Yanquan National Forest Park is situated in Rifeng Town, Lichuan County, Fuzhou City, the easternmost part of central Jiangxi Province. "Perilous cliffs hang with flying waterfalls; ancient woods dim the sunlight." This was a heartfelt praise from Zhu Xi, the great master of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty.

More than 30 kilometers south of Lichuan County seat on the border between Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, Yanquan boasts a forest coverage rate of 98.6 percent. It features magnificent natural scenery and abundant rare flora and fauna. In March 2001, Yanquan was designated a provincial nature reserve. In December 2005, it was approved as a national forest park covering 145,000 mu.

When you step into Yanquan, you will see evergreen broad-leaved forests with year-round tender green at low altitudes, and sturdy, lush pine forests at high elevations. A county-level nature reserve was established here in 1985. Since then, local authorities have strengthened the protection and cultivation of forest resources. The forest coverage rate has risen from 74.5 percent in 1981 to the current 98.6 percent, ranking first among all nature reserves and national forest parks in Jiangxi Province.

Standing amid the luxuriant woods of Yanquan, you can breathe with remarkable ease, thanks to the high concentration of negative oxygen ions in the air. In nature, denser vegetation always generates more negative ions.

Yanquan impresses visitors with both its towering mountains and limpid waters. Streams trickle everywhere beneath the trees. Its waterfalls are particularly remarkable. Among numerous waterfalls here, the one near Cengping is the most spectacular. The waterfall flows all year round, like a silver dragon plunging down from the sky. Bathed in the mist, you can take a short break to feel a refreshing coolness sweeping over your body, with all heat and tiredness vanishing completely.

Dr. Huang Xiaoqiang, a Chinese-American ecologist, has conducted three field investigations in Yanquan. He wrote in his research report: "Here rise lofty peaks framed by green mountains and clear waters, covered with thick forests and teeming with rare plants and animals… Yanquan is a bright pearl on the Wuyi Mountains, destined to shine even more brilliantly."