An ancestral precept has governed the country for 600 years. This "pearl" in the vast forest of northern Fujian is creating an ecological miracle.

Wanmulin Nature Reserve in Jianou City, Fujian Province is located at the southeast foot of Wuyi Mountain Range, with a total area of ​​195 hectares. It mainly protects the subtropical forest ecosystem and precious tree species. It is a precious natural and cultural heritage. It is known as the "Subtropical Forest Museum" and "a model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature". It is a model of ecological civilization construction and an ideal place integrating biodiversity protection, scientific research and teaching, nature education and ecological civilization education.

In this natural mixed forest that has undergone years of natural reproduction and natural elimination, every tree exudes a fresh and intoxicating scent, and the survival of every tree species makes people feel mysterious and exciting. According to the records of the prefecture, Wanmulin was originally called Dafu Mountain, and the terrain is not high. More than 600 years ago, the owner of the mountain, Yang Daqing, built a fir forest here to provide relief to the victims of the disaster by "planting one tree and paying one bushel of millet". The descendants of the Yang family followed the ancestral precepts and did not use any grass or trees on the mountain except for public welfare. The local people were grateful for this righteous act and changed the name of Dafu Mountain to Wanmulin.

As time goes by and generations pass, the artificial fir forest has naturally evolved into a typical mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. The superior natural conditions and the 600-year-long closed protection have nurtured rich biological resources. The ancient trees in the mountains are towering, the giant vines are intertwined, the monkeys are playing, and the birds are singing. This is also one of the most densely distributed nature reserves for rare and endangered plants. It breeds rare tree species such as submerged camphor and Fujian-Hubei camellia, 23 national key protected wild plants, 569 famous ancient trees with a breast diameter of more than 80 cm, and 31 national key protected wild animals. There are many ornamental tree species in Wanmu Forest, such as the graceful southern yew and the white magnolia of Mrs. Mo. The Fujian mountain cherry and hairy cherry are brilliant and the four-orange flowers are bright. There are also colorful flowers of various colors, butterflies playing with beads, and the breeze blows, like countless white butterflies gathering on the branches and dancing. These are all famous woody flowers in the forest.

Data picture: Ancient camphor tree group in Wanmulin, Jianou

Wanmulin is located in Central Asia, a transition zone between the Paleoarctic and the Paleotropics. The flora is complex and diverse, with rosette ferns that appeared in the Paleozoic era 130 million years ago. There are also clam ferns found in the Jurassic strata 137 million years ago. The flora of this area is typical of antiquity and complexity. Due to long-term protection, the reserve has formed a stable community structure. The mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest represented by Lauraceae and Fagaceae has a complete forest phase and rich rare tree species. Rare sightseeing trees protected by the state, such as: Fujian-Hubei Camellia, Fujian Michelia, Cinnamomum camphora, and Taxus chinensis, are distributed. There are also a small number of sightseeing trees in the forest, which are ancient relict plants unique to China. This tree has become extinct in other parts of the world, and only a few areas in southern my country have survived miraculously. The largest tree in Wanmulin is Cinnamomum camphora, which is more than 30 meters high and has a breast diameter of 1.35 meters. The canopy is like a canopy, towering and covering half the sky.

In recent years, this "ancient forest museum" has also discovered new species of forest insects such as the brown-notched mountain hook moth and the Wanmu thorn hook moth of the hook moth family. The black-spotted yellow hook moth and the brown-horned hook moth are newly discovered in China. With the development of my country's tourism industry, more and more tourists come to Wanmulin to explore the mysteries of the ancient forest.

Review expert: Gao Zhiling, Professor of College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Xinhuanet

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