Paradise Mountain stands as a divine presence in the hearts of the people of Changning. Mr. Ou Zhide, a writer from Yunnan Province, once wrote: “‘Paradise' is the pursuit of an idyllic place, a paradise that people yearn for on earth. Astonishingly, there is a Paradise Mountain in Changning, and its name wasn't given by contemporary people to attract tourism benefits; it has been passed down from our ancestors. Paradise has had the beauty of a fairyland since ancient times…”
Paradise Mountain, with its picturesque landscapes of mountains, water, rocks, and forests, high-altitude wetlands nestled among peaks, natural scenery created by rock springs and tree vines, and flowers dancing amidst the forest, resembles a paradise on earth. It is a “natural gene bank for flora and fauna,” where many species are rare in China or even worldwide. Just like the Paradise Big-Head Tea, Red Flower Oil Tea, Water Fir, Red Cypress, Rhododendrons, Magnolias, and Long-Stamen Magnolias, the wild tea trees bestowed by nature have found their “haven” here, coexisting and thriving with other flora and fauna as integral parts of a complete ecosystem.
Located to the north of Changning County, Paradise Mountain is part of the southern range of the Biluoshan Mountains, stretching approximately 30 kilometers north to south and 20 kilometers east to west. It is the source of three major rivers in Changning: the Rightian River, Datianba River, and Olive River. Spanning two major watersheds, the Nujiang and Lancang Rivers, the forest area covers 5,560 hectares with a forest coverage rate of 98.1%. In the primeval forest belt formed along the ridgeline from Songzi Mountain, the highest peak at an altitude of 2,875.9 meters, wild tea trees naturally thrive and continue to flourish.
“Due to the vastness and density of the forest, we can't accurately determine the exact number of wild tea trees in Paradise Mountain. Our current knowledge comes from occasional discoveries made by forestry workers and forest rangers during patrols. Based on what we know, there are thousands of relatively large wild tea trees, all growing naturally in dense forests. The largest one we've found so far is in the Roudou River area, where many such trees have been discovered,” explained Zhao Zhiyou, the director of the Changning Paradise Forest Farm. The distribution of wild tea trees centers around Songzi Mountain, radiating outwards in all directions, with discoveries made in almost every forest area, extending all the way to villages near the forest boundary.
Under the guidance of Wang Dehai, deputy director of the forest farm, Lan Kaixiang, a forest ranger at the Roudou River station, and Qiu Guoxin, a forest ranger at Liangdong station, we drove towards Roudou River. In summer, various mountain flowers have “moved” from the trees into the forest, and as we passed through the windows, we were greeted not only by the shade of lush green trees but also by the poetic beauty of nature.
“During this season, when we enter the mountains, we always travel in groups because it's now the breeding season for black bears, and wildlife activities are more frequent, making it dangerous for small groups.” As we approached one of the wild tea trees known to Wang Dehai, we got out of the car and walked into the dense forest. Wang Dehai continued his introduction, stating that Paradise Mountain is not only a paradise for plants but also for animals. So far, 66 types of mammals, 140 types of birds, 24 types of amphibians, and 28 types of reptiles have been identified in the forest area. In recent years, several national-level protected animals have been monitored, including the forest musk Deer, black-necked pheasant, red-billed leiothrix, white-bellied pheasant, white-crested laughingthrush, muntjac, black bear, yellow weasel, macaque, spectacled langur, and king cobra, as well as other rare species such as the ring-necked pheasant, badger, leopard cat, civet, porcupine, and wild boar.
“Be careful!” Before he could finish speaking, Wang Dehai suddenly shouted loudly and waved his stick. With a series of alarm calls from adult birds and the startled cries of chicks, a flock of birds disappeared deep into the forest. After safely passing by a nesting ground of some unknown pheasants, we finally saw the first large wild tea tree in the Paradise Forest. The tea tree blends seamlessly with the surrounding forest, and if not for someone familiar with the area leading the way, one might walk past it several times without noticing. Indeed, it was “hidden away in seclusion, unknown to the world,” fortunate to be occasionally discovered by dedicated forest patrollers.
“The wild tea trees in our forest are scattered like this, and regardless of their size, they rarely grow in clusters. This is mainly due to the steep slopes and dense forest, which makes it difficult for tea seeds to concentrate in one spot and germinate. Even after germination, the number of saplings that survive isn't very high. As a result, although there are many tea trees in the forest, they are quite dispersed and hard to find,” said Wang Dehai.
We continued our journey towards Roudou River, with Lan Kaixiang replacing Wang Dehai as our guide. Along the way, Lan Kaixiang introduced various plants he encountered and shared stories about his experiences with the forest and tea trees. When we arrived at a large tea tree with a beehive hanging from it, we could see glossy new leaves sprouting from the tree's umbrella-like canopy, while distant mountains silently narrated the vastness and mystery of Paradise Mountain. Lan Kaixiang said, “I discovered this tea tree during a routine patrol and noticed that the new shoots resembled those of the local red tea. There are a few smaller ones nearby that are similar, but the other large tea trees we've found don't look the same. Because the forest here isn't too dense, this is one of the best examples of a wide-crowned tree I've seen, though it's not the largest.”
Leaving the umbrella-like tea tree behind, we continued our journey towards the source of Roudou River. Along the way, Lan Kaixiang pointed out various tea trees growing among other trees. When we came across a dead tree on the edge of a hillside, he climbed over to take a closer look and said, “This is also a wild tea tree. It was still alive when I last saw it two years ago, but now it appears to have lost the competition with the neighboring trees and died. These wild tea trees grow and die naturally, following the normal laws of nature.”
After nearly two hours of driving and walking through the dense forest, we finally reached the “King of Tea Trees” described by Zhao