Yaoluoping

Yaoluoping

The Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve is located in Baojia Township, about 50 kilometers west of Yuexi County. It is a model national nature reserve established to protect biodiversity in the Dabie Mountains, conserve water sources for the Huai River, and implement sustainable development strategies. Located at the main peak of the Dabie Mountains, the area features an extremely rich ecological environment and is known as a “natural species gene bank.” The natural scenery is breathtaking, with over 60 peaks exceeding 1,000 meters in elevation, including Tuojian and Duozhijian, which rise to 1,750 meters, making them the second and third highest peaks of the Dabie Mountains respectively. The area offers ever-changing weather patterns, spectacular sea of clouds, and misty landscapes.

The reserve consists of pristine forests and secondary forests, home to numerous rare and precious plants and animals under national protection, such as the forest musk deer, giant salamander, Chinese giant salamander, Dabie Mountain five-needle pine, sweet gum tree, and Duozhi azalea. These species hold significant conservation value. The vast forests, rare birds and animals, streams, pools, waterfalls, famous mountains, and ancient temples all contribute to…

Yaoluoping is also a renowned revolutionary base. It was once the site of the Red 25th Army and Red 28th Army. Under the leadership of Gao Jingting, significant and effective revolutionary struggles were carried out in the Dabie Mountains, pinning down nearly 40 divisions of enemy forces. The area faces Yingshan County in Hubei Province across the mountain range and is thus known as the “Red Yaoluoping.”

Address: Within Baojia Township, about 50 kilometers west of Yuexi County

The Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve was approved for establishment by the Anhui Provincial People’s Government in December 1991, and was promoted to a national-level nature reserve in April 1994 with approval from the State Council. In 1999, it was admitted as a member of the Man and Biosphere Programme in China. It is a forest ecological-type reserve directly constructed and managed by environmental protection authorities.

The reserve is located within Baojia Township, Yuexi County, Anqing City, at the junction of three counties across Anhui and Hubei provinces (Yuexi, Huoshan, and Yingshan). It lies between 116°02′20″ to 116°10′53″ east longitude and 30°57′20″ to 31°06′10″ north latitude, covering an area of 123 square kilometers.

The reserve represents a typical north subtropical montane forest ecosystem. With superior natural conditions, a complex flora and fauna, and abundant biological resources, it encompasses nearly all the biological populations and vegetation types found in the Dabie Mountains. It preserves large areas of natural secondary forests and a number of rare and ancient relic species. The forest vegetation can be broadly divided into eight types (subtypes) and 35 formations, including evergreen broad-leaved forest, deciduous-evergreen broad-leaved mixed forest, deciduous broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest, bamboo forest, shrubland, grassland, and artificial vegetation. Preliminary surveys have identified over 2,000 species of higher vascular plants, more than 100 species of macrofungi, 18 amphibian species, 25 reptile species, 129 bird species, and 40 mammal species. Among these, over 40 species are classified as nationally protected rare and endangered plants and animals, along with dozens of endemic species such as the Dabie Mountain five-needle pine, Duozhi azalea, Yaoluoping pinellia, forest musk deer (Anhui subspecies), and koklass pheasant (Anhui subspecies). The area is widely acclaimed as a “green treasure house,” “plant gene bank,” “natural zoo,” “herbal garden,” and “refuge for endangered species.”

The reserve enjoys excellent environmental quality. According to a 2006 scientific assessment by the Anhui Environmental Monitoring Center Station on the region’s ecological environment and biodiversity status, Yaoluoping has a biodiversity index of 121.38—21.38 higher than Qimen County, which has the highest score in the province, and 73.27 higher than the provincial average. Its vegetation coverage index is 108.98—8.98 higher than Qimen County’s highest and 52.43 higher than the provincial average. Forest coverage reaches 95.08%, which is 10% higher than Qimen County’s best and 69% higher than the provincial average. Compared to the 90% forest cover before the establishment of the reserve, this represents a five percentage point increase. Air quality, monitored by the Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, shows an average total concentration of negative air ions of 4,012 per cm³, achieving an evaluation index of Grade A or above, indicating the cleanest level of air.

This is also a land of revolution, serving as the headquarters for the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army 28th Corps during their three-year guerrilla war in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region. In 2006, the former military and political site of the Red 28th Army in Yaoluoping was listed among China’s Top 100 Classic Red Tourism Attractions, making it an important base for revolutionary tradition education and patriotic education.

This is a sacred destination for tourism and a paradise for vacationing. With its excellent ecological environment and rich plant and animal resources, the area provides an ideal setting for teaching and scientific research. The Yaoluoping Reserve warmly welcomes research institutions, universities and colleges, and dedicated individuals to collaborate in achieving the goal of building the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve into a “domestically first-class and internationally competitive” reserve. Together, we aim to gradually develop Yaoluoping into a base for biodiversity conservation in China, a research hub for biological species, an educational center for ecological protection, an eco-tourism destination, and a model site for ecological economy in southern collective forest areas.

Baojia Township: Baojia Township is located in the northwest of Yuexi County, at the junction of three counties across Anhui and Hubei provinces (Yuexi, Huoshan, and Yingshan). It is 55 kilometers from Yuexi County. To the east, it borders Qingtian Township; to the south, Heping Township; to the west, Caopan Town in Yingshan County, Hubei Province, and Taiping Township in Huoshan County, Lu’an City, Anhui Province; and to the north, Taiyang Township in Huoshan County. Provincial Highway 209 runs through the entire township. It governs 4 administrative villages and 81 villager groups, with a total population of 5,756 in 2005, all of whom are Han Chinese. The township covers a total area of 123 square kilometers. In April 1994, the State Council approved the entire area of Baojia Township as the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve... More details about Baojia Township++