Xingang Nature Reserve

Xingang Nature Reserve

The reserve is located in Dongyuan County in the central-eastern part of Guangdong Province, on the northern bank of the Dong River. It consists of Dayeshan and Hedongshan mountains, which stand at elevations of 406 and 451 meters respectively. Between the two mountains lies the former course of the Xinfengjiang River. After the construction of the Xinfengjiang Reservoir, the two mountains became prominent “peninsula”-like landforms, rising about 350 meters above the water surface. Dayeshan is made up of three roughly north-south oriented small fault valleys; its eastern part is high and rugged, stretching from north to south, while its western section features a conical mountain massif surrounded by numerous ravines. Hedongshan has a terrain characterized by broad enclosed valley landforms. The climate exhibits transitional features between the southern subtropical and central subtropical zones, with an average annual temperature of 21.1°C, extreme low temperature of -3.8°C, extreme high temperature of 39°C, and an annual accumulated temperature ≥10°C of 7137.7°C. The average annual precipitation is 1899.7 mm, with 80% occurring from April to September. The soils are transitional in nature: below 250 meters in elevation they are lateritic red soils, while above 250 meters they are classified as red soils.

The reserve is home to over 400 species of vascular plants across more than 80 families. The zonal vegetation consists of monsoon rainforests and monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests, which have been damaged, leaving mostly secondary forests today. The valley areas mainly feature monsoon forests composed of species such as Schefflera octophylla, Lindera communis, Cinnamomum camphora, Semiliquidambar cathayensis, and Castanopsis spp., along with other species like Liquidambar formosana and Machilus spp. The forest understory is rich in ferns and lianas, with over 30 species including Spatholobus suberectus and Entada phaseoloides. Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests are primarily distributed on slopes and in valleys above 250 meters in elevation, with dominant tree species including Cyclobalanopsis glauca, Castanopsis spp., Schima superba, Triadica cochinchinensis, and others. Above 350 meters in elevation, the vegetation is mainly composed of Pinus spp., Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Rhododendron spp., Liquidambar formosana, Baeckea frutescens, Dicranopteris linearis, and grasses such as Imperata cylindrica. Species under national third-class protection include Semiliquidambar cathayensis. Common wildlife in the reserve includes serow, wild boar, porcupine, macaque, golden snub-nosed monkey, raccoon dog, mountain rat, and otter. Nationally protected second-class animals include the Chinese pangolin, sambar deer, and others.