Enchanting Fujian | Xiamen + Nanputuo Temple + Gulangyu + Wuyi Mountain Highlights 4-Day Tour (Bamboo Rafting)

Hello, welcome to Xiamen, a famous coastal city in Fujian Province, China, known for "embracing mountains and sea, blending East and West." Our driver will meet you at the airport/train station exit and take you to our carefully selected hotel for check-in. You can arrange the remaining time freely. If you are tired, you can rest at the hotel to recharge; if it is still early, you can leisurely stroll around the area.

Early this morning, you can visit Nanputuo Temple, praised as a "sacred site of Minnan Buddhism," and enjoy its peaceful atmosphere before the crowds arrive. First built in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, Nanputuo Temple has a history of more than a thousand years. It is one of Fujian's most famous temples, the birthplace of the Minnan Buddhist College, and one of China's four great Guanyin pilgrimage sites. Influenced by Minnan overseas Chinese hometown culture, it is also highly regarded in Southeast Asia. There is even a folk legend of blessing that says, "Visit Nanputuo once a year, and you will avoid suffering for three years." Incense has flourished here all year round. You can stroll and admire the serene temple scenery and check in at magnificent and exquisite Buddhist buildings such as the Great Compassion Hall (a model of Minnan Buddhist architectural art, especially famous for its red bricks, glazed tiles, and octagonal triple eaves) and the Sutra Library (which houses a Ming Wanli-era Lotus Sutra written in blood). If interested, you can also experience Nanputuo Temple's vegetarian meal or try vegetarian cakes made with traditional methods. After visiting Nanputuo Temple, you will be taken to the port pier and take a 20-minute ferry to Gulangyu. Gulangyu is one of the most beautiful islands in Xiamen, Fujian. In 2017, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as a "historic international settlement," and it is one of the must-see destinations when traveling in Fujian. The island has 931 surviving historic buildings in a blend of Chinese and Western styles, covering Gothic churches, Baroque consulates, Minnan red-brick ancient houses, and more, earning it the name "International Architecture Expo." The island also has China's highest per capita piano ownership rate, China's first piano museum and the world's largest organ museum, and has produced many internationally renowned musicians, earning it the titles "Island of Music" and "Island of Pianos." In addition, motor vehicles are prohibited across the island, adding to its tranquil atmosphere. You can leisurely stroll and enjoy the picturesque island scenery, fully savoring the elegant charm of the "Garden on the Sea." For today's visit to Gulangyu, we offer a route: Cultural and Historical Architecture Tour (about 4 to 5 hours): taking you to see old buildings of strikingly different styles and learn the historical stories behind them. Stops along the way: Sanqiutian Pier (one of Gulangyu's earliest piers) → Boat House (Gulangyu's only villa designed in the shape of a steamship, and a rare ship-shaped villa worldwide) → Bagua Lou (China's only and the world's largest organ museum; the architecture blends ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Islamic, and Minnan styles; because of its red dome and grand appearance, it is called the "Little White House of Gulangyu" and is Gulangyu's most striking landmark) → Yang Family Garden (one of Gulangyu's ten famous villa complexes, praised as the "Versailles of Gulangyu") → Fanpo Lou (built by Philippine overseas Chinese Xu Jingquan; the architecture blends Rococo style with Minnan craftsmanship and is brightly colored) → Trinity Church (Gulangyu's earliest and largest Christian chapel, with a rare Greek cross symmetrical design) → Golden Melon Tower (also known as Huang Cimin Villa, one of Gulangyu's ten great villas and one of its most representative historic building complexes, famous for its Byzantine-style "golden melon" dome and Chinese-Western design) → Dafu Di (one of Gulangyu's earliest surviving residential buildings, a typical traditional Minnan red-brick house) → Siluo Dacuo (a representative building of traditional Minnan red-brick houses and Gulangyu's oldest surviving residential building complex) → Chu Family Garden (one of the more intact surviving overseas Chinese villas on Gulangyu) → Huang Family Garden (Gulangyu's largest and most luxurious private residence, praised as "China's No. 1 Villa," where many national dignitaries have stayed) → Shuzhuang Garden (praised as the "No. 1 Mansion on the Sea," with a rare design of hiding the sea and supplementing the mountain, and its Piano Museum houses many piano treasures) → Haitiantang Gou (one of Gulangyu's ten great villas, a model of a Chinese roof over Western architecture, where you can watch Nanyin performances) → Huang Rongyuan Hall (Gulangyu's most romantic and exquisite villa, and China's first national-level record museum) → Catholic Church (Gulangyu's most beautiful church and Xiamen's only surviving Gothic church) → return to the pier. Tip: Because there is a lot of walking, comfortable shoes are recommended for a better experience. After touring Gulangyu, you will take a ferry back to Xiamen. Upon arrival, you can stroll along Zhongshan Road, Xiamen's most iconic century-old street, and soak up the rich old Xiamen atmosphere. Zhongshan Road is China's only commercial pedestrian street that leads directly to the sea. The street retains a large number of intact Nanyang arcade buildings and historical relics, and is known as the "living fossil of modern Xiamen history." Here, you can immerse yourself in the quaint Nanyang architecture, taste authentic local snacks, and watch wonderful intangible cultural heritage performances such as Nanyin and puppet shows. Alternatively, you can wander into the alleys near Zhongshan Road to explore local life in Xiamen and try Minnan-style dishes such as satay noodles and oyster omelette. Seafood is a highlight of Xiamen cuisine. You can visit the nearby Eighth Seafood Market, see unusual types of seafood, and taste local seafood dishes. (PS: If you decide to dine at the Eighth Market, be sure to agree on prices before buying seafood to avoid any misunderstandings.) Finally, you can take a leisurely drive along the Island Ring Road, praised as one of "China's most beautiful coastlines," and enjoy the picturesque sea highway scenery. Along the way, you can take in the subtropical coastal splendor of "emerald sea and golden sand reflecting the red road, palms and flower seas accompanying sculptures." If you want to fully enjoy the charming island-ring scenery, you can stop to savor places such as Yefengzhai (one of Xiamen's iconic seaside attractions, with distant views of Kinmen Island), Baicheng Beach (in the evening, you can photograph the Twin Towers together with the orange sea), Huangcuo Beach (Xiamen's best spot for watching the sunrise), and Zengcuoan (China's most artistic fishing village). After the tour, you will return to the hotel to rest.

This morning, we will take you to Xiamen Railway Station to take a high-speed train (about 2.5–3 hours) to Wuyishan. Our driver will meet you at the exit of Wuyishan Railway Station and escort you to our carefully selected hotel for check-in and rest. Wuyishan is located in the northwest of Fujian Province, China. It is a famous World Cultural and Natural Heritage site, renowned for its Danxia landforms, tea culture, and the humanistic traditions of three religions (Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism), forming a unique charm of "emerald waters and crimson mountains, poetry and tea in harmony," and is known as "the finest scenery in Southeast China." As a holy land of tea culture, Wuyishan is also the birthplace of oolong tea and black tea, and its mother tree Da Hong Pao is hailed as the "King of Tea," famous overseas. After a short rest, head to the Nine-Bend Stream. The Nine-Bend Stream is the essence of Wuyishan's "emerald waters and crimson mountains." Its 9.5-kilometer "nine bends and eighteen turns" waterway links 36 peaks and 99 rocks, and it is known as "China's most beautiful stream." You will go to the Nine-Bend Stream bamboo raft drifting dock and take a bamboo raft down the winding Nine-Bend Stream (about 1.5 hours in total). Along the way, you can admire Danxia landforms such as Jade Maiden Peak and Great King Peak, stone inscriptions by Zhu Xi and other literati of past dynasties, various bizarre peaks and rocks, historic ancient tea trails, and charming tea garden scenery. Check in at filming locations from "Journey to the West," feel the wonder of "the boat travels on emerald waves, people tour within a painting," and listen to the touching thousand-year legend of "the fairy who fell in love with the mortal world" and the mysterious story of the ancient Yue people's hanging coffins. Finally, you will arrive at the endpoint of the Nine-Bend Stream bamboo raft drift—Wuyi Palace. Wuyi Palace was first built during the Tianbao period of the Tang dynasty, more than 1,200 years ago. It was originally a place where emperors offered sacrifices to the Lord of Wuyi and is the oldest surviving palace temple in Wuyishan. Famous figures such as Zhu Xi, Lu You, and Xin Qiji once lectured or held office here, and it is praised as one of the "Six Great Famous Temples of the Song Dynasty." Inside the palace, Wannian Palace (Zhu Xi Memorial Hall) preserves two osmanthus trees from the Song dynasty, 800–900 years old. It is said they were planted when the temple was built during the Southern Tang, and one was replanted by Zhu Xi. It is called the "King of Osmanthus" and is well worth a visit. Afterward, continue to Song Street near Wuyi Palace. Song Street is 300 meters long and is an antique commercial pedestrian street themed on Song dynasty culture, known as a "Song-style corridor through a thousand years." You can stroll leisurely, admire the distinctive Song-style imitation architecture, experience Song dynasty tea whisking and Jian ware making, or taste specialty snacks such as Da Hong Pao milk tea and Xiaomu cakes, immersing yourself in the Song-style life of a "tea banquet and elegant gathering." In addition, wearing Hanfu for photos on Song Street is very photogenic, especially in the evening when the atmosphere is even better. Optional evening activity: "Impression Da Hong Pao" (19:30–20:40) In the evening, you may choose to watch the world's first 360° rotating live performance themed on tea culture, created by Zhang Yimou's team. With Wuyishan's landscape as the stage, it integrates the legend of Da Hong Pao, tea-making craftsmanship, and folk art, accompanied by traditional Chinese music and advanced special effects, allowing you to enjoy an immersive audio-visual feast where mountains, water, and tea blend together.

This morning, you will take a sightseeing bus to the foot of Tianyou Peak. Tianyou Peak is one of the most famous and popular attractions in Wuyi Mountain. Because of its steep terrain surrounded by a stream on three sides and the sea of clouds after rain, it is known as "Wuyi's Number One Scenic Spot." A local saying goes, "If you don't reach Tianyou, you've wasted the trip." The Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake called it "able to capture all the beauty of the Nine-Bend Stream without approaching the stream; this peak truly deserves to be first." You will need to climb 848 steep steps to the top of Tianyou Peak, where you can enjoy a 360° panoramic view of the magnificent scenery of the Nine-Bend Stream's emerald waters surrounding the red sandstone peaks. When shrouded in mist, it feels like being in the fairyland of Penglai. Along the way, you can also check in at cliff inscriptions such as "First Mountain" and "Blessed Land and Heavenly Cave." Afterward, visit Zhuxi Garden, hailed as a "holy site comparable to Tsinghua and Peking University." Zhuxi Garden, also known as Wuyi Jingshe, was the lecture venue of the famous Southern Song Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi and the birthplace of Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism. Strolling through Zhuxi Garden, you can view precious historical relics and remains, gain an in-depth understanding of Zhu Xi's life and Neo-Confucian thought, and immersively experience the philosophical realm of "taking principle as the foundation, understanding principle and cultivating oneself." If interested, you can also wear Hanfu and take stunning ancient-style photos against the backdrop of blue-tiled white-walled buildings blending with the landscape. Next, you will take a sightseeing bus to explore the Dahongpao Scenic Area and visit Tianxin Yongle Temple, a thousand-year-old ancient temple with a history of more than 1,200 years. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Wuyi Mountain and the most completely preserved Ming and Qing imperial-conferred temple in Fujian. In the Ming Dynasty, due to the legend of "the champion's red robe draped over the tea tree," it became the birthplace of Dahongpao culture and is full of mystery. After visiting the temple, you can stroll leisurely through the Dahongpao tea garden, admire the 360-year-old ancient tea trees—the mother trees of Dahongpao—and the tea garden scenery of rock rhyme and floral fragrance, check in at cliff inscriptions among the red sandstone cliffs, and perhaps capture scenes of tea farmers picking tea. If interested, you can also deeply appreciate Wuyi Mountain's "tea and Zen as one" tea ceremony culture in a teahouse and taste legendary teas such as Dahongpao. Next, continue to Water Curtain Cave, the largest red sandstone cave in Wuyi Mountain, to admire the magnificent red sandstone waterfall scenery and experience Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucian atmosphere: "Why is the pond so clear? Because fresh water comes from the source." In the rainy season, you can see the hundred-meter flying spring like a pearl curtain; in the dry season, you can see the quiet beauty of pearls falling. Finally, head to Xiamen Village, located about 8 kilometers east of Wuyi Mountain. This is a Chinese historical and cultural village and the starting point of the "Ten Thousand Li Tea Road" spanning Asia and Europe. During the Qing Dynasty, Shanxi merchants sold tea from here to Russia and extended it to Central Asia and other European countries. The village preserves more than 30 Ming and Qing ancient residences famous for brick, wood, and stone carvings, blending Shanxi merchant architectural style with northern Fujian rural characteristics, such as the Zou Family Ancestral Hall and Dafudi. After the tour, this wonderful and unforgettable 4-day Xiamen and Wuyi Mountain, Fujian trip will come to an end. Our driver will take you to the airport/train station for your next destination.