In the center of Hainan island there is a lush green carpet filled with ancient trees, drooping vines, chirping insects and singing birds... this is China’s densest, most bio-diverse, best preserved, and largest contiguous continental island tropical rainforest. This is the only habitat of the Hainan Gibbon, the most endangered primate in the world, and a treasure trove of tropical biodiversity and genetic resources.

An aerial view of the Wuzhi Mountain area of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.

The Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, established in 2021, is one of China’s first five national parks, and stretches across a total of 4,269 square kilometers, accounting for about 12.1% of the total land area of Hainan Island.

Rainforest Wonders

In the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, the Asian tropical rainforest gradually transitions to evergreen broad-leaf forest as the altitude rises, creating several belts of forest vegetation.

The "Hanging Gardens" of the rainforest in the Wuzhi Mountain area of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest Park.

In the tropical lowland rainforest below 800 meters of elevation typical rainforest vegetation such as the Stellate-hair Vatica, Hainan hopea, and lychee trees grow, and rainforest wonders such as massive buttress roots standing like vast wooden walls, delicate new flowers blooming from ancient branches and trunks, and single trees that form whole forests can all be seen.

The mountain rainforest between 700-1,300 meters above sea level is the largest and densest kind of natural vertical vegetation found in Hainan’s tropical rainforest. Here, ancient trees such as the podocarp tree and the Hainan Madhuca grow tall, ferns unfurl, and mosses cushion every surface.

It takes 10 or more people to encircle this thousand-year old chinkapin tree on Jiefang Peak in Hainan.

Tropical coniferous forests are relatively rare at altitudes higher than 1,200 meters above sea level, which mainly feature scattered broad-leaf forests. In the alpine cloud forest at 1,300 meters above sea level and higher, lichens abound. Since the mountains are high and the forests dense, keeping most people out, these secluded areas serve as habitat for rare and endangered species such as the Hainan Knobby Newt and the Yinggeling tree frog.

The Hainan hopea, an indicator species of the Hainan tropical rainforest. Photo courtesy of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.

Natural Gene Bank

Life flourishes deep in the jungle. Rare species such as the Hainan hopea and the sago palm thrive, the population of the Hainan Gibbon has grown to 42 individuals living in seven family groups, and Hainan Eld’s Deer and Hainan Partridge move through the forest... there are animal and plant species here that are found nowhere on the earth except here in Hainan, China, creating a natural gene bank.

The Hainan Gibbon. Photo courtesy of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

According to preliminary survey data, there are 4,367 species of higher plants in 289 families, 1,368 genera, and 149 species of national key protected plants including Appleton’s Paphiopedilum, the Emperor Cycad, and the Hainan Yellow Rosewood, as well as a total of 846 endemic (native) species growing in the park. In all, 651 species of wild vertebrates have been observed in the park, including 134 national key protected species such as pangolins, Hainan rabbits, and sambar deer.

Headwaters

Central Hainan, the location of the Hainan tropical rainforest, is highly mountainous. The island’s main rivers, such as the Nandu, Changhua, and Wanquan Rivers all originate here, nourishing countless lives as they meander from the mountains to the sea.

The tropical rainforest of the Hainan Limushan Nature Reserve.

Limu Mountain is the longest mountain range on Hainan Island. Featuring high peaks, dense forests, and unique scenery, this area has been known since ancient times as an ancestral mountain sacred to the native Li people.

Known as a "green treasure chest" and "species gene bank", Bawangling is abundant in wild animal and plant species. This is the only home of the Hainan Gibbon. The local podocarp trees and the Hainan Homalium are on the list of the most beautiful ancient trees of China.

The Fengguoshan Waterfall on Diaoluo Mountain.

Diaolou Mountain, which has been honored as "China’s Forest Oxygen Bar", is the location of Fengguoshan Waterfall, "The Number One Waterfall in Hainan" as well as Dali Waterfall and hundreds of unnamed waterfalls both large and small.

On Jianfengling, old-growth tropical rainforest landscapes abound, including giant trees with buttress roots measuring over two meters in diameter, "hanging gardens" of aerial plants growing high up on tree trunks, and century-old trees encircled by strangler figs.

A strangler fig winds around a host plant in the tropical rainforest of the Hainan Jianfengling Nature Reserve.

Wuzhi Mountain, known as the ‘Roof of Hainan’, reaches a height of 1,867 meters above sea level, making it the highest mountain on Hainan Island. Due to the large altitude difference, the full vertical spectrum of island vegetation can be seen here, as well as classic tropical and rainforest plant species.

Li and Miao Cultural Impact

The area surrounding the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is the ancestral home of the Li and Miao peoples, and over the years, unique local customs have sprung up here.

Dongfang’s Baicha Village, an ancient Li village of inverted boat-shaped homes.

Exquisite Li Brocades, meticulously hand-crafted Miao batiks, unique boat-shaped Li houses, the thrilling Sanyuesan Festival... these ethnic arts, architecture, and customs that demonstrate the ancient wisdom of the local Li and Miao peoples carry a profound heritage and are valued as shining pearls of Chinese culture.