When students come to study in China, most of them would like to take intensive Chinese language courses in Yunnan because they agree Yunnan is their best choice to learn Mandarin Chinese. Local history and culture are also important for those students to understand Chinese language. It is especially true when foreign friends learn intensive Chinese language courses in Yunnan as Yunnan province is a typical display of Chinese culture.
Jiu Xiang forms the basics of Yunnan local culture, which should be learnt in your intensive Chinese language courses if you study in China. There are many karst caves in Jiu Xiang, and there is also a saying pass down from older generation of Jiu Xiang people, which is “there are 99 karst caves in Jiu Xiang, and when you count them over, you will spend a whole lifetime.” Seeing this, foreign friends may be surprised, but you intensive Chinese language courses will give you a further explanation.
It was a March morning, and it was also the birthday of the Chinese Goddess 王母娘娘(Wang Mu Niang Niang). On that day, all the gods and goddesses were preparing birthday presents for her (you should know that王母娘娘 is like a queen among all of the gods and goddesses from your intensive Chinese language courses, so they worship her). Her husband, 玉皇大帝(Yu Huang Da Di), thought he must find the best present for her. 玉皇大帝 ordered all gods and goddesses to find the most wonderful and rarest jewels to string into a most beautiful necklace. Teachers from intensive Chinese language courses will introduce to you that玉皇大帝 was the king ruling the gods and goddesses lived in heaven, and all gods and goddesses must do what he ordered.
Many pearls and jewels were gathered in front of 玉皇大帝, which included luminous pearl, variegation, jade, agate and amber. 玉皇大帝 asked to make them into a necklace immediately. When 王母娘娘’s birthday came, 玉皇大帝 brought his present and many gods presented at the birthday party were shock because they had never seen a shinning and beautiful necklace like that before. All gods and goddesses at the party wanted to have a closer look at the necklace, so they tried to grab it. They tried so hard that the necklace was broken and jewels scattered to the human world. You will learn from Mandarin schools of intensive Chinese language courses that those jewels finally dropped to the ground in Yunnan province.
After long days of learning intensive Chinese language courses in Kunming, you can go to Jiu Xiang. When you get there, you will figure out that those caves in Jiu Xiang look like the shapes of jewels on王母娘娘’s birthday party. If you look even closer, a river named Mai Tian River will appear in you sight. When you go back to check on your books of intensive Chinese language courses, you will learn that the river was the golden string that was used to line up the birthday necklace. When the necklace was broken, the string had also fallen from heaven and turned into a river in Jiu Xiang.
Jiu Xiang is located in the northeastern part of Yi Liang County in Kunming. It was made into a tourist site in 1989, and Jiu Xiang was also classified into “National Key Scenic Spot” by China in 1994. The scale and number of karsts caves are the largest around China. When you come to learn Mandarin Chinese in the city of Kunming, Jiu Xiang is not only a good place for traveling, it is also a good chance to learn Chinese culture and local custom in Yunnan province.