| World
Heritage
The scenic
Mount Wuyi, in Fujian Province is praised as the most
unusual and graceful landscape in southeast China. This
is the area where southeastern plants are best preserved
and is home to many animals near extinction. With a long
history of human activity, it is a place where people
live in harmony with the nature, in the tradition of Chinese
Confucianism. In 1988, Mount Wuyi was protected under
World Preservation Zone of Biosphere Protection Act. In
1999, it was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
Brief Description
Mount Wuyi is the most outstanding
area for biodiversity conservation in south-east China
and a refuge for a large number of ancient, relict species,
many of them endemic to China. The serene beauty of the
dramatic gorges of the Nine Bend River, with its numerous
temples and monasteries, many now in ruins, provided the
setting for the development and spread of neo-Confucianism,
which has been influential in the cultures of East Asia
since the 11th century. In the 1st century B.C. a large
administrative capital was built at nearby Chengcun by
the Han dynasty rulers. Its massive walls enclose an archaeological
site of great significance.
Justification for Inscription
 Natural
criteria (vii) and (x) : Mount Wuyi is one of the most
outstanding subtropical forests in the world. It is the
largest, most representative example of a largely intact
forest encompassing the diversity of the Chinese Subtropical
Forest and the South Chinese Rainforest. It acts as a
refuge for a large number of ancient, relict plant species,
many of them endemic to China and contains large numbers
of reptile, amphibian and insect species. The riverine
landscape of Nine-Bend Stream (lower gorge) is also of
exceptional scenic quality in its juxtaposition of smooth
rock cliffs with clear, deep water.
 Cultural
criteria (iii) and (vi) : Criterion (iii): Mount Wuyi
is a landscape of great beauty that has been protected
for more than twelve centuries. It contains a series of
exceptional archaeological sites, including the Han City
established in the 1st century BC and a number of temples
and study centres associated with the birth of Neo-Confucianism
in the 11th century AD. Criterion (vi): Mount Wuyi was
the cradle of Neo-Confucianism, a doctrine that played
a dominant role in the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern
Asia for many centuries and influenced philosophy and
government over much of the world.
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