The Beautiful Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

Take a Bird’s Eye View at Gourd Island

Dai Girls are Busying  in Collecting Vegetables

A stream of bluish water bends towards the east and cuts the peninsula into the shape of a gourd … the tropical rain forest is a forest biological system with the most abundant life forms on earth and Xishuangbanna is such a survived oasis on the North Tropic – and the only large stretch of tropical rain forest in China. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden is the largest manmade botanical garden with the richest life forms established on this aftermost stretch rain forest on the Chinese territory. 

One of the tributaries of “the Asian Danube – Mekong River” – the Luosuo River cuts the topography here into a gourd-like peninsula in Menglun Town, Mengla County of Xishuangbanna. The peninsula situates in the northern edge of the Southeast Asian tropical areas, and the natural condition there is quite favorable; therefore, large blocks of rain forests are preserved in this part. These make the place become an ideal place for botanical research, plant seed resource preservation, technical development, science popularization and tourism. The world famous Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences just selects its site on this beautiful island, and makes the island enjoy fantastic landscapes like the legendary “peach orchard”. 

Firework Flowers

In 1959, a famous Chinese botanist, Professor Cai Xitao, led on a group of young scientific researchers across the river on a bamboo boat; they broke open a way through bramble and thistle, overcame numerous difficulties and founded the first tropical botanical garden in China – Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. 

Forty years have passed in a flash since then. Through more than 40 years hard struggles, backbreaking labors and selfless contributions of three generations of scientists on the Gourd Island, a botanical garden integrating functions such as botanical research, plant seed resource preservation, technical development, science popularization and tourism into one has been now brought into being on the original wild island. On this land of 90 hectares, the scientific researchers have constructed more than 20 gardens such as the Garden of Famous Trees Planted by Celebrities, the National Tree and Flower Garden, the Garden of National Plants, the Garden of Palms, and the Garden of Shady Plants etc. Nowadays, nearly 5000 varieties of tropical plants are growing prosperously in the garden; tall trees and short flowers straw in random and distribute in groups in each specialized garden. 

Flowers on Aged Tree Trunks

The trees in the Tropical Botanical Garden are luxuriantly green and characterizing a spring day all the year round. Scenes such as strangling phenomenon, flowers on aged trunks, one-tree forest, flying huge vines and garden in the air are frequently encountered in the garden. Flowering of iron trees, the color-changing flowers, mysterious fruits and dancing grasses can be met almost everywhere. Besides, within the garden, the scientific workers also raise some rare local animals such as peacocks and gibbons; the animals and plants live harmoniously in this artificial tropical garden. What is particularly worth mentioning is that, in the comparatively well-protected 90 hectares of rain forests, there are altogether more than 2000 local plant species, which account for 40% of the plants in Xishuangbanna. Moreover, the botanical garden also transplants more than 400 varieties of plants of South Yunnan and 56 varieties of key national protection plants in this garden. These plants and animals together make the garden become an important base for botanical research, plant seed resource preservation, technical development, and science popularization; besides, the valleys and trenches here transverses in lengths and breadth and make the biotope particularly complex, and gives the botanical garden peculiar rain forest features. The visitors are more often than not relaxed and happy after taking a walk around this beautiful place. 

A Group Stature Named  “Go to the Sea of Forests”

The peculiar rain forest landscapes, the rain forest sceneries, and national forest cultures combine organically on the “Gourd Island” and they bring out the best each other; therefore, they sufficiently represents the harmony in-between man and nature. Each year, the tropical garden would attract hundreds of thousands Chinese and foreign experts, scholars, and tourists to come here for investigations, academic exchanges and sightseeing. Some foreign leaders, members of foreign royal families, the ambassadors of many countries, the major officials of some international organizations, and some famous international scholars who have come to the “Gourd Island” for investigations and sightseeing all marveled at such an outstanding research institute that lies on the Southwest Chinese borderline, and all of them spoke highly of the development of the tropical botanical garden and expressed their wishes for constructing the garden into “the first-rate botanical gardens of the world”. In order to praise the achievements of the botanical workers in the tropical garden, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, now the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese People’s Congress, Mr. Zhou Guangzhao, inscribed the words “the Pride of the Chinese Academy of Sciences” for Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. 

In the early 21^st century, “the project of 10000 varieties of plants in one garden” jointly supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan People’s Government is launched and is now going on smoothly; the plant species of the botanical garden will increase to over 10000 varieties within five years. The construction of the two cream tourist spots, “the rain forest scenery” and “the national forest culture garden” supported by the tourism fund of Yunnan province have been now completed. 

We can imagine that, not far in the future, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, which is the emerald on the crown of the tropical plant kingdom, will become more brilliant and resplendent!