Mount Wuyi: Landscape and Tea

China hosts many famous mountains and Mount Wuyi is definitely one of them. Located in the northwestern part of Fujian Province and at the border between Jiangxi and Fujian， this mountain is one of Top 10 mountains in China and among the most important scenic areas.

Mount Wuyi is the most important mountain for Fujian， as it is the No. 1 mountain in both height and fame in this province. It also bears intense cultural and historical contents. People began to live in this area in the Neolithic Age. They left coffins in the shape of boats and bridge hung by the cliff – a typical way of ancient people in Fujian to bury their dead relatives.

In the Western Han Dynasty， Emperor Wu sent emissaries to this mountain to offer sacrifices to Lord of Wuyi， a said immortal residing in and presiding over Mount Wuyi. In the Tang Dynasty， Emperor Xuanzong enlisted Mount Wuyi as one of the famous mountains in China and gave out orders of carving out a tablet （to record this event） and protecting the mountain and forests from woodcutters.

Mount Wuyi also holds significant religious meanings. From the Qin and Han Dynasties， the Taoism took Mount Wuyi as one of the sacred mountains. At present there are still a lot of Taoist monasteries， temples and convents to be seen there. In addition， Confucians also held lectures to spread the Confucianism in Mount Wuyi.

The mountain also carries significant economic and ecological value. It is a key area to protect the species diversity in the world. It possesses the largest， most complete and most representative original subtropical forests in the areas sharing the same latitude around the globe. In addition， covering 70 square meters， the area of Mount Wuyi is of typical Danxia Landform， whose biggest feature is the pillar-like peaks and steep cliffs forming one side of a mountain.

In 1999， the UNESCO added Mount Wuyi into the list of World Natural and Cultural Heritages. In the official announcement， the UNESCO described Mount Wuyi like this：

It is a scenic area that has been reserved for over a dozen centuries. It has a group of wonderful archeological sites and remains， including the remaining city of Han Dynasty that was built in 100 BC， a large number of monasteries and academic buildings. This is the birthplace of Zhuxis Philosophy. As a theory， Zhuxis Philosophy once prevailed in East Asia and Southeast Asia for centuries and had a great influence over the philosophy and politics in a large part of the world.

As the UNESCOs World Cultural and Natural Heritages， Mount Wuyi hosts untold natural and manmade beauties. It is considered the most breathtaking and impressive natural wonder in Southeast China. Its main features are the peaks， valleys and rifts – thanks to its Danxia Landform – and the perfect combination between water and mountains.

Nine-bend Stream

Though it is called a stream， it is actually a river. With abundant crystal-clear water， the river starts from the forestcovered area on the west of Mount Wuyi and flows around Mount Wuyi. Due to the special Danxia Landform， the river twists and bends several times. Thats why it is called the Nine- bend Stream.

The river， along with the mountains by it， could represent the whole scenic areas beauty. Weird rocks， dense forests and steep cliffs add new colors and reflections into the clear water， making it the “most beautiful stream” in China. The gentle current of the river and the changing width of the river course make it a perfect place for boating. Actually， there are rafts sailing along the river， on which visitors can not only experience the serenity and freshness on the river， but also enjoy the changing views of mountains， bend by bend.

1. The first bend

The first sight at the first bend of the river is the Water Light Rock， which is a monolith that is several yards high. At dusk of a sunny day， the twilight illuminates the cliff， which casts its reflection， along with the scripts carved on it， onto the water surface. The most famous scripts came from Qi Jiguang， a respected general in the Ming Dynasty fighting against the pirates from Japan.

Lion Cub Peak is another sight visitors can see at the first bend. It is standing at the southern side of the river. Taking in the shape of a lion， the mountain is covered with dense pine forests. The top of the peak resembles a lion head that opens its mouth towards the east.

Two rocks flank the Peak. They vary in size and but are similar in shape. Black weird stones protruded above the rocks， which lie upon each other and extend to the top. Flowers and other plants grow on the stones， making the twin stones more enchanting. They are called Big and Small Rocks of Kwan-yin.

The Lord Peak is the first mountain visitors could see after starting their journey. It is the grandest peak in Mount Wuyi. A rift could be seen on the southern wall， on which ladders were built for visitors to climb. It has old pavilions， caves， pools and rocks， all of which are the addition to the charm of this mountain. In addition， it and the Lady Peak at the second bend compose a beautiful and moving fairy tale.

2. The second bend

The second bend is highlighted by the Lady Peak， which is a slender stone pillar that stands scores of yards high. The top is covered with green plants while the exposed stone form the walls like the pale skin of a beautiful lady.

The Lord Peak， which is actually at the first bend， looks like a lover that stares at the Lady Peak affectionately and emotionally. There is a nature-made wall standing between the two peaks. The wall is like a screen with its ebony cliffs as black as the iron， making the wall look like an iron plate.

The natural arranges greatly inspired ancient peoples imaginations. In their poems and odes， the Lord Peak was originally a young man named Dawang （lord）. He came from a faraway place to Mount Wuyi， which was then a flood- and beastinfested place. After seeing the suffering of local people， he led them to overcome the flood by digging out a channel， which is now the Nine-bend stream. Under his leadership， local people lived a rich life and created the beautiful scenes. One day， a fairy lady from the heaven secretly left her palace and traveled in the mundane world. She was fascinated by the beauty of Mount Wuyi and decided to live here. Later， she met Dawang and fell in love with this young man.

However， a monster found this and reported to the fairys father， the Heavenly King. Irritated， the ruler of the heaven sent out his generals to take the fairy back. But the fairy had made up her mind to stay with Dawang. The lovers were turned into two peaks by the leading general， and the monster who reported them was turned into an iron plate to stand between the two peaks， separating the lovers from each other forever.

Putting aside the legend， the second bend is full of natural beauty. The green pool at the foot of Lady Peak – in legend it was where the fairy bathed – has a granite stone standing in the center， with two scripted words “Yin Shi” （meaning the Reflection Stone）. The granite is said to be the love token Dawang sent to his lover. Another round stone standing at the right flank of lady peak can reflects light vigorously and thus is said to be the dresser for the fairy lady.

Even the “monster-turned” Iron Plate has its own charm. On rainy days， rain water flows out of the numerous small holes on the cliff wall， forming strands of mini waterfall. Getting close to the stone screen one could hear the bird singing and cicada humming.

3. The third bend

The Little Hide Peak at the third bend is also called the Immortal Boat Cave. The name came from the two boat-shaped coffins hung at the eastern cliff by local people almost four millennium ago. Apart from this， there are several other places you can see the hanging boat-shaped coffins in Mount Wuyi， but the ones in the Little Hide Peak are the most amazing sight.

The Immortal Pavilion Cave and its twin peak Immortal List Cave are another two scenic spots at the third bend. The formers name comes from a big cave on the peak， while the latter has a flat side with strange lines that looks like an unfolded scroll with immortal words.

4. The fourth bend

The most prominent feature is the Mini Nine-bend Stream. It is actually a subsidiary section of the Nine-bend Stream. It is much narrower than the original one and its width could only accommodate one raft at a time. In spite of its small size， it is very similar to the Nine-bend Stream with several bends of the river course.

On the northern bank stand a rock with there words meaning “Mini Nine-Bend”. They are said to be the scripts of Zhu Xi， the one who created Zhuxis Philosophy.

The Mini Nine-Bend Stream is flanked by Big Hide Peak and Immortal Fishing Platform. The former is known for its steepness as well as the pond at its foot. The bond is called“Crouching Dragon Pond”. In the middle part of the peak there is a cave in which boat-shaped coffins could be found.

5. The Fifth Bend

The fifth bend is the widest part of the Nine-bend Stream. The most famous peak of this area is the Hidden Screen Peak，under which sit the famous Ziyang Academy. This is where Zhu Xi once gave lectures in the Song Dynasty. The Hidden Screen Peak is accompanied by Jade Essence Peak， which stands face to face with Hidden Screen Peak.

Another wonderful peak is the Bamboo Shoot Peak， which is also called the Immortal Ascension Peak. There is a stone clung to the western part of the peak， which takes the shape of a bamboo – the origin of the peaks name.

6. The sixth bend

The sixth bend is the shortest part of the river but hosts the most wonderful sight. Its charm mainly comes from the Sky Travel Peak， which is called the “No. 1 Scenic Spot in Mount Wuyi”.

The Sky Travel Peak is 408.8 meters high， taller than most of the other peaks of Mount Wuyi. It is connected to the Immortal Travel Rock in the east and the Immortal Palm Peak in the west. At dawn， the peak top is surrounded by mists and cloud， creating an illusion of the heavenly domain. Visitors might feel like traveling in the sky. Thats why it is called the “Sky Travel Peak”.

The peak is divided into two parts： the upper part and the lower part. There is a pavilion standing on the upper part， overlooking he cliff and providing a good spot for watching sunrise. The lower part also has a sightseeing platform on which people could see everything in Mount Wuyi.

The Sky Travel Peak hosts a lot of beautiful sights. The Cloud Den， which is actually surrounded by Sky Travel Peak and other peaks， is the most amazing one. The caves hidden in this could exhale white mists like a dragon blows out the clouds. It is praised as the most impressive scenic spot in Mount Wuyi.

The east of the peak is taken by a cave named “Tea Cave”. This used to be famous for the tea from this， but now the implication of the cave now is mainly focused on its beauty instead of the tea. From the cave people can easily get to the Sky Travel Peak， the Hidden Screen Peak and so on.

The Noise Rock stands across the stream facing the Cloud Den. People standing in front the rock can hear the echoes of their cry and laughter， which earns the name for the rock. The rock is covered with the scripts of people of fame， such as Zhu Xi.

7. The seventh bend

The seventh bend hosts the highest peak in Mount Wuyi– the Three Up Peak. The Peak takes a shape of a trident –though the three parts are， from west to east， increasing in height.

8. The eighth bend

This bend is known for the stones standing above the water. The stones take in the shape of lions， turtles， cats， elephants， camels， earning this place the name as “Above-water Zone”.

9. The ninth bend

The last bend opens up a horizon， providing a much wider viewpoint. The Ninth-bend Stream ends with the Star Village， which is famous for its grain output and bamboo products.

The Tea

The natural scenic spots in Mount Wuyi are more than the Nine-bend Stream， but it is hard to make a detailed description of all of them in article because we need some space to introduce the most important product of this area – tea.

The most famous tea in Fujian is Dahongpao， which means Big Red Robe. It comes from Mount Wuyi. The tea tree grows at the rifts of rocks and is hard to be picked in the old time. The tea combines the freshness of green tea and the intense aroma of black tea.

The historical book revealed that the Dahongpao Tea was used in the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty， the tea established its fame and became the consumer goods for the royal family. Later， it spread its name even to the foreign countries. Now， it is one of the most popular kinds of tea in China.