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Nan Mountain's Immortal Pines

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“May your fortune be as boundless as the Eastern Sea, and your life as enduring as the immortal pines of Nan Mountain” is a common Chinese couplet used to wish elders good health and longevity. The “immortal pines of Nan Mountain” refer to the Dracaena cambodiana, also known as the Dragon Blood Tree. Commonly called the Immortal Pine, this tree can live for over 8,000 years, making it a true “longevity star” in the world today. It symbolizes a long and blessed life. It is said that the Dragon Blood Tree has existed since the Cretaceous period, the age of the dinosaurs, and is hailed as a living fossil among plants. In China, it is classified as a rare and endangered species, under second-class national key protection. These trees grow extremely slowly—taking hundreds of years to mature and decades to bloom—making them incredibly precious and rare. It is a monocotyledonous plant with grayish-white, short, and stout trunks. Its green leaves resemble sharp long swords densely clustered at the tips of the branches, measuring over a foot in length and more than half an inch in width. Some roots wrap around rocks, while others are exposed. The trunk resembles that of a palm tree, marked with circular rings—traces left by fallen leaves. Though it’s a monocot, its stem has strong meristematic activity in the thin-walled cells, allowing the trunk to thicken and lignify year by year, resulting in an especially robust growth.

Overview Transport Tickets Specialties

“May your fortune be as boundless as the Eastern Sea, and your life as enduring as the immortal pines of Nan Mountain” is a common Chinese couplet used to wish elders good health and longevity. The “immortal pines of Nan Mountain” refer to the Dracaena cambodiana, also known as the Dragon Blood Tree. Commonly called the Immortal Pine, this tree can live for over 8,000 years, making it a true “longevity star” in the world today, and a symbol of longevity, good fortune, and peace. It is said that the Dragon Blood Tree existed as far back as the Cretaceous dinosaur era, and is known as a living fossil among plants. It has been listed as a rare and endangered plant in China, and is a second-class nationally protected tree species. These trees grow very slowly—it takes hundreds of years for one to fully grow, and they only bloom once every few decades, which makes them extremely rare and valuable. It is a monocotyledonous plant with a grayish-white trunk that is short and thick; its green leaves are shaped like sharp long swords densely packed on the treetop, each more than a foot long and over half an inch wide. Some roots embrace rocks while others are exposed. The trunk, similar to that of a palm tree, shows circular ring patterns—traces left where leaves have fallen off. Though it is a monocot, the strong meristematic capability of the thin-walled cells in its stem enables the trunk to gradually thicken and become woody, thus growing particularly sturdy.

Address:

Nanshan Da Xiaodongtian Tourist Area, Yazhou, Sanya City, Hainan Province

Opening Hours:

All day

Ticket

Ticket Price

Free admission upon purchasing tickets to Da Xiaodongtian (135 RMB).

Discount Policies

1. Children under 1.2 meters in height are admitted free of charge; children between 1.2–1.4 meters enjoy a 50% discount on ticket price (70 RMB).

2. Seniors aged 60–69 can enjoy a 50% discount on ticket price (70 RMB) with valid ID; seniors aged 70 and above are admitted free of charge with valid ID.

3. Students from elementary, middle, and high schools (excluding adult education students) can enjoy a 50% discount on ticket price (70 RMB) with a student ID.

4. Active-duty military personnel, retired military personnel, and disabled military personnel are admitted free of charge with valid ID. 5. Persons with disabilities are admitted free of charge with valid ID.

Best Time to Visit

Suitable all year round.

Transportation Guide

Bus

Take bus No. 25 and get off at the 【Da Xiaodongtian】 stop.

Tourist Shuttle

Take the tourist shuttle from Yalong Bay to Da Xiaodongtian Scenic Area, and get off at the 【Da Xiaodongtian Scenic Area】 stop.