Place to see: Ze Ya Scenic Area, Wenzhou, China

About this place:

Located about two hours west of Wenzhou, Ze Ya is a collection of scenic trails and mountain villages. A cave along one of the trails is supposedly the site where the Chinese version of Valentine's Day originated. The legend says that a young man surprised two nymphs, and only one fled. The other fell madly in love with the human, but the King of Heaven forced the nymph to return to the sky, allowing her to see her mortal beloved for one day per year, on the 7th of July.

Ze Ya is a pleasant hike, and there are some interesting rock formations, sporting the typical colorful legends and names common to Chinese tourist attractions. Bamboo forests, cicadas, black butterflies so large I thought they were bats, and preying mantis all can be found in abundance here. The mountain villages also sport a great deal of variety, from terraced farmland to ancient beancurd factories. Ze Ya was also one of the ancient sites where paper was first made, and many vats of fermenting bamboo and wood pulp can be seen along the roads. Although not popular with foreign tourists, Ze Ya still sees its share of domestic tourism, so don't expect untouched wilderness.