Fifteen kilometers south of the Chong´an County seat in Fujian Province, and isolated from the outside world by streams and ravines, the Wuyi Mountain area is often called the "No. 1 scenic wonder in Southeast China."

The serene beauty of the dramatic gorges of the Nine Bend River, with its numerous temples and monasteries, many now in ruins, provided the setting for the development and spread of neo-Confucianism, which has been influential in the cultures of East Asia since the 11th century.

It is said that when the noted scholar Zhu Xi (1130-1200) of the Song Dynasty came to the Nine-Bend River, he was so attracted by its beautiful scenery that he wrote a poem in praise of the place and ordered a school built by the river-the Ziyang Academy of Classic Learning. Many Buddhist and Taoist temples, palaces, and pavilions were also built on the mountainsides during the Tang and Song dynasties, and inscriptions by celebrated scholars were left on the stone cliffs.

In the 1st century B.C. a large administrative capital was built at nearby Chengcun by the Han dynasty rulers. Its massive walls enclose an archaeological site of great significance. To the west of Wuyi Palace stands the highest peak of Wuyi Mountain --Great King Peak (Dawangfeng), so named because of its stately majesty. In the opposite direction is Jade maiden Peak (Yun\feng), which is another scenic attraction of Wuyi Mountain. With its smooth rock cliffs and luxuriant vegetation, it looks like a slender maiden.

Features
Outstanding of Subtropical Forests
Mount Wuyi is one of the most outstanding subtropical forests in the world. It is the largest, most representative example of a largely intact forest encompassing the diversity of the Chinese Subtropical Forest and the South Chinese Rainforest. It acts as a refuge for a large number of ancient, relict plant species, many of them endemic to China and contains large numbers of reptile, amphibian and insect species.

The riverside landscape of Nine-Bend Stream (lower gorge) is also of exceptional scenic quality in its juxtaposition of smooth rock cliffs with clear, deep water.

A landscape of Great Beauty with Profound Cultural Elements
Mount Wuyi is a landscape of great beauty that has been protected for more than twelve centuries. It contains a series of exceptional archaeological sites, including the Han City established in the 1st century BC and a number of temples and study centers associated with the birth of Neo-Confucianism in the 11th century AD. Mount Wuyi was the cradle of Neo-Confucianism, a doctrine that played a dominant role in the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia for many centuries and influenced philosophy and government over much of the world.