Experience the best of Wuyishan

The Wuyi Mountains rise in sandstone peaks cut by valleys and gorges, and the town lies among them. In the twelfth century the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi taught in the area, and temples, shrines and old academy sites are scattered through the hills.

The Nine-Bend River winds between the peaks, and visitors travel along it on bamboo rafts, past rock formations and cliffs. The mountains are wooded, with mist in the early mornings and during the rainy season.

Wuyi is the home of rock tea, a roasted oolong grown in mineral-rich soils on the cliffs. Da Hong Pao, the Big Red Robe, is brewed in small pots in tea houses across town, and the smoked black tea known as lapsang souchong first came from these hills. Local food uses bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms and river fish. Spring, when the tea is picked, and autumn, when the hills are cool and clear, are the best seasons.