A present-day aerial photo of Chong You Guan on Mount Wuyi in Fujian province. [Photo by Zhong Boyi/xuexi.cn]

Mount Wuyi has attracted countless people during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), including Zhu Xi (1130-1200), a neo-Confucianist, thinker, philosopher, educator, poet, Lu You (1125-1210), a writer and a poet, and Xin Qiji (1140-1207), a patriot poet.

They enjoyed the stunning natural scenery and fresh tea on Mount Wuyi when they were in charge of Chong You Guan - a Taoist activity center - on Mount Wuyi several times in different time period, and left stories about their encounters, held discussions about Confucianism and Taoism, shared their ideas and wrote poems, leaving a story of friendship that has lasted through the ages.

In 1183, 53-year-old Zhu Xi  built the an academy named Wuyi Jingshe under a peak on the Jiuqu River in the Mount Wuyi scenic area.

Wuyi Jingshe, an academy built by Zhu Xi. [Photo by Wu Xinzheng/xuexi.cn]

Along with authoring books and giving lectures, Zhu Xi frequently went for walks with his friends or students along the banks of the Jiuqu River, brewing tea on a large stone that he subsequently gave the name Cha Zao (meaning tea stove), and leaving innumerable colorful tales in his path.

Zhu Xi wrote a poem about the stone and got a stonecutter to engrave the two Chinese characters "Cha Zao" on it, pointing south.

"Cha Zao" Stone [Photo by Wu Xinzheng/xuexi.cn]

Lu You and Xin Qiji also created many poems to read while drinking tea, especially about Wuyi tea, which have added an ambient flavor and grace to tea drinking.

Zhu Xi, Lu You, and Xin Qiji and other prominent figures throughout history often met on the "Chazao" stone to make and drink tea, and created many poems.

The poems were a way of leaving behind their footprints while enjoying the natural beauty on Mount Wuyi.