DECADES ago, Wenzhou was known as the “button capital of the world” because it turned out the bulk of fasteners used in clothing around the globe.

But when China began opening its doors to the outside world in the late 1970s, the city was quick to seize new opportunities. From the humble button, the Zhejiang Province coastal city grew into one of China’s most high-profile centers of capitalism and entrepreneurship, new industries and vast personal wealth.

Though the city’s reputation has suffered in recent years from corruption scandals, its commercial spirit has not been broken.

Wenzhou businesses are active in more than 50 countries, and local residents can be found across the globe doing what they do best — dealmaking.

But set aside the commerce, the stories of overnight millionaires, and the tales of fortunes made and lost. Wenzhou itself is a lovely place to visit, famed for its picturesque mountains and lush flora.

A four-hour bullet train from Shanghai takes you to the doorstep of this remarkable city, with famed natural attractions such as the Yandang Mountain, the Nanxi River, Tongling Mountain and the Baizhangji Waterfalls.

The mountainous terrain of the area heavily influenced the local language. According to linguists, Wenzhou people speak 23 dialects — sometimes so different that people living in the same city can’t quite understand one another.

“When I was in high school, me, the students sitting next to me, in front of me and behind me all spoke different dialects,” says local resident Cai Dongzhen. “We needed Mandarin to communicate.”

The city is a melting pot of people, cultures and cuisines. Migrants from adjacent Fujian Province have come to seek their fortunes here. Soldiers have been sent to protect China’s sea border. Sailors from ships carrying cargo in and out of the city walk the streets.

But our destination is to the west of urban Wenzhou, to the town of Wencheng. It is the home of tens of thousands of overseas Wenzhou businessmen, and, yes, it has its own unique dialect, too.

Its emerald green waters, blue skies and natural parklands offer a relaxing getaway from city noise and bustle. The most famous scenic spot here is the breathtaking Baizhangji Waterfalls. Bai means “hundred,” zhang is a unit of length equivalent to 3.3 meters, and ji is an ancient word for “waterfall.”

The area boasts three major waterfalls. The highest is called Yi Ji, at 207 meters. Another, called San Ji, is 80 meters wide. Between them is the 85-meter Er Ji waterfall, cascading into a deep aqua pond. Yi, er, san — one, two, three.

On flat wide stone steps, I walked about 10 minutes from the entrance of the Baizhangji Waterfalls Scenic Area to San Ji, the third one. As I approached, the air became cooler and the sound of rushing water louder. The sight of white water splashing into the quiet pond makes one want to jump in for a quick swim.

I did venture into the water a bit, stopping two meters in front of the waterfall. Spray splashed my face and my feet tingled in the cold water. It was a nice way to cool down.

Most visitors had the same idea. They removed their shoes to cool their feet in the water. Children filled their toy water guns, while parents took selfies. One has to be careful. The stones here are very smooth and it’s easy to lose your balance.

Before reaching Er Ji, the second waterfall, hikers pass an unusual array of rocks. Two globoid rocks about three meters high lie one on top of the other, supported by a small fulcrum. Pieces of wood or stone are used to cross streams along the route. This is not an excursion for toddlers.

The second waterfall is a 30-minute walk. One can view it from a high terrace. It’s a nice spot to rest and enjoy the view before proceeding closer.

The waterfall is divided in two by a rock fold. The water spills down both sides like a white silk curtain.

It takes about 10 minutes to descend from the 85-meter terrace. There is a way to walk behind the falls, entering a cave on the other side of the water curtain.

After a rest, it’s time to tackle Yi Ji, the last of the three falls. It is often called “China’s No. 1 waterfall.” The path to it is long and steep, but the effort is worth it.

I heard the falls before it came into view. It sounded like thunder. Upon reaching it, the view was magnificent. The force of the water cascading from the 200-meter cliff top created a heavy spray.

Another scenic spot in the scenic area is the Celestial Summit Lake, called tianding in Chinese. Clear and deep, it is located on the Nantian Mountain at the top of Yi Ji waterfall.

In the center of the lake is an island. In the morning, the lake is covered by cloud and mist, and at sunset, the reflections cast a yellow-reddish hue across the water.

Baizhangji’s water may be clean, but it is not the cleanest in Wencheng. That distinction belongs to the Tongling Mountain National Forest Park. I spent some relaxing time alongside the emerald green waters, which reflect the surrounding hillside forests.

Swimming is not allowed here because the water is very deep and there are no lifeguards on duty.

Tongling Mountain is blessed with more than 10,000 hectares of broad-leafed forestland, among the best protected woodlands of their kind in Zhejiang Province.

At the park’s entrance, a 500-meter, wood-plank roadway leads to forested hillsides, deep gorges, rushing streams, dense bamboo groves, wildflowers and often rare wild animals.

“Better not touch the wood handrail,” advised our tour guide Liu Shouli. “Worms love lying there. And watch out when walking through the bamboo. There may be snakes.”

The smog of Shanghai seemed a world away. The air here is fresh and sweetly scented by flora. I inhale deep breaths to give my lungs a rare treat. And fortunately enough, the tree canopies afford great protection from the scorching sun.

Even in summer, locals sleep under thin cotton quilts because temperatures at night cool considerably.

Wencheng is the ancient hometown of Liu Ji, who served as an advisor to Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

His ancestral village is a scenic site, where the local tourism authorities have tried to maintain the look of hundreds of years ago. The village has temples, pavilions, a large lotus pond and surrounding mountains.

The Chengyibo Temple is a wooden structure that houses statues of Liu Ji and his sons Liu Lian and Liu Jing. There are also steles with inscriptions written by famous Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasty scholars.

What distinguishes this site from others are the more than 100 pairs of ying lian, or couplets carved on wood. They adorn the walls of halls, temples and pavilions, and were unscathed by the cultural revolution.

Our tour guide told us the locals were quick thinking during that time of upheaval. They inscribed quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong on the backs of the wood couplets so that no one dared destroy them.

For tourists who visit in the summertime, tens of thousands of pink lotus blossoms can be seen waving in the breeze in a lotus water park. There’s a walkway through the area for people to enjoy this visual wonderland up close. The fragrance is exotic. This is a perfect place for photographs.

“I never see gray skies in my hometown except on rainy days,” Liu, the tour guide, boasted to us. “Here, it is always crystal blue.”

How to get there

The trip from Shanghai to Wenzhou takes about four hours by bullet train. At the bus stop in front of the Wenzhou train station, take a bus to Wencheng County. Buses run every 40 minutes, starting from 9:40am.

You might prefer to rent a car if there are several of you in a group. Hotels in Wencheng are happy to help you with that. Or you can call Wencheng Changyun Car Rental at (0577) 5902-8856. For booking tours in the area, phone China CYTS Tours at (0577) 6789-0088.

• At the Wencheng bus station, you can catch a bus to Tongling Mountain.

• To get to the Baizhangji Waterfalls, first take a cab to the Wencheng Sightseeing Bus Center (旅游集散中心), then catch a bus that leaves every morning at 9am to the scenic area.

• To get to Liu Ji’s home village, take a cab to Nantian bus station and then a bus to Nantian. Once you get off, walking instructions to the site are posted. The walk takes about 15 minutes.

Admission: 20 yuan for Liu Ji’s home village; 65 yuan for Baizhangji Waterfalls; 70 yuan for Tongling Mountain

Tips on food

• Dried vegetables are a specialty of this area. It is a traditional way of preserving eggplant, asparagus and other vegetables in a mountainous area where farming is limited and fresh vegetables harder to come by.

• Fish tofu. Another local specialty is tofu-like curd made of fish meat paste.