Wuyuan, Jiangxi: China's Most Beautiful Countryside Ever (official title)

From back left: Da Shan (Sam), Todd's roommate, Todd, Sam's roommate, me, my roommate

One of my goals for this semester was to make time to travel and see more of China, and I was able to do so through the large group travel excursion this semester. This trip involved a lengthy da ba (charter bus) trip to the Wuyuan area in nearby Jiangxi province. We left at midday on Friday and returned Sunday afternoon, making the trip a quick taste of another rather scenic and pretty region of China.

The first night we arrived, bags were dropped off at the surprise that was our hotel. I must say, I’ve never seen or stayed at anything quite like this place in China or back in the States. The room itself was basic and perfectly fine, with two twin beds, brick-hard mattresses, thick fluffy blankets and a small television set. The bathroom, however, was very interesting. In lieu of the expected seat toilet, stalled shower, and other norms of basic hotels, this one featured a small sink, hand-held shower head attached to a water heater, and a squat toilet directly underneath the shower. It was somewhat difficult to use, but ended up becoming a sort of balancing act when showering became necessary. The entire bathroom space was maybe one-third the size of a twin bed. It certainly was a very economic use of space!

Note that our sink was missing a handle for cold water, so we used the shower head as a faucet instead

As for activities in the lovely Wuyuan, we first embarked on a cultural journey Saturday morning and set out to wade into the river and catch fish with our hands, classical Chinese style. Our guide, however, deemed the current and depth of the water inappropriate for hugging fish, and instead we ended up fishing.  It was cool to see the fishing pole set-up, worms, and methods used to catch fish in Jiangxi- I was simultaneously intrigued by some of the differences and reminded of fishing for perch at my grandpa’s farm back in the Texas countryside. The surrounding hills, blue skies and clear water were so far removed from what one’s mental image of China can so easily become after spending too much time in China’s big cities: hazy, gray skies, tall faceless buildings, ever-present noise and ubiquitous traffic. In contrast, this was peaceful bliss.

The "White Dragon Waterfall"

 After fishing, we retired to the hotel for a quick lunch of Wuyuan specialties, then packed back on the bus to head to a nearby mountain, famous for featuring the tallest waterfall in China. On the mountain, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The winding staircase path traveling up the mountain was right next to a continuous stream of clear water and small waterfalls, and the path occasionally crossed the water using creaky wood bridges. Climbing the mountain took real physical exertion, but after Song Tao and Da Shan, me, Andria and Da Shan’s roommate managed to reach the highest waterfall before everyone else. It was a great experience and one of my better memories from this semester in China.

Me, Todd and Sam in front of the tallest waterfall in China!