LU MOUNTAINS

Chinese (Wade-Giles and Pinyin) Lu Shan, famous mountain area in northern Kiangsi province, China. Situated to the south of Chiu-chiang and west of Hsing-tzu, it looks north over the Yangtze River valley and east over the P'o-yang Lake. It forms the eastern extremity of the Mu-fu Range. Its highest peak, K'uang-lu, or K'uang, Mountain, is about 4,836 feet (1,474 m) above sea level. It was venerated as a holy mountain from a very early period. In early times it was the home of many prominent Buddhists and was the intellectual centre of Taoism from the 6th to the 8th century. It also has associations with many famous poets and literary figures. Before World War II the mountains still had some 300 temples and Taoist shrines and were a popular summer resort for Western residents of Shanghai and the coastal cities. The area has remained a resort with many convalescent homes and rest homes for workers. The mountain area has also been the subject of geological studies on Quaternary glaciers.