Wuyuan in southeast China's Jiangxi Province, is one of the national two cultural and eco-tourism model counties, and also is one of the national fifty-one eco-agricultural model counties. Wuyuan, locates in the famous golden triangle area of green tea, has the history of more than 1200 years for planting and producing tea, is the famous tea town. Since Tang Dynasty, Wuyuan green tea has been famous for its top quality, ranked as the preferred beverage of Chinese emperor during MingQing Dynasties, praised by William Wux, an American famous tea expert, in ALL ABOUT TEA as “ Wuyuan green tea is not only fine quality among Luzhuang green teas, but also the best among Chinese green teas.”

May is about the best time to visit Wuyuan, the old villages in offers refreshing views of hills covered in yellow rape flowers, green farmland, exuberant camphor trees, creeks and small rapids. Villages lie along small rivers, trees stand on riverbanks, and old farmers leisurely drive ducks toward a pond, forming a typical Chinese countryside scene.

Wuyuan has at least 50 old villages that have remained almost unchanged over the last century. However, it is known not only for its natural scenery, but also for its glorious past. The remote county was home to some of China's top scholars, including Zhu Xi, a Confucian master in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and Zhan Tianyou, China's first railway engineer. It also produced some of the country's richest merchants. The county's glorious past can still be found in its uniquely-built houses, most of which, big or small, feature white walls, black roofs, elegant eaves, and dark green footstones.

There are three tour routes in Wuyuan -- east, north and west. The eastern route often gets the best reviews, as it covers the water scenes of Likeng, Xiaoqi Village, the ancestral temple of the Yu clan and Qingyuan Village.

Taking the northern route, tourists will pass through the historical sites of ancient Huizhou, including Yancun, Sixi, Qinhua Town, Hongguan and Dalikeng. Ancient buildings and bridges can be seen in number on this route.

Natural beauty Lovers should head west for the fascinating landscapes. This route also passes the ancestral tombs of the great Chinese thinker and philosopher Zhu Xi.