Wuyi-Mountains.doc

Wuyi MountainsGood morning,ladies and gentlemen.Its my honor to be your guide.My name is Wonder Zheng, you can call me Wonder or Ms. Zheng.This is our driver Mr.Chen.Our bus number is Min A-12345.Today we are going to visit Wuyi Mountains.Now weve reached the main entrance of it.Please take along your valuables,close the car windows, and follow me to get off for travel.Itll take us about 2 hours to enjoy the scenery here,and at 11 oclock,we are to gather here and go to the next scenic spot.Now,its 9 oclock. Please remenber to get back on time, and dont forget our bus number-Min A-12345.Now,lets go!The Wuyi Mountains are a mountain range located at the prefecture Nanping, at the northern border of Fujian province with Jiangxi province, China. The mountains cover an area of 60 km. In 1999, Mount Wuyi entered UNESCOs list of World Heritage Sites, both natural and cultural. It is the most outstanding biodiversity conservation zone of Southeast China. Numerous types of tea are produced around Mount Wuyi; it is the origin of the realclarification needed Da Hong Pao tea and Lapsang souchong, further described in Wuyi tea.Wu Yi Yan Cha or “Rock Wulong” is a special subcategory of Wulong tea grown in the vicinity of Wu Yi Shan City in northern Fujian Province. Wu Yi Shan is a UNSECO World Heritage site, internationally recognized and protected for its biological diversity and significance as an ancient cultural site. A long time center of tea production, farmers in Wu Yi Shan developed the methods for making Wulong tea around 1650. To the present, Wu Yi Shans wulong tea, known as “Yan Cha” or “Rock Tea” is considered by many to be the preeminent style of wulong tea.More so than any other famous tea, understanding Wu Yi Yan Cha is inextricable from examining the intricacies of its growing region.Wu Yi Shan has a long history of producing famous tea. Nothern Fujian ascended to fame as the foremost tribute tea producing region during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) when the fields and factories of the region were recognized as the producer of the nations best quality tea and hosted the epicenter of the government controlled tea industry. During the Song, all tea was essentially green tea that was compressed into cakes during its manufacture. The compressed tea from Wu Yi Shan was so sought after that it was renowned to be worth more than its weight in goldThe arrival of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) forced Wu Yis craftsmen to change the way they made tea from the compressed form to the loose-leaf form we recognize today. With much difficulty in adapting to this new standard of production, Wu Yi Shan slowly retooled its infrastructure and began to make loose-leaf green tea, in an attempt to copy the technique from successful tea producers in Anhui. The producers of Wu Yi Shan, being unfamiliar with making pan fired green tea, inadvertently allowed their tea leaves oxidize. Their imperfect efforts at making loose leaf green tea sired the creation of partially oxidized wulong tea and fully oxidized black tea in Wu Yi Shan at the end of the Ming. Wu Yi Shan continues to produce the world most sought after wulong in the form of its famous Yan Cha.The Wuyi mountain scenic spot situated in the middle of the Wuyi mountain range, within the boundary of Wuyishan City, has an area of 60 sqkm. The Nine Twist Stream, a meadering brook running nine kilometers through the mountain, is a beautiful, natural landscape painting. Well-known for its scholars and poets like Zhuxi, Luyou and Xinqiji who visited and lectured here. As a result, a valuable cultural heritage has been preserved. A 3, 000- year coffin in the shape of a boat, known as a hanging coffin. And many stone and porcelain relics are kept on display. Wuyi Scenic Spot has been designated as a key national scenic spot. Nine-Twist Stream Originating in the Wuyi Natural Reserve and flowing through mountain valleys. The Nine-Twist Stream runs nine kilometers and has 9 twists in its course. The clean water moving past rocks and cliffs combines with the exotic peaks crowned by green groves presenting a real-life traditional Chinese painting. It takes about 2 hours to drift down the stream by means of a very old type of bamboo raft. So this experience is unique and memorable. No visitor should miss the chance. Dawanfeng(Great King Peak) Because this peak is shaped like an ancient Chinese majestic officials hat, people call it Great King Peak. It sits commandingly at the mouth of the Nine-Twist Stream, southeast of the Wuyi Palace. Standing on the 530-meter peak, it greets tourists as they set out their trip. At top of the peak old trees grow thick, while on the eastern side you can see Immortal-Transformation Cave(shenzhen-dog) . According to Zhuxi, the great Confucianist, King Wuyi lived in this cave. A deep split extending from the top of the peak into its bottom is said to be the place where a special evoy in the Song Dynasty worshiped King Wuyi. Jade Maiden PeakLocated south of the second twist and facing a big deep pool, this peak looks like a girl standing gracefully. The rock in Jade Maiden Peak appears skin-smooth while the dewy-green grass and tree sat the top suggest a girls hair. As we look at the peaks reflection in the water, we can imagine a graceful, deep-in-thought, traditional girl, wishing for a bright future. This peak symbolizes the beauty of Wuyi scenery. Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve This nature reserve is located at the common boundary point of Wuyishan City, Jianyang and Guanze Counties. It extends 52 km. from north to south, and 22km from east to west, enclosing an area of 570 square km and the mountains here are steep and heavily forested. Abundant rainfall and warm, humid weather give it a typical moderate sub-tropical climate, this is one of the five key nature reserves in China. Forests cover 92% of the area. Bamboo groves number more than 80 and include one-third of the Chinese bamboo species. Among the 3, 000 to 4,000 plants growing here, 149 families and 1,899 species have been identified. This plant diversity led to the nickname natural plant farm. More than 400 kinds of larger wild animals, including more than 100 species of mammals, live in the reserve. Birds also thrive here, some 300 species being found in this wildlife paradise. The Wuyi Mountains are located between Wuyishan City, at Nanping prefecture of Fujian province and Wuyishan Town, at Shangrao city of Jiangxi province. The geographical coordinates are 27 43 northern latitude and 117 41 east of Greenwich. The area is connected to the road network by provincial road number S303. The world heritage site has an area of 999.75 square kilometres within an additional buffer zone of 278.88 km. The region is part of the Cathayshan fold system and has experienced high volcanic activity and the formation of large fault structures, which were subsequently subject to erosion by water and weathering. The landscape is characterized by winding river valleys flanked by columnar or dome-shaped cliffs as well as cave systems. Peaks in the western portion of the Wuyi Mountains typically consist of volcanic or plutonic rocks, whereas peaks and hills in the eastern area are made up of red sandstone with very steep slopes but flat tops. The Nine-bend River (Jiuqu Xi), about 60 kilometers in length, meanders in a deep gorge among these hills. The highest peak in the area is Mount Huanggang at 2,158 meters, making it the highest point of Fujian, the lowest altitudes are around 200 meters.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 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. That explains the haze that can be seen in the accompanying photographs.The Wuyi Mountains are the largest and most representative example of Chinese subtropical forests and South Chinese rainforests biodiversity. Its ecology has survived from before the Ice Age around 3 million years ago. Biologists have been conducting field research in the area since 1873. The vegetation of the area depends strongly on altitude. It is divided into 11 broad categories: 1) temperate coniferous forest, 2) warm coniferous forest, 3) temperate broad-leaved and coniferous mixed forest, 4) deciduous and broad-leaved forest, 5) evergreen broad-leaved and deciduous mixed forest, 6) evergreen broad-leaved forest, 7) bamboo forest, 8) deciduous broad-leaved shrub forest, 9) evergreen broad-leaved shrub forest, 10) brush-wood, and 11) 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 f