South Medicine Garden

　　  Established in 1959, the Xishuangbanna South Medicine Garden originated from the Yunnan Branch of the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Situated in the city center of Jinghong, Yunnan Province, it covers an area of over 320 acres. It is primarily engaged in research on the cultivation and promotion of southern medicinal plants, the conservation of tropical medicinal plant resources, as well as the exploration, organization, and utilization of ethnic and folk medicine. It is an important base for the study of southern medicinal biological resources in China. For many years, it has been committed to the introduction and cultivation research of medicinal plants and the promotion of related scientific technologies. In 1999, it was designated as a provincial science education base in our province, after which we placed even greater emphasis on the popularization of science and technology in our work. With the care and support of the provincial and prefectural science committees and higher-level authorities, during the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, we achieved certain results and gained considerable experience. While carrying out scientific research, the science education work also reached its intended goals.

　　  Covering an area of approximately 250 acres, the "Xishuangbanna South Medicine Garden," as a provincial science education base, has seen our institute continuously strengthen and improve the construction of the science education facilities in the garden over the past few years. The garden now features twelve functional areas: the Medicine Culture Square, the Enchanted Realm of Southern Medicine, the Herb Garden, the Southern Herb Garden, the Orchid Garden, the Dai Medicine Garden, the Lithophyte Area, the Shade Garden, the Betel Nut Garden, the Elegant Garden, the Scenic Garden, and the Areca Seed Germplasm Garden. Building on previous work, we have intensified targeted efforts in plant introduction. Over the years, nearly 1,000 new medicinal plant species have been added, bringing the total collection in the garden to more than 1,500 species. Each preserved plant is labeled with its scientific name, family, habitat, medicinal efficacy, usage, and more, enhancing the display of southern medicinal species so that visitors can clearly understand the characteristics and uses of the medicinal plants. In line with the needs of science education, we have improved and expanded educational facilities. Each specialized garden area has an information sign, major tourist routes are equipped with directional and warning signs, and leisure tables and chairs are placed throughout the garden for visitors to rest, greatly improving both science education facilities and the tourism environment.

　　  Currently, the garden has introduced and collected over 1,500 species of southern medicine, ethnic medicine, and other medicinal plants, including more than 30 varieties of precious southern medicine such as Amomum villosum, Sterculia lychnophora, Amomum kravanh, Santalum album, Dracaena cochinchinensis, Acacia catechu, Cinnamomum cassia, and Cinchona. It preserves over 10,000 medicinal plant specimens and houses the country’s largest germplasm resource banks for Sterculia lychnophora, Strychnos nux-vomica, and Rauvolfia vomitoria, as well as over 300 species of native orchids and important southern medicines such as Aquilaria sinensis and Pterocarpus santalinus, which have the longest history of artificial cultivation in China.