China Travel Tourism

Mount Moganshan was first built as a vacation destination in 1890. By its peak in 1930, some 160 Western-style stone retreats dotted the cool bamboo glades, including 32 occupied by wealthy Chinese.

Moganshan is crisscrossed with a maze of stone pathways and steps, and away from the ravages of its small tourism industry, there is plenty of wonderfully isolated mountain wandering to be had. Stone steps laid with expert precision over a century ago wind through the mountains. Flower gardens laid by generations of foreigners have gone wild, resulting in a mad cacophony of brilliant colors between the bamboo. And of course the imposing villas themselves: One of my own favorites is the impressive entrance to the China International Tea Culture Institute Communication Centre, where huge blocks of stone lock together to create walls, stairs, and floors, all set into the mountain itself like a geological mosaic.