Mount Huanggang, Wuyi Mountain

　　Mount Huanggang is the main peak of the Wuyi Mountain range, situated at the junction of Wuyishan City in Fujian Province and Yanshan County in Jiangxi Province. It stands at an elevation of 2,158 meters and is the highest peak on the East China section of the Chinese mainland. To its northwest lies the second highest peak of the Wuyi Mountains, Dushuzhen, while to its southwest is the second highest peak in Fujian, Xianglu Peak. On both the southern and northern slopes of Mount Huanggang, there are national nature reserves: the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve in Fujian and the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve in Jiangxi. The area around Mount Huanggang features the most typical, largest in area, and best-preserved subtropical primary forest ecosystem within the same latitude zone globally. As a result, the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve in Fujian was inscribed as part of the Wuyi Mountains World Heritage Site in 1999.

　　Mount Huanggang serves as the boundary mountain between Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. A boundary marker stone stands at the summit, with the highest point, 2,160.8 meters above sea level, located within Jiangxi territory. The mountain is approximately 40 kilometers from downtown Wuyishan City in Nanping and about 60 kilometers from Yanshan County in Shangrao. Its name, "Huanggang," comes from the dense growth of daylilies (commonly known as daylily flowers) on the mountaintop, which turn golden during their blooming season in August and September. In 1979, the state designated the well-preserved forests surrounding Huanggang Mountain as the Wuyishan Nature Reserve — one of the few remaining biodiversity oases at this latitude on Earth, making it an exceptionally precious ecological treasure.

　　The terrain of Mount Huanggang features dramatic elevation changes. Within a relatively small area of over 500 square kilometers, the altitude ranges from a minimum of 300 meters to a maximum of 2,160.8 meters, forming a vertical vegetation spectrum spanning ten kilometers. At the mountain’s base are evergreen broad-leaved forests and scattered patches of bamboo forests. As the altitude rises sharply, temperate tree species such as Huangshan pine and southern hemlock become more common, transitioning the forest vegetation from evergreen broad-leaved to mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests. Around 1,900 meters above sea level, the landscape opens up to vast coniferous forests mainly composed of southern hemlock and Huangshan pine. Further upward, beyond 2,000 meters, low-growing evergreen and deciduous trees form the mid-mountain dwarf forest belt. The gentle slopes near the summit are covered with mid-mountain meadows dominated by grasses. From low to high elevations, these five distinct forest vegetation belts are clearly delineated, reflecting the vertical zonation of temperature, precipitation, and soil types at different altitudes.

　　The scenic area spans a total area of over 500 square kilometers. It includes legendary sites such as Seven Star Mountain, Wangfu Mountain, Leigu Ridge, Fan’an Temple, and the Sword-Testing Stone, as well as red tourism spots like the Dongkeng historical site and the Soviet relic site of the Wang family in Shilong Village. The area also boasts some of the most intact and pristine mid-subtropical central forest landscapes in China, along with rich water resources that contribute to a diverse and vibrant ecological tourism destination. It is acclaimed as the “Kingdom of Rare Plants and the Paradise of Exotic Birds and Animals.”