Hunan Xiaoxi Ecotourism Scenic Area is situated within Xiaoxi National Nature Reserve in the southeast of Yongshun County. Bordering Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Mengdong River Scenic Area, it covers a total area of 24,800 hectares, including a core zone of 6,133 hectares. Vast stretches of subtropical low-altitude evergreen broad-leaved secondary primeval forests thrive in the reserve, which boasts an extensive array of rare flora. There are 43 species of national Class I and Class II key protected plants, including dove trees, Chinese yews, bretschneidera sinensis and tapiscia sinensis. The secondary primeval forests are also home to 68 species of nationally protected wildlife such as golden leopards, clouded leopards and white-necked long-tailed pheasants.

Endowed with immense scientific research value, Xiaoxi National Nature Reserve has been surveyed and verified by authoritative experts and scholars as the sole natural treasure trove of secondary primeval forests across the thirteen provinces of central and southern China that escaped glaciation during the Quaternary Period.

Featuring secondary primeval forests, canyons and peak forest landforms as its core attractions, Hunan Xiaoxi Ecotourism Scenic Area is an ecotourism destination. Boundless dense woods blanket the land with flourishing vegetation, pushing the forest coverage rate up to 92.5%. The air is fresh and pleasant with a high concentration of negative oxygen ions. Amid the vast woodland lie precipitous gorges, deep mountain streams, plunging waterfalls and towering bizarre peaks, filled with the chirping of birds and cries of macaques. Occasional wooden stilt houses of the Tujia ethnic group dot the landscape, accompanied by the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, embodying simple and honest folk customs.

Boasting unspoiled primitive natural and cultural scenery, Xiaoxi Ecotourism Scenic Area serves as an ideal resort for leisure vacations and soft adventure tourism in central and southern China.

Xiaoxi’s Paradise-like Scenery, photographed by Peng Dezhong