Wuyi Mountain
A sacred mountain that was a major centre for Taoism and later Buddhism, the Wuyi Mountain in the southeastern part of Fujian and is well-known for its landscape, especially the Nine Bend River. With winding bends intertwined with valleys flanked by columnar cliffs, there’s no better way to take in the views of the natural surroundings than riding down the river on a bamboo raft. Way back inthe Tang Dynasty in 748 AD, the emperor forbade fishing and deforestation and this rule still survives today. Temples and monasteries have been established in the mountains over time, but only remnants remain to this day for the majority of them. Surprisingly, in the lower stretches of the river are 18 boat coffins hanging off cliffs which date back to 200 BC. It remains a mystery how they are still preserved to this day. In the 11th to 16th centuries, there was even an imperial tea farm in the mountains. Famous for four varieties of tea leaves, including the Big Red Robe, there’s no shortage of shops selling tea leaves in Fujian, but there’s nothing like sipping a cup of tea right in the teahouse in the mountains.