Covering an area of 24,800 hectares, the Li Mountain Nature Reserve is situated at a place across Yuanqu, Qinshui and Yangcheng Counties, Shanxi Province, on the eastern edge of the Zhongtiao Mountain Range. Its main peak towers 2358m above sea level.

Known as "Treasure-house of plant resources in Shanxi", the area is the transitional belt for north and south biota. Over 1, 000 species of seed plants have been recorded. Many temperate plants grow there, and subtropical plants such as Chinese yew, katsuratree, storax and dogwood also occur. Forest plants contain Chinese pine, oak, needle fir and armand pine.

According to rough statistics, 222 species of terrestrial vertebrates have been found in the Reserve, of which 151 species are birds, namely, golden eagle, sparrow hawk, red falcon, black stork, long-eared owl, etc. , accounting for 54 percent of the Province's birds. Besides the abundant birds there are 45 species of mammals including rhesus macaque, leopard, musk . deer, etc. , accounting for 58 percent of the Province's niammals.

The Reserve is the northern limit of distribution of the rhesus macaque, which resides mainly at an elevation of 1500m above sea level. It is also the northern limit of distribution of subtropical long-tailed minivet and giant salamander.