Wuyishan

Wuyishan National Park straddles the provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi, in south-eastern China, and protects 1,280 km² of subtropical mountains. It is the smallest of the first group of Chinese national parks, but one of the most valuable in terms of biodiversity: the Wuyi mountains preserve one of the best-conserved areas of humid subtropical forest in South-East Asia, a vegetation type that across the rest of the region has all but disappeared under agriculture.

The relief combines red sandstone peaks, gorges and the winding course of the Nine Bend River, traditionally travelled by bamboo raft. Wuyi rock tea has been grown on its slopes for centuries, and the area also carries notable cultural weight as the cradle of Neo-Confucianism, with the academies where Zhu Xi taught in the twelfth century and archaeological remains of the ancient city of Chengcun.

The fauna includes rare species that until recently were practically invisible and that camera traps now record frequently: Cabot's tragopan, the Asian black bear, the pangolin and various snakes, among them the cobra. The park was officially established on 12 October 2021 as one of China's first five. The area already had international protection: Mount Wuyi has been inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1999 as a mixed property, for its natural and cultural values, with a later extension.