Wuyishan History
Human settlement on the slopes of The Wuyi Mountains can be traced back 4,000 years by archeological remains. During the Western Han Dynasty, the ancient city of Chengcun was the capital of the Minyue kingdom. In the 7th century, the Wuyi Palace was built for emperors to conduct sacrificial activities, a site that tourists can still visit today. The mountains were an important center of Taoism and later Buddhism.
Remains of 35 academies erected from the era of the Northern Song to the Qin Dynasty and more than 60 Taoist temples and monasteries have been located. However, most of these remains are very incomplete. Some of the exceptions for which authentic remains are preserved are the Taoyuan Temple, the Wannian Palace, the Sanqing Hall, the Tiancheng Temple, the Baiyun temple, and the Tianxin temple. The area is the cradle of Neo-Confucianism, a current that became very influential since the 11th century.
Wuyi Mountain is an example of natural landscapes and historical figures and cultural landscapes in perfect harmony. The excavation of the ruins of Min Yue Royal Capital opens a glorious page of Wuyi Mountain's history. The ruins cover an area of 480,000 square meters. It is the best preserved and intact ancient city ruins in the Western Han Dynasty with most historical relics ever found in south of the Yangtze River.
As early as more than 4000 years ago, the ancient Min Yue people laboured and lived here. Gradually, the "ancient Min Yue" culture in the remote southeastern China and the subsequent culture of the "Min Yue Nationality" is formed.
The remained boat-shaped coffins suspended from cliffs reveal the peculiar funeral customs of the ancient Min Yue people. The suspended coffins with the longest history ever found at home and abroad –- Wuyi boat – shaped coffins – are the most valuable materials for the study of the history in the pre-Qin period and the vanished ancient Min Yue Nationality's culture. Wuyi Mountain is another famous mountain rich in ideological culture after Mount Taishan in China.