KULING/GULING/LUSHAN
o escape the heat of the Yangtze during the summer months, foreigners fled to dreamy, alpine Kulin on Mount Lushan, much admired by Chinese poets for its serene views over the river.
Like the British summer retreat Srinagar in Kashmir, 
Kuling (now Guling or Lushan) provided a welcome refuge with its cool climate, lake, pretty streets, villas and wooded hills, lakes and streams.
Favored by missionaries, American and British alike, the town was noted for its churches, many of which survive today, in spite of the Red Guards' best efforts to obliterate China's colonial past.
The heyday of the foreigner in Kuling lasted from the end of the 19th century to 1938, with the onslaught of the Sino-Japanese War.
Although Westerners may tend to romanticize this prewar period, to the Chinese it, along with the devasting period of occupation by the Japanese, is considered a period of great sorrow, humiliation and suffering at the hands of foreign powers. It is a time that few in China are able to forget, although most Americans aand Westerners have only a vague recollection of it, if any.
Left, a travel poster from the 1930s. The firms Butterfield and Swire along with Jardine Matheson, were two giant British trade and transportation companies in pre-communist China.
Many of the old villas today are being converted to guesthouses to keep up
with the rising demand for accommodations. Right, winter scene in Kuling (Guling) today.
Kuling American School
A well-know school founded by missionaries was the Kuling American School. See the school association's Web site for more information and pictures.
For a series of fascinating early color pictures on this beautiful area and the school, see the slides by Frank Laundsen at this KASA link.
Chiang Kai-shek stating the policy of resistance against Japan in his radio address in Lushan on July 10, 1937, three days after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which triggered the Japanese invasion of China.
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
WITH THE SOUND OF ... RELOCATION??
The 1980 film "Romance on LuShan Mountain" /庐山恋 — directed by Huang Zumo(黄祖模) — was a hit throughout China. The romantic tale inspired many Chinese people to visit LuShan; some even moved there permanently.
Recently there were about 120,000 people living in Guling (Kuling) on the top of LuShan Mountain, although the size of the county is only two square kilometers. Every year 1.5 million tourists visit the mountain retreat. The large number of residents and tourists has lead to a concern that the area's beauty and environment may be threatened.
A transfer plan for Guling County was initiated ten years ago. By the end of September, construction of a new Guling was completed at the bottom of Mount LuShan, with many residents of the old town being transferred. There is some doubt that the old town will be as appealing without its residents. (From Beijing News, Sept. 11, 2006).
According to the Guinness World Records, this film has the unusual distinction of having the 'Longest First-Run of a Film in One Cinema."
