Mount Wuyi

Mount Wuyi, in northwestern Fujian, is the most outstanding area for biodiversity conservation in southeastern China and a refuge for a great number of ancient relict species, many endemic to the country. Its dramatic red sandstone gorges are threaded by the Nine-Bend Stream, a slow, winding waterway along which visitors are poled on traditional bamboo rafts past sheer pinnacles and cliffs, some holding ancient boat-coffins lodged in their crevices by a vanished indigenous culture. The serene beauty of these landscapes, dotted with temples and monasteries, provided the setting for the development of neo-Confucianism, a philosophy that has profoundly shaped the cultures of East Asia since the 11th century. Nearby lie the massive walls of a Han-dynasty administrative capital, a significant archaeological site. The area is also the birthplace of prized rock-grown oolong teas. Mount Wuyi was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 for both its natural and cultural values.