Apart from its breathtaking natural scenery, Lushan is the birthplace of Chinese landscape poetry, plus, the famous Lushan Plenum represents its role in China’s political evolution. From another angle, Lushan used to be a summer resort for Western missionaries in China, which gave it a reputation for being a place for Western cultural intrusion into China.The heritage that makes up Mount Lushan is so diverse that it is regarded as the national heritage of cultural landscape.

Built in 384 AD, Donglin Temple is the oldest temple at Mount Lushan and probably the most important as it helped usher in an era of Buddhism in China.[Photo by Jia Yue for Chinadaily.com.cn]