fujian

选自美丽中国，由Nadia提供。致谢！

This is Fujian Province,a rugged terrain guarded by sheer granite mountains，which have helped to forge and preserve some of China's most ancient sites and traditional cultures.Towering above the coast,the 1,400-metre-high Taimu Mountains，are known to the Chinese as "Fairyland on the Sea".Moist sea breezes condense on the cool mountaintops and combine with well-drained acid soils，to produce the perfect growing conditions for acid-loving plants like wild azaleas.It's also home to camellias,including the most famous of all, the tea plant.

Similar growing conditions all along the Fujian coast，make this the treasure chest for China's tea,the heart of an industry dating back almost 4,000 years.One of the most traditional tea-growing cultures in the area is that of the Kejia people.Every morning, goats are let loose among the tea terraces,a centuries-old tradition.

（This might seem）surprising given goats' reputation for eating anything green,but tea isn't as defenceless as it looks.Tea leaves are loaded with bitter chemicals designed to repel browsing animals.It works on the goats,who leave the tea untouched and instead eat up the weeds, fertilizing the tea plants with their droppings.The surprise is that we humans should find the same bitter chemical cocktail utterly irresistible.

Among the Kejia people,tea-growing is a family business.Women do the picking,while the men process and pack it.Mrs Zhang belongs to a Kejia family that has lived and worked for generations among these same tea terraces.The finest tea needs to be gathered quickly in warm sunshine as this brings out the flavour-enhancing oils inside the leaves.This sustainable industry has protected one of China's finest landscapes and one of its most traditional cultures.

At the end of the morning's picking,Mrs Zhang returns home to drop off her tea ready for processing.This fort-like design has survived from a time when the Kejia needed to protect themselves against hostile local tribes.Each house has three or four levels designed to accommodate 50 to 250 people.

The ground floor houses the kitchens and animal stock with access to a well for water.The first floor rooms are used for storage and the upper floors are bedrooms.Some of these remarkable buildings are 800 years old，and have survived earthquakes and typhoons.

Once enough tea has been gathered in,the processing begins.Turning green leaves into saleable tea involves at least eight different stages,including drying, bruising, sifting, squeezing and twisting,before the finished product is finally ready for packing.The Zhang's village produces "little black dragon", or oolong tea,so called because of the way its twisted leaves unfurl when water is poured over them.

Tea plays a vital part in Kejia life,not only as a source of income,but also as a way to welcome visitors and bring people together.In traditional Chinese life,even the simplest cup of tea is poured with an intricate amount of ritual.In the past,the Kejia people's other main income came from transporting goods like tea，across the treacherous topography of mountains and river estuaries.Their route was suddenly made easier when, in 1059, this remarkable bridge was built.Made from massive 10-ton slabs of granite,it is one of China's lesser-known architectural gems.

Luoyang Bridge has withstood earthquakes and tempestuous tides.Known as "10,000 ships launching",the bridge's 46 piers have withstood time and tide for almost a millennium.According to folklore,its success is due to a far-sighted piece of bio-engineering.

Oysters were seeded on the piers and ever since,their concretions have helped cement the granite blocks together. Today, oysters are still cultivated here in the traditional way by Hui'an women.Stones are stood in the mudflats below the bridge to encourage the oysters to grow. Luoyang Bridge is now mainly used by locals carrying goods across the estuary towards the coastal ports.