南平市

Why this place

Nanping's Wuyi Mountain is one of the most beautiful places in southeast China: a river winding between 36 red sandstone peaks, and the cliffs where oolong and rock tea (yancha) grow in cracks and are picked by men on ropes. It is both a UNESCO natural site and a cultural one, for the Song-dynasty academy at its foot.

What to see

• The Nine-Bend River boat trip — the classic way to see Wuyi's peaks
• Rock tea (yancha) gardens in the cliffs, including the famous Da Hong Pao bushes
• The Wuyi Palace and the Zhuxi Academy, where Zhu Xi taught
• Hanging-coffin sites in the cliffs, thousands of years old

What to eat

• Wuyi rock tea (yancha) — Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui and Shui Xian
• Mountain bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms and the local smoked river fish

Best time

April–May and September–November; the river is best after rain