Heritage: Mount Wuyi
3 min readLocated in northern Fujian Province close to the border with Jiangxi Province, the picturesque Wuyi Shan(wuyishan) sits at2,132feet(650m) above sea level. Once an ancient lake, Wuyi Shan came into being during the geological spasms of the dinosaur age.
After many thousands of years, with nature shaping the landscape, Wuyi Shan has assumed its present form.
Wuyi Shan was inhabited thousands of years ago by a group anthropologists call the Yue.
During the Han dynasty, emperors would visit the mountain to perform sacred ceremonies, Heaven and Earth. During the Tang dynasty, Wuyi Shan became elevated titles by the emperor. Later the mountain became an importan center for Confucian learning, but Taoism and Buddhism also made the mountain their home, che mountain to be the abode of numerous immortals. An important Song scholar, Zhu Xi, founded an academy on the mountain in 1183, during the Song dynasty. He taught there for 10 years and his teachings would influence Confucian thought in the 20th century subtropical and are home to many endangered species. In 1837 a French explorer discovered many new species of birds and animals hiding is richly inhabited with insects. As early as the Qing vncce been found away on the mountain. Over the years more than 600 new species of animals have been found Emperor Qianlong, the mountain was a protected nature reserve where fishing and logging was forbidden. In 1999 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the best ways to enjoy the mountain at a slow and languid pace is to hire a bamboo raft to take you on a 5. 9-mile (9. 5-km) cruise down the meandering Nine Bends River (jiuqu xi). Board the rafts at the ninth bend, by Xingcun Town(xingcun zhen): there’s’ also market there that sells the very prized Yan tea(yan cha), a type of red tea. While the raft slowly drifts along the river, steep cliffs and tree topped peaks jut out from the banks. The pristine waters sparkle with the reflection of trees and barren wind scraped rock face aces. a long bamboo pole, a skilled oarsman gently guides the rickety looking bamboo With raft as it leisurely floats down the river. The rafts have seats, so sit back and enjoy the scenery slowly drifting by. After boarding the raft at the 9th bend for the 2-hour cruise, the first sight that’ll come into view is the Baiyun Yan (baiyun yan ) a solitary peak which is also known as Ling Peak(ling feng) During the early morning, the river will be masked by lazy swirls of mist, which turn it into an ethereal fantasia. To the north of the Baiyun Yan is a cave hidden away in the middle of a steep cliff for those who find the slow pace of the river overly lethargic, crawling up to the cave on all fours will give your heart a jump-start.
Wildlife abounds throughout Wuyi Shan; the pristine forest that lies at both banks of the river is home to a menagerie of rare butterflies, some of which are only found in this area. At the 8th bend, ancient tourists with vivid imaginations have dubbed a rock formation Shuigui Shi(shuigui shi), which roughly translates as “water turtle rock.” From certain angles, if the light is right, the two slabs of rock on top of each other just might look like two turtles, getting to know each other better Mother Nature is patient. She has to be for her to carve out the natural beauty of Wuyi Shan. At the 6th bend is Shaibu Yan (shaibu yan which is a stark demonstration of nature’s persistence. Over thousands of years, water flowing down the cliff has eroded small channels along the face. At some 1, 300 feet (400 m) high and 650 feet (200 m) wide, this bare rocky cliff resembles a dried out meatloaf. If your boat stops and you’re up to it, climb to the top of Tianyou Peak(tianyou feng) will offer grand view of the surrounding area.
The soothing sounds of water running over moss covered rocks amidst the gentle wind blowing through the trees, make the area an ideal place for reflection and contemplation.
Zhu Xi, one of China’s foremost Confucian scholars evidently thought so. At the 5th bend he founded an academy, the Wuyi Jingshewuyi jingshe), during the Song dynasty.His academy saw vast expansion throughout the various dynasties.
