Leping City is a county-level city in northeastern Jiangxi Province, administered by Jingdezhen City. It lies on the edge of the Poyang Lake basin at the border with the hills of northern Jiangxi, straddling the middle reaches of the Le’an River. The city covers 1,985 square kilometers and had a population of 950,000 as of 2023. Leping was established as a county in 178 AD during the Eastern Han dynasty and was upgraded to a city in 1992. Its name combines “le” (joy) and “ping” (peace). It is a national commodity grain base and a nationally recognized “Vegetable Hometown South of the Yangtze.” It is also known as the “Hometown of Ancient Chinese Theatrical Stages,” the “Hometown of Gan Opera,” and a Jiangxi provincial historical and cultural city.
🔬 Featured Industries
- Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals: Leping is a national-level fine chemical high-tech industrial base. The Leping Industrial Park hosts over 110 enterprises, including one Fortune Global 500 company and four China Top 500 companies.
◦ Vitamin B6: 70 percent of global production (Tianxin Pharmaceutical)
◦ Vitamin B1: 30 percent of global share
◦ Glyphosate: 60 percent of China’s market (Jinlong Chemical)
◦ Silane coupling agents: dominant global position (Hongbai Chemical)
The park also produces military-grade outboard motors and Wannianqing cement. In 2024, Leping’s GDP reached 42.28 billion yuan. - Agriculture: Leping is a national commodity grain base and a nationally known “Vegetable Hometown South of the Yangtze.” Its fertile soil and extensive water network support large-scale vegetable cultivation for markets across Jiangxi and beyond. Notable agricultural products include Leping spotted pig, a national agricultural geographical indication product, and Leping sugarcane.
🗺 Tourist Attractions
- Hongyan Wonderland: A 4A-level national tourist attraction about 38 kilometers from central Leping. It features a karst cave system stretching 1,620 meters with over 120 stalactite formations, plus a stone forest at the surface. The area also contains the Hong Hao Academy ruins.
- Leping Ancient Theatrical Stages: Leping has 458 surviving ancient theatrical stages across its towns and villages, earning it the title “Museum of Ancient Chinese Theatrical Stages.” These structures were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, combining wood carving, architecture, painting, and calligraphy.
- Wenshan Stone Forest: A natural stone forest with unusual limestone formations, suitable for walking and photography.
- Cuiping Lake: A reservoir lake surrounded by hills, offering boating, fishing, and lakeside hiking.
🎭 Culture
- Gan Opera: Leping is the birthplace of Gan Opera, one of the major traditional opera forms of Jiangxi. The city is recognized as the “Hometown of Gan Opera” and “China’s Folk Culture and Art Hometown.” Gan opera has been performed on Leping’s 458 ancient theatrical stages for centuries.
- Nanyao Kiln Site: Discovered as one of China’s Top Ten Archaeological Finds of 2013, this Tang dynasty kiln site pushes Jingdezhen’s porcelain-making history back by 200 years. It shows that high-quality ceramics were being produced in the Leping area as early as the 8th century.
🚗 Getting There
- Air: Jingdezhen Luojia Airport is about 50 kilometers away.
- Rail: Leping has a railway station on the Anhui-Jiangxi Railway, serving conventional trains. The city has no high-speed rail station yet. The nearest stop is Jingdezhen North Station on the Hangzhou-Changsha High-Speed Railway, about 40 minutes away by car.
- Road: Leping is connected by the Jingying Expressway, the Changde Expressway, and National Highway 206.
🍜 Local Cuisine
- Youtiao Bao Mazi: A traditional Leping breakfast snack. It wraps a warm glutinous rice cake around a crispy fried dough stick, then rolls it in white sugar and sesame.
- Leping Peach Pastry: A traditional baked pastry made from flour, eggs, and sugar with a crumbly, dry texture. The recipe dates back to the Tang dynasty, and the modern “An brand” version won multiple awards at the China Food Expo.
- Taqian Thick Soup: A local thick soup made with shredded meat, dried bean curd, and tapioca starch, served hot.