Baiwu Island Forest Park 🌿

📍 Location: Within the Xinfu Forestry Farm, Yanping District, Nanping City, Fujian Province
🌲 Classification: National-level Ecological Public Welfare Forest, Provincial Forest Park

Historical Development

Baiwu Island Forest Park was originally the core area of the "Xinfu Forestry Farm" established during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dating back to the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465), it once served as a vital hub for timber harvesting and ecological conservation in northern Fujian. During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China era, it fell into disuse due to warfare. It was reestablished as a state-owned forestry farm in 1958, designated a provincial forest park by Fujian Provincial Forestry Department in 2003, and upgraded to a national demonstration zone for ecological public welfare forests in 2018.

Natural and Cultural Landscapes

🌳 With a forest coverage rate of 97.6%, the park is dominated by broadleaf mixed forests, featuring rare tree species such as southern yew, camphor tree, and Dacrycarpus. It has been listed as a key protected area under China’s Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan.
🦢 The island derives its name from the large colony of white egrets that inhabit the area. Each spring and autumn migration season, thousands of egrets nest and breed here, creating a breathtaking ecological spectacle known as “dancing egret shadows,” making it one of the most important birdwatching sites in eastern China.
🏛️ Three Qing Dynasty forest protection stone tablets remain within the park, inscribed with messages such as “Prohibition on Cutting Trees” and “Perpetual Protection of Ecology,” serving as crucial physical evidence for studying traditional ecological conservation systems in northern Fujian.

Cultural Significance

📜 Baiwu Island carries deep memories of agrarian and forestry culture and is one of Fujian’s pilot sites for forest tenure reform, witnessing the evolution from collective forest ownership to the “three rights separation” system.
📚 In 2019, the “Linmai · Ecological Memory Hall” was established within the park, systematically showcasing the history of the forestry farm, achievements in ecological restoration, and folk legends of forest guardianship. It has been recognized as a “National Model Base for Ecological Culture.”

Tourism Information

🎫 Admission: Free entry (some educational programs require prior reservation)
🕘 Opening Hours: 6:00–18:00, all year round
🚶‍♂️ Recommended Route: Ecological Trail → Egret Viewing Platform → Heritage Site of Forest Protection Tablets → Linmai Memory Hall
🚸 Visitor Tips: Please refrain from picking plants, firing guns, or starting fires; avoid disturbing birds.

📌 “A single island shelters a thousand egrets; ten thousand trees reflect a thousand years.” — Baiwu Island is a green poem woven from nature and culture.