Qingliang Peak Nature Reserve

　　Qingliang Peak is situated in the southeastern part of Jixi County and is known for its four scenic attractions: Stone Gate, Cliffs, Sea of Clouds, and Twisted Pines. The main peak, Qingliang Peak, rises to an elevation of 1,787 meters, making it the second highest peak in East China. From the main peak to Shizhu Peak in the north, the area features overlapping mountain ranges and competing peaks, with over 30 summits exceeding 1,000 meters in elevation. The stretch from Yezhutudang to Huangkouya is covered with Huangshan pines, which display a variety of unique and picturesque shapes. On Qisonggang (Wonderful Pine Ridge), the ancient pines are even more elegantly formed, including the Golden Umbrella Pine, Rock-Guarding Pine, Crouching Dragon Pine, Compassionate Dragon Pine, Sister Pines, and Dancer Pine. Approved by the state, it was designated as a nature reserve in 1979 and is one of the six major nature reserves in Anhui Province.

　　Within the Qingliang Peak Nature Reserve, not only are the Huangshan pines gracefully shaped and the crabapple blossoms vibrant in color, but the peculiar rocks also possess distinctive features. Unlike the abrupt, cliffside rock formations of Huangshan, these rocks rise directly from the deep, lush earth, with lifelike and amusing shapes. Examples include “Immortal Sawing Stone,” “Ape Man Climbing Mountain,” “Young Maiden Carrying Her Lover,” “White Cloud Rock,” “Immortal Cave,” “Turtle and Snake Guarding the Pass,” “Lion and Elephant Entering the Gate,” and “Emperor’s Pool,” among nearly forty to fifty similar sites. The towering stone peaks vary immensely—some resemble birds, others beasts, some look like humans, and others take the forms of objects, with many still awaiting fitting names. Additionally, flowing springs and waterfalls abound here, while the cloud rivers and sea of clouds shift endlessly, creating a wondrous and breathtaking spectacle.

　　The Qingliang Peak Nature Reserve features significant elevation differences and intense geological cutting and erosion, giving rise to a typical northern subtropical mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest. The vegetation shows distinct vertical zonation, and the area's biological resources are characterized by their antiquity and diversity, making it a rare and well-preserved biological gene bank within China’s economically developed Yangtze River Delta region. The reserve boasts abundant wildlife, with 286 known species of terrestrial vertebrates, including nationally protected animals such as sika deer, black muntjac, white-necked long-tailed pheasant, and leopard. There are 150 families and 1,819 species of seed plants, including nationally protected rare and endangered species such as liriodendron, summer sweet, and southern hemlock. It also serves as the type locality for 27 plant species. The area is one of the few primary distribution zones in East China for southern hemlock communities, summer sweet communities, Bashan beech communities, and the southern subspecies of wild sika deer. The establishment of the Zhejiang Qingliang Peak Nature Reserve holds significant importance for the protection of biodiversity along China’s eastern coastal regions.

　　The Qianqingtang area within the Qingliang Peak Nature Reserve is a habitat and activity zone for wild sika deer, representing the easternmost and southernmost wild population on the Chinese mainland and serving as an extremely precious genetic diversity treasure. The reserve currently hosts over 280 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including more than 20 nationally protected species such as black panthers, clouded leopards, serows, and macaques. It also has around 2,000 species of higher plants, including 33 nationally protected species and 77 globally rare or single-genus species. This fully demonstrates that the reserve is a hub of biodiversity.

　　The Yezhutudang area on the northern slope of the main peak is a mountain plain with a three-pronged tail, situated at an elevation of 1,450 meters and featuring a 2.5-meter horizontal difference between its northern and southern ends. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, it is traversed by a small mountain stream approximately 1 kilometer long and about 2.5 meters wide on average. The stream water is crystal clear and transparent. The pools in the stream are emerald green like jade and remain unfrozen year-round.

　　This area is part of the famous ancient Jiangnan landmass, characterized by distinct vertical climatic zones and rich in precious biological resources. It is home to 25 provincially protected plant species, including fairy slipper, pearl dwarf boxwood, hemlock, and Tienmu flowering dogwood, as well as over 20 valuable animal species such as macaques, stump-tailed macaques, tufted deer, serows, mountain oxen, and wild boars. Qingliang Peak has been hailed by ecologists as a “natural museum.”