Wuyi Mountain becomes symbol of rural revitalization

Nanping city in Fujian province is making full use of Wuyi Mountain to promote its rural revitalization and local development.

The mountain, located in Nanping, at the northern border of Fujian where it meets Jiangxi province, is the site of a largely intact forest. It encompasses the diversity of the Chinese subtropical forest and the South Chinese rainforest.

Decades ago, the mountain was developed in a disorderly manner. As a result, its environment and natural resources were significantly damaged.

In 1979, Wuyi Mountain was approved as the site of a natural reserve by Fujian province and it was added to the UNESCO Natural and Cultural Heritage list in 1999.

With efforts over the past decades, the city has developed a competitive industry producing tea, fruit, vegetables and edible fungi. Last year, Nanping's agricultural output value reached 56.86 billion yuan ($8.27 billion).

Yuan Yi, Party chief of the city, said that with rich ecological resources, Nanping enjoys a host of green and high-quality agricultural products, which should enhance their value through brand building, thus contributing to the development of green industries.

In July, a total of 36 companies were first approved to use the regional public brand - Wuyi Landscape - and 15 enterprises were authorized as distribution channels.

In addition to agricultural products, Nanping also attaches importance to enhancing the culture and tourism sector.

By the end of last year, Nanping had 16 A-class tourism spots and had received 41.5 million travelers. Its tourism revenue reached 59.21 billion yuan in 2017.

Since last year, Nanping has held an international tourism industry development conference annually to provide a platform for 10 counties to enrich their tourism products and culture.

Last month, Nanping held the 12th Cross-Straits Tea Expo, which attracted more than 10,000 attendees from 576 countries, including Spain, Britain and India. During the expo, a total of 27 projects were signed, worth 9.02 billion yuan in total.