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Destination
Nanping (南平) is the prefecture that holds Wuyishan — and if you only stop at Wuyishan, you miss the rest. The prefecture covers the whole of northwestern Fujian: mountains, river valleys, and a cultural layer that is older and quieter than anywhere else in the province. Three things beyond the headline peaks:
- Jianyang (建阳) district — the Jianzhan kilns. Jianzhan (建盏) are the Song-dynasty black-glazed tea bowls — "hare's fur," "oil spot," yohen tenmoku — collected by Japanese tea masters for eight centuries. Jianyang was named "China's Capital of Jianzhan" in 2017. The ancient kiln site at Shuiji (水吉镇) is a state-protected cultural heritage, home to China's longest intact Song-era Dragon Kiln (135.6 m).
- Xiamei Village — the Wanli Tea Road start. Six kilometres east of Wuyishan city, Xiamei is where Fujian tea began its 13,000-km overland journey to Russia in the Qing dynasty. Seventy-plus Ming and Qing shophouses still stand along the old Dangxi canal.
- Zhu Xi's home valleys. Zhu Xi (1130–1200), the formulator of Neo-Confucianism, taught at an academy near Wuyi. The mountain and the philosophy are part of the same landscape.
Access: Wuyishan North is the main HSR stop (~270 trains/day). Nanping Station, inland on Line 3, is useful if Jianyang or Shuiji are on your itinerary. Most visitors use Wuyishan North and do Jianyang as a 90-minute taxi/DiDi.