Bawangling (Bawangling National Nature Reserve)

Bawangling (Bawangling National Nature Reserve)

The Bawangling Nature Reserve is located at the border of Baisha and Ledong counties. Covering a total area of over 1.17 million mu, it features numerous peaks ranging from 100 to over 1,000 meters in height. The primeval dense forests are mysterious and complex, with peculiar trees and vines, lush and towering, vying for

Bawangling Landscape

vitality and greenery, every sight is a wonder, making it an ideal destination for forest tourism.

Basic Introduction

Bawangling is situated at the junction of Changjiang County and Baisha County in Hainan, with elevations ranging from 350 to 1,438 meters and covering an area of 6,626 hectares. The main peak of Bawangling stands at 1,495 meters. Here, mountains stretch continuously, clouds drift, rivers are vast, and ancient trees tower into the sky. It boasts

Bawangling Landscape

tens of thousands of hectares of tropical primeval forests. There are over 1,400 species of primeval trees, including 27 types of rare and precious tree species under national key protection such as Antiaris toxicaria and Dacrycarpus imbricatus. In 1983, a wild lychee forest was discovered, among which there is a “Lychee King” with a trunk diameter of 7.5 meters and an estimated age of over a thousand years. Such ancient lychee trees were discovered for the first time in the world. Thanks to its well-preserved natural ecosystem, many rare wild animals thrive here. Among the more than 200 species of tropical plants, 29 rare plants are listed under national key protection, and over 10 animal species, including gibbons, clouded leopards, sambar deer, and pangolins, are protected at the national first or second level. Among them, the most precious are the black-crested gibbons, with four groups and over 20 individuals. The black-crested gibbon is one of the world’s four great great apes, with extremely high scientific research and ornamental value. The state has established a dedicated protection station here, making it China’s only nature reserve for black-crested gibbons. UNESCO has also set up a biosphere research base in the forest area.

Botanical Wonders

The Bawangling Nature Reserve is home to a wide variety of plant species. To survive and reproduce in competition, they have developed many unique abilities over millions of years of evolution, truly wonders of nature.

Bawangling Landscape

The tall fig is an epiphytic plant. It produces bright red and sweet fruits that birds peck at. After swallowing the fruits, birds disperse the seeds through their droppings, allowing the tall fig to expand its growing territory. The seeds of the tall fig are adept at taking root and sprouting on other plants. As birds defecate throughout the forest, tall fig seeds encounter suitable environments and germinate.

In the primeval dense forests of Bawangling, it is common to see tall figs growing in the depressions of erythrophleum tree branches. They twine around the trunks of the erythrophleum trees, gradually developing aerial roots. Many aerial roots hang down, reach the ground along the trunk, and take root, becoming epiphytic on the erythrophleum trees. Over time, the number of aerial roots increases, and the erythrophleum trunks become surrounded by thick aerial roots, like giant pythons coiling around beasts. Eventually, the erythrophleum trunks are strangled by the tall figs’ “veins,” and their canopies are completely covered by the dense foliage of the tall figs. Deprived of nutrients and sunlight for a long time, the erythrophleum trees are literally “strangled to death.” Forest workers call the tall fig the “hanging executioner.”

In the high-altitude mountain forests near 1,000 meters, you can also encounter wonders such as the “giant vine webs” and “hanging gardens.”

Hundreds or even thousands of woody vines as thick as bowls and hundreds of meters long shuttle through the bushes, wrapping around one tree after another, weaving irregular giant vine nets. Countless tropical flowers and parasitic grasses grow among the vines at varying heights above the ground, competing in beauty with diverse and charming postures, resembling flamboyant hanging gardens. Some of these communities are so exquisitely formed that various tropical flowers and plants support and adorn each other, resembling carefully arranged flower stands and potted plants. Forest workers and local villagers call them “hanging gardens.”

Bawangling Landscape

While walking through the primeval dense forests, you may sometimes be blocked by huge green barriers and have to detour. These barriers are also created by the giant vines that weave “hanging gardens,” with the only difference being that the former lie flat in the air while the latter hang from tree trunks. Forestry workers have given these entwining vines a fitting and vivid name—“forest screens.”

“Forest screens” are a unique landscape found only in tropical rainforests. Those arm-thick or leg-thick giant vines either climb left and right, spiral around, or crisscross, connecting dozens of towering trees to form the backbone of the giant net. Dense, twisted small vines weave between the backbones, eventually forming solid vine walls about 100 meters wide and 10 meters high. Visitors reaching this point find no gaps to squeeze through or sides to bypass, and can only detour helplessly.

If towering vines like the tall fig extract sunlight and nutrients through “seizing,” then weaker plants without brute strength, such as those in the Araceae and Arum families, cleverly “borrow” what they need for growth from towering trees.

These epiphytic herbaceous plants in the forest, like little sprites, use every trick in the book to climb tree trunks, branches, and leaves. Their roots never touch the ground, yet they flaunt themselves high in the air. At first glance, they are delightful; upon further thought, they seem annoying; but with deeper consideration, one understands. Nature has its ironclad rules and laws—every organism has the right to access sunlight and nutrients. For example, forests are vibrant and full of life precisely because of the towering presence of trees, the winding vines, and the clever charm of flowering plants…

Nature Reserve

Gibbon Nature Reserve

The Bawangling Gibbon Nature Reserve covers a total area of over 35,000 mu. Here, mountains stretch continuously, peaks are layered in emerald green, rivers are vast, and ancient trees tower into the sky. The natural ecosystem is well-preserved, and tropical biological resources are extremely rich. Entering the reserve along the winding forest roads, you’ll find, besides numerous precious tree species, a mountain full of wild fruit trees that serve as the primary food source for wild animals—such as breadfruit, mountain pomegranate, mountain bamboo, black olive, Ficus variegata, mountain olive, peony, and wild lychee. In this colorful wild fruit forest, several groups of protected black-crested gibbons live.

The black-crested gibbon, also known as the black ape or man bear, mainly lives in tropical primeval forests and almost entirely in trees. Gibbons have longer palms than soles and longer upper arms than lower limbs, with arms that can stretch to about 1.7 meters when extended. They move through trees using both hands and feet, leaping and swinging from one tree to another like on a swing. They live and move primarily in family units, consisting of one male, one female, and their offspring. They share strong bonds with each other. At dawn, each family goes out to forage and take turns calling and responding to one another. When together, they often shout, hug, and cling to each other. Each family has a fixed territory that they occupy and do not allow other groups to invade. Upon encountering outsiders, they will fight fiercely. Their diet mainly consists of fruits. Juvenile gibbons live with their parents from ages one to six, and upon reaching maturity at seven or eight, they seek mates, reproduce, and form new groups. Female gibbons give birth to single offspring, resulting in slow reproduction.

Gibbons are one of the four great great apes still existing in the world. Their living habits share similarities with humans, and their skeletons, teeth, and vital structures closely resemble those of humans. They are important experimental animals in zoology, psychology, anthropology, and sociology. In China, only a few groups exist on Hainan Island and in Xishuangbanna, with Hainan Island being the main habitat. They live in primeval forests such as Bawangling, Wuzhishan, and Jianfengling.

Bawangling Nature Reserve

The Bawangling Nature Reserve is located at the border of Baisha and Ledong counties. The Bawangling Mountains stretch continuously, extending through Changjiang, Baisha, Ledong, and Dongfang, covering a total area of over 1.17 million mu, with peaks ranging from 100 to over 1,000 meters in height. The primeval dense forests are mysterious and complex, with peculiar trees and vines, lush and towering, vying for greenery—every sight is a wonder, making it an ideal destination for forest tourism.

Among them, the Bawangling Nature Reserve is located at the border of Baisha and Ledong counties, covering an area of approximately 35,000 mu. Blessed with unique natural conditions, the area has a well-preserved ecosystem and is one of the richest regions in China in terms of tropical biological resources. The reserve is also home to the reproduction of various rare animals and plants.

The mountain ridges within the reserve stretch from north to south. The main peak, Hutouling, stands at an elevation of 1,441 meters, while the secondary peak, Bawangling, reaches 1,390 meters. The dense forest is exceptionally humid and hot, with multi-layered trees growing vigorously, preserving a pristine ancient tropical rainforest environment.

There are over 600 species of timber in the ancient forest, among which 27 are rare and precious species under national key protection and strictly prohibited from logging. These include hardwoods like po mu (Hopea hainanensis) and zi jing (Parashorea chinensis), known as “green steel” for being so tough that nails can’t pierce them and axes can’t chop them; motherwood and bitter thornwood, which remain durable for centuries and are extremely resilient; rosewood, exuding a unique fragrance and immune to pests; the precious and rare Hainan torreya, from which anti-cancer drugs can be extracted; and the feared antiaris toxicaria, the world’s most poisonous plant—if a person’s wound accidentally touches it, death by suffocation can occur instantly.

The tropical orchids growing in Bawangling have gained significant fame in recent years due to winning awards at national orchid exhibitions. Precious orchid varieties include the five-lobed orchid, ivory orchid, winter dendrobium, flame orchid, and anoectochilus. Some grow on the ground, while others are epiphytic on tree trunks, displaying a variety of forms that are truly breathtaking.

The reserve is home to many rare wild animals. The most precious is the black-crested gibbon, one of the world’s four great great ape species. Other rare species include the clouded leopard, black bear, sambar deer, pangolin, giant squirrel, palm civet, masked palm civet, masked palm civet, small Indian civet, flying squirrel, peacock-pheasant, white eared pheasant, junglefowl, woodpecker, owl, eagle, mountain partridge, python, and monitor lizard—over 60 species in total, all classified as rare animals.

Honors Received

Due to its well-preserved natural ecosystem and the thriving population of rare wild animals, among the 200+ species of tropical plants, 29 rare species are listed under national key protection. Over 10 animal species, including gibbons, clouded leopards, sambar deer, and pangolins, are under national first or second-class protection. The most precious of these, the black-crested gibbon, currently has four groups totaling more than 20 individuals. As one of the world’s four great great ape species, the black-crested gibbon shares some lifestyle similarities with humans, with bones, teeth, and organ structures also resembling those of humans. It serves as an important experimental animal for zoology, psychology, anthropology, and sociology, holding significant scientific research and viewing value. The state has established a dedicated protection station here, making it China’s only nature reserve for the black-crested gibbon. UNESCO has also set up a biosphere research base in the forest area. In 1980, Bawangling was designated as a provincial-level nature reserve, and in 1988, it was upgraded to a national-level nature reserve.

Travel Tips

Address: Southeastern part of Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province

Transportation: Take a long-distance bus from Haikou to Shilu, then transfer to a local tricycle to reach the scenic area.

Climate: It features a typical tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 24.3°C, no winter throughout the year, abundant sunlight (average annual sunshine duration of 2,000 to 6,000 hours), and an average annual rainfall of 1,676 mm. Rainfall distribution varies: 1,600 to 1,800 mm in the southeastern mountainous areas, and 900 to 1,200 mm in the northern and southern coastal zones. The rainy season and typhoon season occur from May to October each year.