Autumn in Wudang: Quietly splendid

By Zhang Qiong ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2014-09-26

Wudang Mountains in autumn have more to attract tourists. The fragrant osmanthus and the beautiful maple leaves, are most remarkable, among other things.

This photo shows the sweet osmanthus on Wudang Mountains.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The air in Wudang will be heavy with the scent of flowers throughout every September and October. That’s the fragrance of sweet osmanthus, an evergreen shrub beloved for its deliciously fragrant flowers which carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots.

There is an osmanthus tree of more than 300 years old at the Prince Slope on the mountain. It is around five meters high and its diameter at its widest reaches 0.5 meters.

The osmanthus flowers will be in full bloom in the middle of autumn. The Taoist priests there make wine from them every year. Osmanthus wine is a traditional choice for "reunion wine", drunk with one's family in China.

The photo shows a maple tree in Wudang.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Set off by a sea of green or yellow, the blazing red Maple leaves make Wudang look like an oil painting.

The photo shows a fraction of Wudang Mountains on an autumn day.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Contributed by Wang Liang and Jiang Yuanbo from Wudang Mountains Tourism Bureau