A 4-Day Dragon Boat Festival Retreat in Wuyishan with Family
Introduction
During the pandemic, international travel became a distant dream. However, it gave me the chance to slow down and appreciate the beauty of my motherland. My mom once said that after traveling to many countries, she still loved the mountains and waters in China the most. So, I decided to surprise my parents with a trip to Wuyishan during the Dragon Boat Festival, aiming to enjoy a slow-paced mountain life with them.
Day 1: Arrival at Jiulongwan Resort
Check – in at the Resort
A perfect mountain retreat requires a peaceful and secluded place to stay. The Jiulongwan Resort in Wuyishan is such an ideal destination. It is located in the Wuyishan National Tourist Resort, with convenient transportation. It’s only 5 kilometers from Wuyishan Airport and 10 kilometers from Wuyishan North Station.
The hotel lobby, mainly made of wood, features an elegant and grand design. Inside the rooms, solid – wood furniture is used. The light – colored wood creates a refined and clean atmosphere. The well – polished wood structures and furniture highlight the natural wood grain, giving a sense of softness and simplicity. Since tea – drinking is a local custom in Wuyishan, each room is equipped with a set of tea utensils and the famous Wuyi Dahongpao tea. The high – end bedding ensures a sweet sleep. You can enjoy the mountain view from your room while taking a relaxing bath.
The resort promotes a healthy lifestyle. There are simple and easy – to – use fitness facilities both inside and outside the rooms, allowing guests to maintain their fitness routine even on vacation. The indoor constant – temperature swimming pool is also open, where you can swim 800 or 1000 meters to relieve stress.
Hotel Meals
The restaurant on the first floor offers healthy light meals. With its log – colored decoration, which is in harmony with the building and the landscape, and a transparent glass wall that blends the indoor and outdoor views, it provides a natural and comfortable dining environment. On rainy days or when you don’t feel like going out, you can order some delicious home – style dishes here. The stir – fried beef with green peppers is excellent, with tender and flavorful beef. The stir – fried mountain bamboo shoots are also very tasty, and the steamed and oil – splashed eggplant has a refreshing taste.
Tea Tasting at Jiyan Hall
There is a tea room called Jiyan Hall on the first floor of the hotel. You can go there to taste tea after a nap or whenever you have free time. The locals in Wuyishan are tea lovers. They can’t live without tea for a single day. The tea – room staff introduced and let us taste various kinds of tea, such as Shuixian, Rougui, and Jinjunmei. Here, Rougui is not the spice we usually know, and Shuixian is not the narcissus flower. They are both types of Wuyi Rock Tea, with a lot of knowledge behind them. While sipping the tea slowly, we listened to the tea ceremony and enjoyed the charm of the tea.
Cycling along the Riverside Promenade
You can rent two – person, three – person, or four – person bicycles at the hotel lobby and cycle along the riverside promenade. The Chongyang River flows gently behind the hotel, presenting a beautiful view. Cycling along the promenade, you can pass by the Wuyi Water Show and reach the Impression Dahongpao Theater.
Dinner at Yushanfang Restaurant
For dinner, we went to the Yushanfang Restaurant recommended by the hotel reception, which is about 200 meters away on foot. The restaurant has a nice natural environment and antique decoration. The prices are reasonable, and the portion sizes are large. We ordered some local specialties, including the Langgu Valley casserole goose, stir – fried fresh bamboo shoots, steamed red – eyed fish, sour and spicy dragon – claw mushrooms, and bamboo fungus and pork bone soup. When the casserole goose was served, we were shocked by its large portion, almost half a goose, just like what we would expect in Northeast China. The red – eyed fish is a local specialty. Its scales are edible, crispy, and quite unique. The dragon – claw mushrooms were also a new experience for me, with a crispy, sour, and spicy taste. I noticed that the locals in Wuyishan also like to use bamboo fungus in soups, which really suits my taste. My dad always enjoys a little sip of white wine with each meal.
Day 2: An Eventful Day of Sightseeing and Tasting
Rafting on the Nine – Bend River
We got up early today to experience the most essential activity in Wuyishan – rafting on the Nine – Bend River. The rafting tickets need to be booked in advance, and once the time is set, it cannot be changed. The hotel’s tourism department helped us book the tickets in advance, and our guide, Xiao Xu, came to pick us up early in the morning.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, when there is plenty of rain, the weather for rafting can be unpredictable. We entered the Wuyishan Scenic Area through the South Gate and took the scenic area shuttle bus directly to the rafting pier. Due to the pandemic, there were fewer tourists, so we didn’t have to wait in line.
Each raft can accommodate six people, and it sets off when it is full. There are two rafters on each raft, one at the front and one at the back, using a 6 – meter – long bamboo pole to propel the raft. It is recommended to book an early – morning rafting time in summer to avoid the sun. After the rain, the mountains are often surrounded by clouds, creating a fairy – like atmosphere.
The river is calm and clear, with pebbles and small fish clearly visible. The rafter introduced the stories behind each peak and rock along the way. We saw the famous Shuangrufeng (Twin – breasted Peaks), which is quite similar in shape. As we rafted, we also saw the Tianyou Peak, Yunu Peak, and Dawang Peak in the distance, each with its own beautiful legend. The Wuyi hanging coffins on the cliffs also left us with endless imagination.
We also witnessed some fish jumping out of the water to grab food. One of our raft – mates bought some fish food and threw it into the river, and many small fish jumped out of the water like carp leaping over the dragon gate.
The Yunu Peak is one of the most iconic peaks in Wuyishan. It stands gracefully on the second bend of the river. There is a beautiful love story about the Yunu Peak and the Dawang Peak, which are separated by the Tiebanzhang Cliff. From the raft, the Yunu Peak seems to blend perfectly with the river and the red – colored mountains, presenting a different perspective.
After about two hours of rafting, it started to rain lightly when we reached the end. We were really lucky to have good weather throughout the rafting.
Song Street and Wuyi Palace
The end of the rafting is at Qingchuan. After getting off the raft, we directly entered the Song Street, a shopping and leisure ancient street. At the end of the street is the Wuyi Palace. However, due to the pandemic, it was not open to the public, and we could only see the entrance.
Lunch at Laochen Zixi Noodles
For lunch, we wanted to try some local snacks. A local friend recommended Laochen Zixi Noodles in the city. The shop is very popular, and there are already many customers at 8 am. Our driver and guide dropped us off at the restaurant and picked us up after we finished eating, so we didn’t have to worry about the sudden rain.
Zixi Noodles come with various toppings, and you can choose multiple ones. The soup base is made by boiling fresh pig bones every day. I chose a combination of beef tripe, mushroom noodles, beef brisket, shredded meat, and duck blood. The small mushrooms are especially fragrant. The noodles are made of rice, round and plump, more flexible and chewy, with a natural taste. The portion is very large. Since Wuyishan is a humid place, the locals are used to eating spicy food, so the noodles are spicier than those in other places. If you can’t eat spicy food, you can ask the boss not to add chili.
Climbing Tianyou Peak
After a good nap in the hotel because of the heavy rain outside, when I woke up at 2:30 pm, I was happy to find that the rain had stopped. So I quickly got up and continued our plan to climb Tianyou Peak.
In summer, Wuyishan is full of greenery, like a forest world. After the rain, the Tianyou Peak becomes even more beautiful and charming. It is connected to the Xianyou Rock in the east and the Xianzhang Peak in the west, standing upright above the other peaks. When the clouds and mist rise after the rain, it looks like a sea of clouds, just like the name “Tianyou” (roaming in the sky).
Looking up at the Tianyou Peak in the twilight, there are more than 900 steps up and more than 900 steps down, a total of more than 1800 steps. My mom and I were out of breath and sweating while climbing. Standing on the peak and looking around, we could see all the beautiful scenery of Wuyishan, including the winding Nine – Bend River and the bamboo rafts floating on it, which made us feel relaxed and forget to go back.
Xu Xiake once commented that the Tianyou Peak can offer the best view of the Nine – Bend River without being on the river, so it deserves to be the first. The ecological environment of the Tianyou Peak is well – protected. You can see wild red – eyed fish swimming in the river. I was surprised to find that the eyes of the red – eyed fish are not red but shiny white.
Dinner at Jianzhou Banquet
For dinner, we went to Jianzhou Banquet, a local restaurant specializing in northern Fujian cuisine, especially Shaowu dishes. The restaurant is a well – known chain, and there are many photos of celebrities on the walls.
The restaurant has an elegant environment. Our private room faced a beautiful scene of multi – storied buildings, high – ridged eaves, winding corridors, pavilions, and water pavilions. It was really comfortable to enjoy the food in such an environment.
I strongly recommend their freshly squeezed hawthorn juice, which has a refreshing taste, pure fruit aroma, not too sweet or greasy. My dad tried a local specialty yellow rice wine called Wuyi Piaoxiang. The osmanthus – flavored lotus seeds are the restaurant’s signature dish. The waiter proudly introduced that this dish has always been imitated but never surpassed. I don’t usually like eating lotus seeds, but I really enjoyed this dish and we finished it all. The stir – fried river snails with fresh peppers are also great. The snails are large, with plump meat and full of flavor. The duck soup is very fresh, and I always order soup in Wuyishan. We also ordered the red – eyed fish again because I saw the live ones in the river this afternoon. The Yuanbao beef is also one of the signature dishes. The staple food we ordered was cassava powder, which came in a very large portion. We four people couldn’t finish it. The restaurant also gave us a generous fruit plate and a cold dish of pickled radish, which was quite delicious.
Day 3: Tea – related Experiences
Hotel Breakfast
Today, we didn’t need to get up early and could enjoy the hotel’s breakfast slowly. I have to praise the buffet breakfast at Jiulongwan Resort. It is super rich. I like the noodles here, and you can freely choose your favorite meat, blood, mushrooms, vegetables, and meatballs to go with them. There are also many options for those who prefer noodles or rice noodles. Whether you like Chinese or Western food, your taste buds will be satisfied.
Tea – picking at Lion Peak
As Lu Yu said in “The Classic of Tea”, “Tea is the best plant in the south.” Tea – drinking is a way of life for the people in Wuyishan. The tea mountains here are like a beautiful green painting, with a fresh and pleasant atmosphere.
We went to Lion Peak, a hidden village in the Tianyou Peak Scenic Area. Without a local guide, it’s hard for tourists to find this place, and only local vehicles are allowed to enter. Entering through a small and unnoticeable fork in the Tianyou Scenic Area, we found a peaceful world surrounded by green water. The gentle breeze carried the fragrance of tea, making us feel relaxed.
We tried to pick tea like the locals, which was a novel experience. My mom was very happy in the tea garden, looking like a care – free girl again. My dad carried a bamboo basket, and I joked that he looked like a real farmer.
Picking the right tea here requires some effort. The tea – making process is also very complicated, including picking, withering, spreading, shaking, fermenting, killing the green, rolling, drying, and many other steps. There are also essential machines like the packing machine in the tea – making process.
The tea – factory owner was very enthusiastic. After visiting the tea garden, he treated us to a delicious home – cooked meal made in a traditional earth – stove, full of the simple flavor of the countryside. After the meal, he invited us to his tea room and let us taste high – quality teas like “horse meat” and “beef”. Here, “beef” refers to a high – grade Wuyi Rock Tea. The Niulan Keng, where this tea comes from, is a well – known place in the Wuyi Rock Tea world. The tea mountains there are on the cliffs, with stone – built terraces, showing the preciousness of these famous tea varieties.
Hiking on the Yangu Huaxiang Trail and Tea – tasting
After a nap, we set off again. The Yangu Huaxiang Trail from the Dahongpao Scenic Area to the Shuilian Cave is very beautiful. It is also known as the “most expensive and romantic road” by the locals because the best tea – producing areas in Wuyishan are along this road.
This section of the trail is the most worthwhile one in the Wuyishan Scenic Area. The scenery is like a fairyland, with clear streams flowing beside the path and many small fish swimming happily. Along the way, there are stone bridges, shady trees, and tea gardens, making the journey lively.
After about an hour of hiking, we reached the Huiyuan Temple, also known as the Fahua Temple, which was built in the Song Dynasty. It is a simple and serene place with high historical and cultural value. The architecture here combines the styles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
We carried a set of tea – making utensils all the way here to have a tea – tasting experience. Brewing a pot of tea in this comfortable and natural environment, we felt the change from the initial bitterness to the long – lasting sweetness of the tea. We understood the charm of the “rock – bone and flower – fragrance” in Chinese tea culture.
The tea in the cup floats and sinks, with a long – lasting flavor. When we taste the tea, we can feel the peace and tranquility. The tea represents a kind of calm and natural attitude towards life.
Dinner at Wuyi Mingzao Restaurant
For dinner, we went to the Wuyi Mingzao Restaurant. There were so many delicious dishes on the menu that it was hard for me to choose. The restaurant has many Chinese – style courtyards, and each private room is in a separate small house, providing good privacy.
The stir – fried rice cakes with beef are very delicious. The rice cakes here have a different texture from what I’m used to, being very chewy. The stewed rice – flower fish is also a signature dish. The waiter recommended a vegetable that is one of the raw materials for the famous traditional Chinese medicine Liuwei Dihuang Wan. It has a faint taste of Chinese herbal medicine but is not bad. The stir – fried mountain bamboo shoots with pickled vegetables are fresh and tasty. Today, instead of the duck soup, we had the pork belly soup, which had a large portion and I really liked it. My dad also tried a new type of white wine and said it tasted better than the one he had on the first day.
Day 4: Relaxation and Farewell
Leisure Time in the Hotel
On the last day, we had almost visited all the essential scenic spots in Wuyishan, so we decided to stay in the hotel room and enjoy the last moment of leisure before going back to work.
Dinner at Chuiyan Shanfang Restaurant
Before leaving, we went to the popular local restaurant Chuiyan Shanfang Restaurant. We tried the cinnamon – flavored meat dish, which is a unique combination only found in Wuyishan. We also ordered the steamed red – eyed fish again. This time, the fish tasted even better, with perfect cooking and flavor. The celery and bamboo ear dish was a new experience for me. The bamboo ears are crispy, a bit like white fungus but different. The red – mushroom and egg dish is very beautiful, with the eggs having a faint pink color. I ordered the fried rice cakes again, but they were different from the ones at Wuyi Mingzao Restaurant, more like ordinary fried glutinous rice cakes. However, they were still very delicious, and my mom and I finished them all.
Conclusion
This four – day trip to Wuyishan in summer was really relaxing. I got used to waking up with the fragrance of tea every day, watching the beautiful scenery outside the window, sometimes having tea with friends, and sometimes sleeping soundly while listening to the rain. I hope you can also come to Wuyishan, pick up a tea cup, and feel the beauty of time.
