Paradise Subtropical Rainforest

　　The Paradise Subtropical Rainforest in Hexi Town, Nanjing County, is situated near National Highway 319 and the Zhanglong Expressway. Spanning 0.22 square kilometers, it is the only remaining primeval plant community on China’s southeast coast and the country’s smallest existing forest ecological nature reserve. It has been designated as a “precious and rare subtropical rainforest” by the World Forestry Conference. In 1954, it was listed as a research and teaching base for Xiamen University, and in 1963, Wei Jinshui, then Governor of Fujian Province, issued a protection order for the area. The forest is home to over 1,700 plant species and more than 80 animal species. The vegetation within the forest is well-preserved, with ancient towering trees, including over 10 types of rare plants such as Annona and Rutaceae. Among them, Engelhardia roxburghiana stands out as the most distinctive and economically valuable species.