Despite a few antiques rising from the rubble, history has made Nanchang something of a modern period piece, its architecture mostly reflecting the Civil War years and later Soviet-inspired industrialization. Much of this, such as the overbearing Exhibition Hall and the finer Jiangxi Binguan, is concentrated around Renmin Square , an enormous open space impressive mainly for its size. At the southern end is the white August 1 Monument , and also the Provincial Museum , a messy-looking, soon-to-be-restored building housing a large collection of Jingdezhen ceramics. Nanchang's bustling shopping districts are due west of Renmin Square along Ruzi Lu and Zhongshan Lu , but to continue a tour of the city, head up Bayi Dadao and then left down Minde Lu. Not far along and set back off the street is Youmin Si , a Buddhist temple dating back to 503 AD, which (perhaps because of the city's revolutionary associations) Nanchang's Red Guards seem to have been especially diligent in wrecking during the 1960s. Restorations are nearly complete, however, and include a striking, ten-metre-high standing Buddha statue , which rises out of a lotus flower towards a cupola decorated with a coiled golden dragon. Opposite the temple, Bayi Park , while not ravishingly attractive, does at least offer some greenery and water after the dusty tones of the city streets.