Meihua Mountain · South China Tiger Park

Meihua Mountain · South China Tiger Park

Meihua Mountain · South China Tiger Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Meihua Mountain · South China Tiger Park scenic area is located in Buyun Township, Shanghang, adjacent to the Gutian Conference Site scenic area. The park is home to over fifty rare species of flora and fauna, including thousand-year-old yew trees and South China tigers. It is hailed as “a green emerald on the arid zone of the Tropic of Cancer” and is a unique destination integrating green ecology, scientific research and education, and leisure vacation.

The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve spans 20 kilometers from east to west and 19 kilometers from north to south, with a forest coverage rate of 89%. The core protected area covers 89,208 mu, which is rarely visited by humans and serves as an important habitat and breeding ground for South China tigers, sika deer, and pythons. The reserve boasts large areas of natural fir forests with large diameters that are rare in China. According to records in Fujian, six of the twenty documented “King Fir Trees” are located in Meihua Mountain. Preliminary scientific surveys indicate that the reserve is home to nearly 2,000 species of vascular plants, including rare species such as Eucommia, Cunninghamia lanceolata, Machilus, Photinia, Changchang Ironwood, Wanshu Fir, Semiliquidambar cathayensis, and Semiliquidambar chingii, as well as precious tree species like Cephalotaxus fortunei, yew, Tsuga chinensis, Buxus sinica, Pteroceltis tatarinowii, and southern hemlock. There are also 65 species of bamboo, a wealth of valuable medicinal herbs, and rare wildflowers.

The favorable forest ecological environment of Meihua Mountain provides ideal conditions for the growth and reproduction of wildlife, making it a “refuge for wildlife” and a “natural zoo.” The area hosts over 100 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, more than 30 species of amphibians, over 60 species of reptiles, 36 species of fish in mountain streams, and nearly 100 species of plankton. It is home to first-class nationally protected animals such as South China tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, antelopes, black muntjacs, yellow-bellied tragopans, white-necklaced partridges, and pythons. The Longyan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have placed great emphasis on the comprehensive tourism development of Meihua Mountain, establishing the Meihua Mountain Tourism Economic Comprehensive Zone. In 1998, the China Longyan Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Rescue Center was established, and the South China Tiger Park was built in Chapan Cave, Mapu, Buyun, Shanghang County. The tiger park also includes a “Snake Park” and a “Monkey Kingdom.”

The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve boasts an exceptionally advantageous geographical location and extremely rich wildlife resources. To protect the precious forest ecosystem and unique natural landscapes of Meihua Mountain, in May 1985, the People’s Government of Fujian Province approved the establishment of the Western Fujian Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve. In September 1988, with the approval of the State Council, the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve was elevated to a national-level forest and wildlife nature reserve. In February 1992, during the “Seminar on Priority Areas for Nature Conservation in China” jointly convened by the former Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the reserve was designated as a “World A-level Nature Reserve of global influence and international significance” as the “region with the highest number and most active South China tigers.” In November 1992, at the second seminar on China’s Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan, the reserve was included in the “List of Priority Ecosystems for Conservation in China” and the “Priority Protected Forest Ecosystems” in the “China Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan” due to its “rich species diversity, high number of endemic species, and being a convergence zone of the Central, South, and East China floral regions.” In 1993, it joined the Chinese Man and Biosphere Reserve Network. In 1998, in accordance with the spirit of the State Forestry Administration’s “Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of National Nature Reserves,” the Longyan Municipal Committee Institutional Compilation Committee approved the renaming of the Fujian Meihua Mountain National Nature Reserve Management Office to the “Fujian Meihua Mountain National Nature Reserve Administration.”

The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve features a uniquely advantageous geographical location and distinctive landform characteristics. The landforms are predominantly mid-mountain, with high central areas and lower surroundings, higher in the west and lower in the east. Mountainous areas account for 96.3%, with small portions consisting of hills and basins. There are over 46 peaks over 1,000 meters above sea level, with the highest peak, Shimen Mountain, reaching 1,811 meters. The geological strata are mainly composed of intrusive granite. The climate exhibits transitional characteristics from the mid-subtropical to the south-subtropical zone, with an average annual temperature of 13–18°C and a frost-free period of up to 280 days. The annual precipitation is 2,000 mm, with a long rainy season and heavy rainfall, making it one of the key storm centers in Fujian Province. Due to geological fault structures and the deep erosion caused by water flow, a radial water system centered around the highest peaks, Shimen Mountain and General Mountain, has formed. It is one of the main sources of Fujian’s three major river systems—the Min River, Ting River, and Jiulong River—and is known as the “Land of Three Rivers” and hailed as the “Mother Mountain of Fujian.”

Meihua Mountain features undulating peaks and abrupt cliffs, showcasing unique natural landscapes. These include the several-kilometer-long Huanglianmeng Cliff, high mountain waterfalls such as Xinglong Waterfall, Luosheng Waterfall, and the Tie Shanluo Di Panxi Zhai Waterfall. There are also naturally sculpted rock formations such as the Eagle Stone in Qiushan, Sister Stones in Guihe, the Grain Barn Stone in Mapu, the Three-Layer Stone and Rice Hole in Tie Shanluo Di, and the “Golden Turtle Laying Eggs” in Dayuan Village. Cultural and historical sites include the Ma Tou Shan Temple, the Tomb of the Nanman King, and the Li Ling Buyun Academy. A local folk song in Western Fujian goes: “Meihua has eighteen caves, each cave is eighteen li, each li has eighteen hollows, and each hollow has eighteen golden chairs.” The “golden chairs” refer to underground mineral resources, including discovered and developed deposits of iron, manganese, lead, zinc, tungsten, coal, magnetite, and quartz crystals. Due to its unique geographical location and landform features, the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve showcases significant biodiversity and natural landscape diversity. Scientific surveys and forest resource inventories indicate that the reserve is home to 1,628 species (including varieties and subspecies) of vascular plants across 184 families and 734 genera, including 107 species of ferns, 1,499 species of angiosperms, and 22 species of gymnosperms. There are 362 species of terrestrial vertebrates, accounting for about 1/7 of the national total, including 66 species of mammals, 198 species of birds, 69 species of reptiles, 29 species of amphibians, 65 species of fish, and over 2,000 species of insects. Many of these wild species are ancient, rare, or endangered. According to statistics, there are 18 species of nationally protected plants, including three first-class protected species—Bellflower Tree, Southern Yew, and Brasenia—and 15 second-class protected species such as Eucommia and Liriodendron. There are also 53 provincially protected rare and endangered plant species. The reserve is home to 45 species of key protected animals, including eight first-class protected species such as South China tigers, leopards, sika deer, and pythons, and 37 second-class protected species such as black bears, stump-tailed macaques, and fishing cats. With its abundant and diverse species, Meihua Mountain has been praised by experts at home and abroad as the “Green Emerald on the Arid Belt” and the “Gene Bank of Flora and Fauna Resources.”

In 1991, after conducting a field survey of the South China tiger population in Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, experts from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the National Forestry Department concluded: “The South China tiger, a unique tiger species in China, not only survives and reproduces in Meihua Mountain but also remains highly active. The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve is the region with the highest number and most active distribution of wild South China tigers.” Meihua Mountain was lauded as the “Hometown of the South China Tiger” and the “Most Ideal Habitat for the South China Tiger.” Consequently, the South China tiger has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the world’s most endangered species. In 1998, with strong support from the Longyan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve pioneered a national project to rescue the South China tiger. Six breeding tigers were relocated from Suzhou and Guilin, and efforts to breed them in the wild commenced. Additionally, over 14 million yuan was invested to establish the nearly 7,000-mu “China Tiger Park” in Mapu Village, Buyun Township, Shanghang County, on the outskirts of the reserve. Over the past three years, through the meticulous efforts of researchers at the Tiger Research Institute, male tiger No. 5 and female tiger No. 4 successfully bred, naturally producing two litters totaling six cubs between 2001 and 2002, with five surviving. The continuous increase in the South China tiger population marks a breakthrough in the success and development of high-altitude, free-range breeding.

Relying on the South China tiger breeding and rehabilitation base, the Meihua Mountain “China Tiger Park” has also established a grazing area for herbivores (even-toed ungulates). The park currently houses over 30 animals, including sika deer, yellow muntjacs, and ponies, as well as various rare species such as macaques, peacocks, and swans in semi-wild conditions. The establishment of the Meihua Mountain Reserve’s ecological public welfare forest protection project, the South China tiger habitat protection project, and the “China Tiger Park” not only highlights the brilliance of Meihua Mountain as the “Green Emerald on the Arid Belt” but also makes its unique landscapes and abundant rare resources an ideal leisure and recreational destination for tourists from home and abroad.

Inquiry Hotline: 0597-3601599

Gutian Town: Gutian Town is located in the northeastern part of Shanghang County, Fujian Province, at the southern foot of Meihua Mountain. It lies at the junction of Xinluo, Shanghang, and Liancheng districts in Longyan City and is the site of the famous Gutian Conference as well as the Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve.

Situated at a key transportation hub, it connects to Liancheng and Changting to the north, linking to Jiangxi; reaches Shanghang and Wuping to the southwest, leading to Guangdong; and links to Longyan and Zhangping to the east, extending to Xiamen. The area enjoys convenient transportation with a constant flow of visitors.

The town was developed early, with residents living here as far back as the Song Dynasty. It was established as a market town during the Republic of China period. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it underwent continuous development... Detailed information about Gutian Town++