Along coastline of Harbour Dongzhaigang, Qiongshan County, Hainan Province, grows a forest with a difference, known as mangrove. In 1980 China established here her first mangrove forest reserve, 3337 hectares in area.

Mangrove forests are evergreen woody plant communities that grow in salty earth along tropical sea coasts and at river mouths. Growing to a height of 3 to 4m, they have adapted to the underwater habitat of the sea and have developed special ecological and biological characteristics. Admirably adapted to their situation, they have a curious way of reproducing. Before the seeds have left the fruit, they sprout shoots that grow into green plumular axes. Once the plumular axes were washed up onto the beach, where they develop roots and sprouting. Plants that propagate in this way are called viviparous. Its buttress roots allow the plant to become firmly entrenched in the sandy seabed and its : respiratory roots allow for the fluid passage of oxygen into the plant. Its shining leaves are able to reflect strong light and expel excess saline. Not only do the forests act as a dike, protecting the banks against pounding waves; they also serve to solidify the soil? expand the area of dry land and enable a great variety of plants to settle there, forming a transitional belt between sea and land.

The Reserve boasts 16 families and near 30 species of plants, including common bruguiera, fourpetaled mangrove. mangrove, common ceriops.kadelia, rangoon creeper, common sonneratia and European verbena.