Baizhangji Waterfall (百丈漈) sits in Wencheng County, Zhejiang — about 45 minutes from Lingxi, Wenzhou on the new roads. The falls are among the most famous in the province, named for their drop of a hundred zhang (roughly 330 metres) across three levels.

We stayed two nights at a beautifully restored hotel built in traditional Chinese style. The owner had returned from a lifetime in Italy, and the place reflects a wider shift in China — a growing respect for historical culture and design after decades when it was often overlooked.

The falls themselves are stunning. Steep cliffs, water throwing mist across the valley, and forest closing in on both sides. When we were there, crews were filming period dramas — the setting is ready-made for it.

I went with my wife, daughter, and mother-in-law. With the improved roads it is now an easy trip from Lingxi. The scenery is some of the best I’ve seen in China, dramatic but also calm, and in moments it reminded me of Japan — which inherited much from ancient China and, in some ways, kept more of it intact.