Last updated 2026-11-14 — The Dry Well Garden Nature Reserve is located in Yuexi County, Anhui Province, covering an area of 4,000 hectares, with the core zone alone spanning 1,800 hectares. The entire reserve has a forest coverage rate of up to 93%, preserving a relatively intact expanse of natural forest. In the marshlands at an altitude of one thousand meters, there grow contiguous ancient purple willow forests spanning over 30 hectares that are thousands of years old — truly a "unique wonder of China." The reserve boasts abundant species resources, including more than 1,500 species of vascular plants, among which are over 20 types under national protection such as the Dabie Mountain five-needle pine, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, and Liriodendron chinense, as well as rare plants like Du-zhi azalea, Daphniphyllum macropodum, and Huangshan magnolia. Additionally, there are 72 species of amphibians and mammals, 123 species of birds, and 1,500 species of insects, including nationally protected wildlife such as the leopard, giant salamander, small Indian civet, and Reeves's pheasant.