Paradise Subtropical Rainforest

Paradise Subtropical Rainforest

The Paradise Subtropical Rainforest in Hexi Town, Nanjing County, is located near National Highway 319 and the Zhanglong Expressway. Covering an area of 0.22 square kilometers, it is the only primeval plant community on China's southeastern coast, the country’s smallest existing forest ecological nature reserve, and has been designated by the World Forestry Conference as a “precious and rare subtropical rainforest.” In 1954, it was listed as a research and teaching base for Xiamen University, and in 1963, Wei Jinshui, the then Governor of Fujian Province, issued a protection order to safeguard it. The area is home to over 1,700 plant species and more than 80 animal species. The forest features intact vegetation and towering ancient trees, including more than 10 types of rare plants such as Annona and Rutaceae, but the most distinctive and economically valuable is the Engelhardia roxburghiana.