武夷山

Why this place

Wuyi Mountain is both a natural and a cultural UNESCO site: 36 red sandstone peaks around the Nine-Bend River, the cliffs where rock tea grows in cracks and is picked by men on ropes, and the Song-dynasty Zhuxi Academy at the foot where Zhu Xi taught. It is the birthplace of oolong and of rock tea.

What to see

• The Nine-Bend River by bamboo raft — the classic way to see the peaks
• The rock tea gardens, including the original Da Hong Pao bushes on their cliff
• The Zhuxi Academy and the Wuyi Palace, at the foot of the mountain
• The hanging-coffin sites in the cliffs, thousands of years old
• Tianyou Peak, for the view over the river's nine bends

What to eat

• Wuyi rock tea: Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui and Shui Xian
• Smoked river fish and the local bamboo shoots and wild mushrooms

How to plan

Two days: the raft trip and the peaks one day, the tea gardens and academy the next.

Best time

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