Mount Wuyi

Located southwest of Wu Yi Shan City, Mount Wuyi is at the border of Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, and covers an area of 70 square kilometers. Not only its fabulous scenery but also its centuries-old cultures attract more and more tourists,

Mount Wuyi is renowned for beautiful mountains, vigorous rocks and limpid There are nine-crooked streams, thirty-six peaks, ninety-nine rocks and seventy-two caves in the mountains. Every scenic spot is unique and fabulous. You can take a bamboo raft to tour Wu Yi Shan along the nine-crooked stream, or if you prefer a hike numerous trails also offer equal opportunity to admire the beauty of Mount Wuyi.

Following are details of some main scenic spots.

Nine-crook Stream: It covers an area of about 8.5 square kilometers. Snaky nine-crooked stream separates group hills from each others, so scenery of the hills encircled by the stream comes into being. Bamboo rafts take you to visit the Wu Yi Shan Scenic Area, including its attractions of Great King Peak, Jade Lady Peak, Two Breasts Peak, Facial Stone, Elephant Trunk Rock, Boat Coffin, White Cloud Nunnery and Imperial Tea-garden relic.

Waterfall Cave: With an area of 17 square kilometers, waterfall cave is a large-scale scenic spot in Mount Wuyi. The cave is respectively 100 meters high and wide. It is very capacious and bright inside the cave, where three altars were built for memorizing three outstanding literates of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In front of the cave, clear springs like a bunch of pearls flow down into a big dragon pond. When facing it, you will naturally acclaim it as the peak of perfection. Since the early time, countless literates have attempted to glorify its grandeur through poems or essays.

Wu Yi Palace: Occupying about 3.5 square kilometers, Wu Yi Palace is the oldest one with more than one thousands years of history. Resting on the south of the Great King Peak, the layout of the Wu Yi Palace is grand and magnificent. Inside the palace, there is a pond and a bridge. Legend has it, that you can see supernatural beings while standing on the latter and peering into the pond. In the courtyard, stand two cherry bays left by the Song Dynasty. The left one is over 900 years and the right more than 800 years. Nearby the Wu Yi Palace, a street of the Song Dynasty style was constructed in recent years. You can enjoy traditional architectures and furnishings there.

Tiger Howling Rock: Why is it called tiger howling rock? The legend tells a tale of a supernatural being, which a long time ago, passed the rock astride a tiger. Every time the tiger stepped on the rock, he heard the sound of tiger howling. He felt puzzled and wanted to understand where the sound came from, but he got no result. However, today this mystery has been unveiled. There is a big cave in the rock. When strong wind passes it, a sound just like tiger howling is produced. If it is sonorous, the mountains seem to be shaking. Despite the well-known dangers of the Tiger Howling Rock for tourists, people still like taking the challenge to visit it.

Jade Lady Peak: By its name only, a beautiful picture appears in your mind. Jade Lady Peak is tall and straight. Seen from a distance, she looks just like a pretty maiden standing there. The top of the peak is covered with flowers. A sweet-smelling deep pond is at the bottom, and is the maiden's bathing spot. A round stone in the pond used to be a mirror for the maiden. If you observe carefully, you will find that Jade Lady Peak and Great King Peak are looking at each other.

Next is a beautiful love story is waiting for you to enjoy.

Great King Peak: Once upon a time, a fellow named Great King came to Wu Yi Shan. He was very kind and warm-hearted. When he saw the people's hard life, he decided to lead them to dig mountains, chisel stones and guide river ways, to help irrigate the fields. From then on, the people's lives got better. All of these were witnessed by a fairy. She was touched and fell in love with the Great King. But the emperor of the sky was against their love and turned them into stone. Hence, Jade Lady Peak and Great King Peak come into being.

Of course, the Great King Peak itself has a lot of attractions besides this story: narrow path, rock steps, cold spring and old trees reaching the sky. Besides these scenic spots, you can find unusual bamboos like Jian Lan, unique flowers, scarce birds and rare medicinal materials. Mount Wuyi is the cradle of Oolong - a kind of Chinese tea, which is reputed amongst foreigners. Including the wonderful tea-art performance, it is definite you can gain infinite pleasure here.

Wu Yi Shan Preserve is a paradise for the wild animals. People call it the "world of insects", "heaven of birds" and "kingdom of snakes". In 1999, it was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.