Wuyi Mountains
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Wuyi Range 武夷山 | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,158 m (7,080 ft) |
Coordinates | 27°43′N 117°41′E / 27.717°N 117.683°E |
Geography | |
Location | Fujian and Jiangxi, China |
Asia-Pacific |
Wuyi Mountains | ||
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Tâi-lô | Bú-î soann |
The Wuyi Mountains or Wuyishan[1] (Chinese: 武夷山; pinyin: Wǔyí Shān; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bú-î-soaⁿ; formerly known as Bohea Hills in early Western documents) are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in northern Fujian province near the border with Jiangxi province, China. The highest peak in the area is Mount Huanggang at 2,158 metres (7,080 ft) on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi, making it the highest point of both provinces; the lowest altitudes are around 200 metres (660 ft). Many oolong and black teas are produced in the Wuyi Mountains, including Da Hong Pao ('big red robe') and lapsang souchong, and are sold as Wuyi tea. The mountain range is known worldwide for its status as a refugium for several rare and endemic plant species, its dramatic river valleys, and the abundance of important temples and archeological sites in the region, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2]
The Wuyi Mountains are located between Wuyishan City of the Nanping prefecture in northwest Fujian province, and the town of Wuyishan within Shangrao city in northeast Jiangxi province.
Description
World Heritage Site
The mountains have been listed since 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,[3] for cultural, scenic, and biodiversity values.[4]
The site has a total area of 99,975 hectares that is divided into four core parts. Three are
Geology
The region is part of the
The Jiuqu Xi river (transl. Nine-bend River; also Jiuqu River), about 60 kilometers in length, meanders in a deep gorge among these hills. In most places, it is a slow, shallow stream navigable only by small craft like rowboats and canoes. However, the river narrows at one point to just a few metres but a depth of 80 metres (260 ft).[6]
Climate
The Wuyi Mountains act as a protective barrier against the inflow of cold air from the northwest and retain warm moist air originating from the sea. As a result, the area has a humid climate (humidity 80 to 85%) with high rainfall (annual average 2,200 millimeters in the south-west and 3,200 millimeters in the north) and common fogs. Lower altitudes experience annual temperatures in the range from 12 °C to 18 °C.
The area is relatively pollution free. The Chinese government set up its first air-quality monitoring station in the area on January 31, 2005.
Lower elevations have a humid subtropical climate with mean annual temperature around 18 °C (64 °F) and mean annual precipitation of at least 220 cm (86.6 in). Cooler, wetter conditions prevail at higher altitudes and winters can be snowy on the highest peaks.
Biodiversity
Flora
The Wuyi Mountains are the largest and most representative example of Chinese
The vegetation of the area depends strongly on altitude. Broadleaf evergreen forests dominate the lower elevations; their tree species yield to deciduous and needleleaf evergreen trees at higher elevations. It is divided into 11 broad categories:
- Temperate coniferous forest
- Warm coniferous forest
- Temperate broad-leaved and coniferous mixed forest
- Deciduous and broad-leaved forest
- Evergreen broad-leaved and deciduous mixed forest
- Evergreen broad-leaved forest
- Bamboo forest
- Deciduous broad-leaved shrub forest
- Evergreen broad-leaved shrub forest
- Brush-wood
- Meadow steppe
Most common are evergreen broad-leaved forests, some of which make up the largest remaining tracts of humid sub-tropical forests in the world. Higher plants from 284 families, 1,107 genera, and 2,888 species, as well as 840 species of lower plant and fungus, have been reported for the region.[7] The most common tree families are beech (Fagaceae), laurel (Lauraceae), camellia (Theaceae), magnolia (Magnoliaceae), Elaeocarpaceae, and witch-hazel (Hamamelidaceae).
Fauna
The fauna of the Wuyi Mountains is renowned for its high diversity, which includes many rare and unusual species. In total, approximately 5,000 animal species have been reported for the area. Of these species, 475 are vertebrates and 4,635 are insects.[7] The number of vertebrate species is divided as follows:
families | species | |
---|---|---|
mammals | 23 | 71 |
birds | 47 | 256 |
reptiles | 13 | 73 |
amphibians | 10 | 35 |
fish | 12 | 40 |
Forty-nine vertebrate species are
Human history and culture
Human settlement on the slopes of Mount Wuyi can be traced back 4,000 years by archeological remains. During the
Ceremonies
Mountain Call and Mountain Open[clarification needed] are ceremonies held in the Wuyi imperial tea garden. The county magistrate used to take the chair of the Mountain Call ceremony on Jingzhe Day (惊蛰). In the formal ceremony, tea planters call out together "tea, tea, sprout".[clarification needed] By doing this, they pray for blessings in the tea harvest.
Leap-year meals
Special
Tourism
The number of visitors to the area increased from approximately 424,000 in 1993 to 700,000 in 1998. A raft trip down the Nine-bend River is the most popular activity. Another major attraction is Fuxi Cave, where the narrowest passage – the Thread of Sky – is less than 40 centimetres (16 in), a fissure open to the surface above. Visitor access to the biodiversity-protection areas in the mountains is controlled.
Tea
The Wuyi Mountains have a long history of tea cultivation. The four most widely known varieties of
Tea-picking opera
The Wuyi Mountains area is the birthplace of tea-picking opera. Developed from local folk dances and songs, the performances are comedic and focused on daily life in the tea-growing region. Tea-picking opera reflects the strongly rural nature and basics of Hakka culture. This has made it popular in the local area.
Impression Da Hong Pao Show
As the world's only large-scale landscape live-action show showcasing Chinese tea culture, Impression Da Hong Pao showcases the history of tea and the various tea-making processes around the tea culture of Wuyi Mountain. Impression Da Hong Pao[10] is 70 minutes long and takes place in a completely open landscape, making it the world's first "landscape surroundings theater".
See also
References
- ^ Wǔyí Shān is Westernized in various ways as Wuyishan, Wuyi-shan, Wuyi-Shan, Wuyi Shan, etc.
- ^ a b "Mount Wuyi". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 9 Apr 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-61530-134-8.
- ^ a b Evaluation by UNESCO advisory board (1999)
- ^ Mount Wuyi, UNESCO World Heritage List
- ^ "Wooed by Wuyishan". The Ninjinger.
- ^ . Retrieved 9 Apr 2021.
- ^ a b "A Thread of Sky: The Thread of Sky Caves in Wuyi Mountains". China Travel Tips – Tour-Beijing.com. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Tiger Roaring Rock, Roaring Tiger Rock in Wuyi Mountains". China Travel Tips – Tour-Beijing.com. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Official Website of Impression Da Hong Pao Show".