A place with a punch

A woman makes and sells local snacks at a rural house. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

The village committee ordered the creation of a tea garden in 2012.

About 14,000 tea trees cover 2 hectares.

A 300-meter corridor of wooden frames is filled with flowers and vegetables, including Chinese wisterias, roses and chayote. Snake gourds dangle upside down from the structure, like pear-shaped bats.

The influx of visitors has also led to the construction of inns and eateries.

Some villagers have converted their farmhouses into tourism businesses, offering local specialties. Visitors can take lessons in how to make them, how to perform native incense rituals and how to create paper-weaving paintings. They can also help with agricultural work.

Ideal ecology endows local produce like oranges, loquats and jiaobai (wild rice stems) with natural quality, coaxing tourists to join harvests.

Visitors can understand how such a magical environment conjured such a masterful martial art form.

And it remains a spectacular setting to experience the resurging fighting style's legacy.

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn