[2025 Shangrao Attraction] Travel Guide for Xinjiang Academy (Updated Jun)

Shangrao Travel Guide | Unlocking Hidden Gem Destinations🏞️ Shangrao, this treasure city tucked away in northeastern Jiangxi, boasts both breathtaking natural wonders and profound historical culture, fulfilling all your travel fantasies. Today, I’ll share a super-detailed Shangrao travel guide with you! 🏠 Accommodation Guide • **Mount Sanqing**: Stay at a homestay or hotel at the foot of the mountain, like the Sanqing Mountain Kaiyuan Resort, for convenient access, moderate prices, and the chance to head straight to the scenic area at dawn to enjoy the mountain’s tranquility. • **Wuyuan**: For a rural experience, the Sun-Drying Homestay in Huangling Scenic Area is the perfect choice—open your window to see terraced fields and Hui-style architecture. For budget-friendly options, hotels in Wuyuan County offer great value, with convenient transport and plenty of nearby food. • **Wangxian Valley**: Don’t miss the cliffside homestays, like Wangxian Valley Fairy Lodge, for an immersive "immortal world" experience. Prices are higher, so book early. 🚗 Transportation Guide • **External Transport**: Shangrao Station is a major hub, with high-speed rail connecting many cities. Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport also offers flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and more. • **Local Transport**: Buses reach major attractions but run infrequently, so plan ahead. Taxis or car rentals offer more flexibility, ideal for groups and scenic road trips. 📸 Must-Visit Attractions • **Mount Sanqing**: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Global Geopark, famed for its stunning landscapes. Marvel at the lifelike "Giant Python Peak" and "Goddess of the East," or walk the cliffside trails of Sunshine Coast and West Coast, where clouds and mist create a fairy-tale scene. Take the Jinsha Cableway up and hike the big loop (5-6 hours) for panoramic views. • **Wuyuan Huangling**: The epitome of China’s most beautiful villages. Spring brings seas of rapeseed flowers, while autumn’s "sun-drying" tradition fills rooftops with colorful crops against Hui-style architecture. Don’t miss Flower Stream Water Street, where ancient buildings and flowing water create a picturesque stroll. • **Wangxian Valley**: A real-life "immortal world," with earthen buildings clinging to cliffs and waterfalls cascading down. At night, lights transform it into a dreamscape. Walk the trails, snack at Baiwei Street, and capture epic photos in Hanfu at White Crane Cliff. • **Gexian Village**: Inspired by the legend of Ge Hong’s alchemy, this ethereal ancient town features towering trees, babbling streams, and nightly light shows. Stroll in Hanfu with lanterns for a timeless fantasy. 🍱 Food Recommendations • **Shangrao Chicken Leg**: A star snack at Shangrao Station—crispy skin, juicy meat, and irresistible aroma. • **Yanshan Rice Noodles**: A local specialty with smooth noodles in savory broth, topped with meat, greens, chili, and vinegar. • **Wuyuan Red Carp**: Tender and nutritious, steamed or braised, a must-try dish in Wuyuan. • **Dengzhan Guo**: Dumpling-like snacks with mushroom, bean sprouts, or radish fillings—addictively tasty. 📅 Itinerary • **Day 1**: Arrive in Shangrao → Check in → Explore downtown (Shuinan Historic District). Morning: Arrive and check in. Afternoon: Visit Shuinan Historic District, soak in the centuries-old culture of Xinjiang Academy, and try local snacks. • **Day 2**: Mount Sanqing day trip. Morning: Cable car up, visit South Qingyuan (Giant Python Peak, Goddess of the East). Noon: Lunch at a mountain restaurant. Afternoon: Hike West Coast and Sunshine Coast, then descend by cable car. • **Day 3**: Wuyuan Huangling → Jiangwan. Morning: Explore Huangling’s terraces and sun-drying scenes, stroll Flower Stream Water Street. Noon: Try local dishes like fermented fish or Qingming Guo. Afternoon: Visit Jiangwan’s well-preserved Hui-style village. • **Day 4**: Wangxian Valley day trip. Morning: Hike the valley trails, see cliffside homestays. Noon: Snack at Baiwei Street. Afternoon: Admire the valley from White Crane Cliff, enjoy night views before leaving. 💡 Tips • **Seasonal Picks**: March–April for Wuyuan’s rapeseed flowers, September–November for Huangling’s autumn hues, winter for Poyang Lake birdwatching. Mount Sanqing is year-round, but bundle up in winter. • **Tickets**: Book online to skip lines; combo tickets save money. • **Packing**: Travel light. For Mount Sanqing, bring comfy shoes and snacks. For Wangxian Valley, pack photo-ready outfits. Shangrao’s beauty awaits—pack your bags for this blend of nature and culture! 💕 #ShangraoTravel #ShangraoGuide #HiddenGems

There is a Twin Pagoda Park on the bank of the Xinjiang River opposite the Xinjiang Academy, with a pair of twin towers standing on it. One is the Kuiwen Pagoda, a seven-story octagonal tower that was rebuilt during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. There is also a small tower and a Gexian Temple next to it. The other is the Wugui Pagoda, a five-story octagonal tower. Legend has it that during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, five friends met to take the imperial examinations, all of them passed the imperial examinations and raised funds to build this tower on the bank of the Xinjiang River. They also planted a laurel tree for each of them, so the tower was named Wugui Pagoda. As the twin towers are quite far apart, it is difficult to capture them in the same frame.

||| Half-day route: Jinlonggang Special Block - Dongmen 1981 - Xinjiang Academy 🌟 Jinlonggang is a trendy block in Shangrao. The colorful painted walls are eye-catching and photogenic. 🌟 Dongmen is quite boring, with some neon lights. It might look better at night. There is mainly a gate, and the shops inside are all uniformly transformed. You can take a look if you pass by, but it's not interesting to go there specially. 🌟 There are very few people in Xinjiang Academy, you can go and have a look, overlooking Xinjiang. One of the four ancient academies in Jiangxi, built during the Kangxi period. Watching the sunset and blowing the evening breeze here, it seems to be able to travel through time and space, and feel the tranquility and elegance with the ancients. 🌟 Finally, I checked in the super delicious snack street, on the first floor of Wanli Times, almost every one is delicious~ No thunder~

The predecessor of Xinjiang Academy was Qujiang Academy, established during the Kangxi period, founded in 1694. Xinjiang Academy was historically known as Zhongling Lecture Hall, Ziyang Academy, and was officially named Xinjiang Academy during the Qianlong period. After the abolition of the imperial examination, it was converted into Guangxin Middle School. Xinjiang Academy houses more than ten ancient buildings with antique charm, including Yujich Pond, Xixiu Pavilion, Rixin Study, Yile Hall, Wanjing Study, Puxu Yinxiang, Lingyun Hermitage, Sizhao Pavilion, and Banshan Pavilion. The main sites for worshipping sages in Xinjiang Academy include Chunfeng Pavilion, Sanxi Hall, Sixian Shrine, Minggong Shrine, and Shengong Sheng Shrine. Only Chunfeng Pavilion remains today, with the Doushan Pavilion above it, where the academy's books are stored. Chunfeng Pavilion enshrines Confucius, the master of Neo-Confucianism Zhu Xi, Wen Tianxiang, Xie Dieshan (Xie Fangde), Zhao Ruyu, and other sages. Xie Fangde, a native of Yiyang in Xinzhou, was a jinshi in the same cohort as Wen Tianxiang, a patriot who resisted the Yuan Dynasty, and later starved to death. Zhao Ruyu once implemented the 'Shaoshi Internal Zen', supporting the enthronement of King Jia Zhao Kuo (Emperor Ningzong of Song) and rose to the position of a famous prime minister for his contributions. He was an official who was clean, loved the people, and oversaw the construction of two floating bridges across the Xinjiang River. The people, remembering his virtuous governance, built a shrine for him, which he refused to accept. He wrote a couplet: 'Why use fleeting fame to burden this transient world when passing clouds and mist meet the eye; better to drag one's spirits with the clear joy of mountains and waters to the cup.' Thus, he took Li Bai's poem 'Let's drink up the wine of life while we can, for who cares about fame after a thousand years?' and renamed it 'One Cup Pavilion'. Strolling through the pavilions and corridors, one loses oneself in the landscape. The clouds over the mountains are lush, the river water vast. In stillness, one communes with the divine, as if wandering in the expanse of heaven.

It is located on the bank of Xinjiang River and was established in the 33rd year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. It was formerly known as Qujiang Academy. There are many ancient relics in the academy, including Zhongling Platform, Chunfeng Pavilion, Yitao Xuan, Xixiu Pavilion, Rixin Book House, Yile Hall and other ancient buildings. On the former site of Yile Hall in the northeast of the academy, the "Shangrao Special Zone Revolutionary Martyrs Monument" and "Huang Dao Martyrs Tomb" were built after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is currently open to the public for free. Friends who like it can come here when they come to Shangrao.