Luzhou Free Tour: A Wonderful Journey to Explore History and Nature

In the past, visiting Luzhou was all about the Laojiao liquor culture attractions. This time, I planned a one-day free tour for myself. In the morning, I went for a run near the hotel, heading north along Chunjing Road, with a view of the Tuo River on the right. Then I went to the Luzhou Museum, which has three floors and currently hosts three exhibitions. The third floor is the 'Ludi Jiya Calligraphy and Painting Gallery,' showcasing 109 calligraphy and painting works by masters such as Zhao Mengfu, Wen Zhengming, Shixi, Xu Wei, and Xu Beihong. The 'Huayin Workshop' left a deep impression on me. Headphones are placed next to the hanging scrolls, and when you put them on, you can hear the sounds of trickling water, rustling mountain winds, and honking geese from the paintings, providing a full sensory experience. The second floor houses the Jiang Zhaohua Art Gallery, which I was most eager to visit. Jiang Zhaohua is a native of Luzhou, and there is a road named after him, 'Zhaohua Road,' as well as his former residence. The gallery features his masterpiece 'Refugees,' a 27-meter-long and 2-meter-high painting considered comparable to Velázquez's 'Dwarfs' series and Rembrandt's self-portraits. Chen Danqing has compared it to Picasso's 'Guernica.' Notably, the gallery also displays Jiang's later portraits of historical figures, such as Li Shizhen, which we see in textbooks, and his self-portrait of Du Fu, the famous 'Worried Du Fu' image popular among today's children. The original works are on display! The first floor introduces Luzhou's history and culture: 'River Wind and Liquor Charm,' showcasing the city's 2,100-year history, including its optimistic lifestyle, respect for death, bravery, and love of drinking. The museum's treasure is the 'Kirin Wine Warmer,' a Ming Dynasty bronze piece. It's not very large, slightly bigger than a DSLR camera, but weighs 9 kilograms. During drinking, two people sit opposite each other, place charcoal in the Kirin's belly to heat the water in the round barrels on both sides, and then put the wine cups in the water. This Kirin-shaped wine warmer is the only one of its kind unearthed in the country, making it a unique piece. Opposite the museum is the Luzhou Library. The library's first floor has a 'City Study Room,' a free study room that requires no credentials. You can enter by pushing the door and immediately enter a silent mode. It has air conditioning, seats, sofas, charging facilities, and water, but no food is allowed. After visiting the three-story museum, sitting here to charge my phone and read a book felt very relaxing. Next, I went hiking in Zhangba Longan Park. The park has over 15,000 longan trees, each over a hundred years old, as well as lychee and Phoebe zhennan trees, also over a hundred years old. They were planted by the Zhang family from Huangzhou, Xiaogan, Hubei, during the Huguang migration to Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty. Luzhou's history of planting longan dates back to the Han Dynasty. It is currently the season for longan, and it was my first time seeing such a spectacular forest of fruit trees, laden with fruit, with many longans fallen on the ground, and the air filled with a sweet fragrance. The park is large, built along the Yangtze River, with various ponds, and is a national 4A-level scenic spot.