Mount Jigong in Henan
By admin on 2015-01-12

The Jigong Mountain Nature Reserve, gazetted in 1982, is a sanctuary for transitional types of subtropical forest vegetation and rare wild animals and plants, covering 3000 hectares 20 km south of Xingyang City, Henan Province.

Jigong Mountain is the watershed between Yangtze River and Huaihe River, locating in a transitional belt among northern subtropical zone and southern temperate zone and providing a superb breeding ground for plants and animals.

Among the 1000 species of higher plants are found the southern types such as masson pine, Huangshan pine, oak, white oak, magnolia, northern poplar, willow and elm. There is an impressive array of 300 species of medicinal plants, including precious manyleaf paris, multiflower knotweed and slenderstyle canthopanax. Over 210 different birds and more than 100 different mammals have been recorded in the Reserve, including the white—crested long—tail pheasant, owl, wild goat, civet, lynx and giant salamander.

Scientific experiment in forestry development is an important activity in the Reserve. In the past decades considerable progress has been made: mao bamboo seeding technique and China fir breeding experiment. At the same time the Reserve has introduced more than 300 fine species of firs from northern and southern regions, including cryptomeria and metasequoia.

Jigong Mountain has earned the name "Park in Clouds". Its highest peak rises 784 m above sea level, making it an ideal place for tourists come here to escape the summer heat. It is also an important strategic area and a key place for some religious sects.