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.