Situated at the southernmost part of Yunnan Province, the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve was established in 1958 with an area of 241,000 hectares, including 197,800 hectares of primeval forests which covers 81. 8 percent of the total area. Due to its marvellous spectacle of tropical rain forests and abundant biota resources, the Reserve has become a mine of tropical biota resources in China and thus earned names "Kingdom of flora and fauna" and "Tropical bright pearl".

The Reserve has mainly a middle and low mountainous landform, with lowest altitude of 475 metres above sea level. The Reserve houses over 3,500 species of higher plants, amounting to about one eighth of China's total number of the kind. including 58 species of rare and endangered plants under state key protection amounting to 15 percent of China's total number of rare plants. It houses a rich variety of commercial plants, including over 800 species of discovered medicinal plants.

The Reserve houses also a rich variety of animals peculiar to tropical region, most of them are species of arboreal animals and tropical forest animals.
According to statistics, there -are 102 species of mammals, 427 species of birds, 38 species of amphibians, 60 species of reptiles, and 100 species of fishes. Among these, 109 species of wild animals are under state key protection, such as white—cheeked gibbon, loris, bison (2 species), Asian elephant, Indian tiger, clouded leopard, tragulid, giant lizard, hornbill (4 species ), green peafowl, jungle fowl, and parrot ( 3 species).