Wentang undo the stairs.

1. yichun jx mingyue mountain

In Fengxin county, master Huaihai (720-814) wrote the Pure Rules and the line "a day without work is a day without food"; the monastery sits in a quiet valley.

1. yichun jx baizhang monastery

Master Dongshan Liangjie (807-869) grounded the Caodong school at Dongshan, while Huangbo trained the monk who would found Linji — three Chan lineages in one prefecture.

1. yichun jx dongshan temple
2. yichun jx huangbo mountain

North into Jing'an county, a national forest park of ravines and swimming holes — whitewater rafting in summer, ridge boardwalks the rest of the year.

1. yichun jx sanzhualun

A whole slow day in the spring town — morning market, foot baths at the old well, an afternoon in a courtyard cafe.

1. yichun jx wentang springs

Two hours west to Hakka-country Tonggu for the Tianzhu Peak national forest park, then overnight beside the springs at Tangli valley.

1. yichun jx tianzhu peak

A slow morning in the Tangli spring valley, a Hakka lunch in Tonggu town, and the drive back east to Wentang.

1. yichun jx tangli valley

An hour west, Wanzai restores more than 20 Qing-era clan halls — pair the alleys with its chilli-and-rice-flour snack stalls.

1. yichun jx wanzai ancient city

One last long soak, eggs boiled at the spring run-off for the road, then the HSR from Yichun station.

1. yichun jx wentang springs