Yanshan County, Jiangxi （江西鉛山）

Yanshan County, Jiangxi

Yanshan County, located in northeast Jiangxi Province, was built in 953 AD, in the Southern Tang (937 AD-975 AD), one of the Ten Kingdoms following the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD).

Hekou Town of Yanshan County used to be an important distribution center of the nearby eight provinces when water transportation was frequently used. It was also one of the four famous towns in Jiangxi during ancient times along with Jingde Town, Zhangshu Town and Wucheng Town. The ancient street paved with bluestone and granite slabs, the Ming-and-Qing-style architecture, and the stone bridges across the rivers mirror the beautiful scenery of the ancient water town.

Ehu Academy, 15 kilometers southeast of Hekou Town, was an academy where the Southern Song philosopher Zhu Xi (1130 AD-1200 AD) did his scholarly research. As famous as Bailudong Academy in Lushan Mountain, Ehu Academy is one of the most well-preserved academies in China, with its original look of 800 years ago.

Dayi Bridge and Dengbo Bridge are two famous bridges in Yanshan County built during the Tang Dynasty. The former, nearly 200 meters long, was originally a wooden and stone structure, but later was reconstructed with bluestones. The latter is a 50-meter-long wooden bridge with nine shops on the bridge.

Yanshan County is also famous for its production of Lianshi paper, a kind of high-quality paper used to print books, draw paintings and write calligraphic works. With a history of over 600 years, it is even more precious than rice paper.

Other local products of Yanshan County include willow products, bamboo weaving and silk fans.