Plant species that can be above 2005 meters above sea level

Modern Westerners' Biological Investigation of Wuyi Mountain [1]

Luo Guihuan

(Institute of Natural Science History, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 1000 10)

Wuyi Mountain in northwest Fujian is a famous mountain with rich biodiversity. Since Tan Weidao, a French missionary, collected many new animal and plant species there in the second half of the19th century, it has attracted wide attention from western biologists. Since then, many foreign naturalists have been conducting biological surveys and collections there. They collected a large number of animal and plant specimens from Guadun area of Wuyishan, among which a large number of birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects are new species that have not been scientifically described before. Hundreds of animal specimens collected here later became model specimens. At the beginning of the 20th century, influential books, such as "Handbook of Birds in Eastern China" and "Reptiles in China" published by Britain and the United States respectively, were closely related to this area. Based on the above reasons, Wuyi Mountain has gradually become a sacred place for animal researchers and is well known to the world.

Keywords: Wuyishan; West; biology

China Library Classification Number: O 15

Commodity identification code: commodity number:

Wuyishan is a famous mountain in the southeast of China, located at the junction of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, winding for hundreds of kilometers. Wuyi Mountain in Fujian is known as the "beautiful southeast" and is famous for its beautiful scenery. Wuyi Mountain is towering, with Huanggang Mountain, the main peak, at an altitude of 2 158 meters, which is the highest peak in southeast China. The numerous peaks and canyons here form a very complex terrain. Due to the high altitude of the mountain peak, a natural climate barrier is formed, which blocks the cold air from the north in winter and preserves a large number of warm and humid marine air masses in summer, making a large area of complete green-leaved broad-leaved forest developed here. The forest coverage rate is 95%, and the natural vegetation is the best preserved part in the southeast. At the same time, it is also the intersection of Arctic flora and paleotropical flora. In addition, different heights have different climatic types and different ecological conditions, so not only the vertical distribution zone of plants is obvious, but also different types of animal species on the north and south sides are particularly numerous. Animal geography is very distinctive. There are not only many animals belonging to the Oriental realm, but also many animal species belonging to the Palaearctic realm. Since19th century, it has been famous for its rich biodiversity. In particular, Guadun, Dazhulan and Sangang, which are listed as the core areas of Wuyishan Nature Reserve today, are all above 1000 meters above sea level and are ideal places for collecting animal and plant specimens. The species of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects here are extremely rich. According to experts, there are about 1800 species of higher plants in Wuyishan, belonging to 19 1 family, including 22 species of ginkgo, Liriodendron and hemlock, which are listed in the China Plant Red Book. There are about 100 species of mammals, accounting for a quarter of similar animals in China; Among them are rare animals such as tigers, leopards and crested deer. There are more than 400 species of birds, accounting for about one-third of similar animals in China, of which 160 species were recorded only near Guadun, including more than 40 species of silver pheasant, yellow-lipped owl and Guadun crow newly discovered in the local area. There are about 65,438+000 species of amphibians and reptiles, among which the three-gang salamander, salamander, rain frog, flat-breasted turtle and Chong 'an lizard, which are called "horned monsters", are all rare and endemic species in the world. There are more than 30 kinds of fish. There are many insects here. There are 32 orders of insects in China, 3 1 order is collected here, and the number of species is estimated to be more than 20,000 [1].

In modern times, Westerners knew about Wuyishan soon after contacting China. Of course, they know that this famous mountain is not because of its beautiful scenery, nor because it has many kinds of creatures, but because it produces Wuyi tea, which is an important export commodity of China. Therefore, modern westerners call Wuyishan the name of Wuyi tea-Bohea [2]. However, the use of this name mainly refers to Wuyishan Scenic Area or a place called Little Wuyishan, because the Jiuqu River there is a famous black tea producing area.

11the collection of westerners in Wuyishan in the middle and late 9th century.

The earliest person who collected biological specimens in Wuyishan area was British gardener R. Fortune1812-1880. He went to Wuyishan Scenic Area today and was attracted by the tea production there. This man was hired by the British Horticultural Society to collect garden plants in China on 1843, and in the following two years, he went to tea gardens in Ningbo and Fuzhou, Zhejiang Province to learn about tea production. Because of this, he was attracted by the British East India Company, which tried to develop tea production in India. 1948, he was hired by the company and came to China for the second time, mainly collecting tea seeds and sending them to India. 1849 In May, in order to collect the best tea varieties, Fu Qiong decided to go to the famous Wuyishan black tea producing area for investigation and collection. He first went from Shanghai to Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and then to Guanbai, hired a boat to enter Qiantang River, went upstream, passed through Yanzhou, Lanxi, Longyou and Quzhou, entered Yushan, Jiangxi, and then went to Guangxin (Shangrao), from Guangxin to the southwest to a big black tea market (lead mountain), and then continued south to Wuyishan District. Fu Qiong collected many wild plants along the mountain road at the junction of Fujian and Jiangxi. These plants were later taken to Shanghai, temporarily stored in the garden of British businessman Bill, and then sent to Europe. The plants he introduced from there include Chinese tallow, an economic plant with great ornamental value.

After Fu Qiong entered Fujian, he first made a survey in the periphery of the black tea producing area, and then passed through the west side of Chong 'an to the scenic Wuyishan, which is located in the famous "Wuyi Tea" producing area in the west. After learning about the cultivation and production of tea in the nearby tea area, he also visited some temples, and finally came to the scenic Jiuqu River, where he stayed for three days. The best black tea is produced there, namely "Little Black Tea" and "Bai Hao". Fu Qiong lost no time in investigating the planting and production materials of tea. After several days of investigation and tea seedling collection, he arrived in Pucheng, the north street of the east longitude. Pucheng is also a tea production and sales center. After learning about the local tea production and marketing, I went north to Zhejiang, passed through Erbadu, Xiakouzhai and clear lake Town to Jiangshan, and left Zhejiang along Fuchun River to Shanghai [2].

After Fu Qiong, an Englishman named F.S.A.Bourne went to Wuyi Palace in Wuyishan Scenic Area, where he collected plant specimens such as Runnan. He also saw the local specialty Bambusa tetragona, which was one of the first westerners to see this living plant.

The first westerner to conduct a large-scale biological investigation and collection in Wuyishan was a French missionary, A. David. When collecting biological specimens in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, missionaries heard that Fujian, which is adjacent to Jiangxi, is a place with very rich animal species, so they went to Fujian from Jiangxi in the autumn of 1873. At the beginning of June+10, 65438, he went to Wangmaozhai on the border between Fujian and Jiangxi, then entered Chong 'an in Wuyishan District, northwest Fujian, and settled in a missionary point called Guadungeshan Village. This place is the core area of Wuyishan nature protection at present, with an altitude of more than 1800 meters and well-preserved natural vegetation. It is located about 70 kilometers northwest of Wuyishan Scenic Area.

They found many new species here, including the first discovery of the genus Mylabris, which is rare and only distributed intermittently in a few places in China, and was unknown at that time [3], as well as the specimens of Bigfoot mouse and red-bellied mouse. He also collected many new bird species there, including a local native bird-bird. And golden pheasant with red belly, Castanea henryi, Alcippe, golden pheasant with brown eyebrows in Alcippe and golden pheasant with grey head. He also collected many new plant species such as Gentiana macrophylla, Cryptomeria fortunei and Torreya grandis in Wuyishan area [5]. Later, because this preacher was terminally ill here and his life was dying [3], he had to give up his collection and later returned to France via Shanghai. Because he collected many new species of animals there, which attracted the attention of western biologists, Guadun became famous overseas and became a place that some naturalists yearned for later, which objectively opened the curtain that it became a sacred place for model specimens.

Inspired by Tan Weidao's collection of many new bird species in Guadun, J.de La Touche, an Englishman who works in China Customs and Taxation Department, used his position in Fujian to collect animal specimens in Wuyishan District. From 1896 to 1898, he and another ornithologist named Ricote went to Guadun and Dazhulan to collect animal specimens for a period of time. At that time, many hunters in Wuyishan area often used their leisure time to kill all kinds of birds and animals to increase their income. One of the hunters, Tang, was very skillful, so Latauqi hired this family for a long time to collect specimens for them in the wild. There, they collected the orange-backed finch (Paradoxornis nipalensis pallidus), the brown-headed pheasant (Yuhina brunneiceps pallida), Locustella ochotensis pleskei and the alpine short-feathered warbler (Brady Perus Seebohmi Melanohyncha) [same as 4,692,706,726,733]. Cats such as Golden Cat (formerly named Felis temmincki) and various insectivorous animals such as Mogera robusta were also collected, as well as Chiroptera such as rat-tailed bat, horseshoe bat and spotted bat and various rodents such as bamboo rat and squirrel [same with 3,30-186]. There are also many new species. In addition, they also collected many insect specimens, such as beetles, butterflies and bees [6]. During this period, an Englishman named F.W.Styan was also collecting animal specimens at the hanging dock, including new species of mammals such as M. Huttoni [same page 3,274]. The specimens they collected were later sent to the British Museum of Natural History. With the publication of related research results, the rich birds and insects here have further attracted the attention of the world biology community.

Western collections in Wuyi Mountain in the early 20th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, A. Stanley, a British doctor living in Shanghai, China, began to pay attention to the animals in Wuyishan area. The doctor is an amateur zoologist. 1906- 192 1, director of the museum of the Asian Literature Society in Shanghai. During this period, he managed to collect many reptile specimens in the south of China. Most of these specimens are from Fujian, and quite a few of them were collected in Guadun before 19 16. Some of these specimens were sent to the British Museum of Natural History, including several new species [7]. The Museum of the Asian Literature Society has a great influence on westerners in China. With the exhibition of animals in the collection, the rich reptile species in Wuyishan gradually attracted the attention of westerners.

192 1 year, C. H. Pope, a young American biologist who just graduated from the University of Virginia, took part in the exploration activities in Central Asia organized by the Museum of Natural History in new york, USA, and collected animals, especially reptiles, extensively in eastern China. 1April, 925, collected in the famous mountain areas in northwest Fujian. He first went to Yanping (Nanping) in northern Fujian, and collected in a deep and wide canyon about 25 miles away from the town for more than a month. He got 27 kinds of snakes, 20 kinds of frogs and about 12 kinds of lizards, which made him very excited. His collection in Yanping lasted for some time, and with the help of local collectors, the harvest was very impressive. In addition to amphibians and reptiles, a large number of specimens of mammals and fish were collected. Later, in early June, he left Yanping for Wuyishan Scenic Area. He soon found that people here were not interested in collecting specimens for him, and the altitude of that place was too low for many large wild animals, and the vegetation covered was not ideal. Although he found that there were some mammals adapted to bushes and hilly secondary forests, such as "goats" (then Sumatra Capricorn) and porcupines, it was not an ideal animal collection place. From the perspective of academic research, the geological significance of that place is greater than the biological significance. Therefore, in mid-June, we continued to the northwest to Guadun area near the main peak of Wuyishan District. Because it is not only high above sea level, but also the virgin forest is well maintained, and because the collections of Tan Weidao and La Tao Qi have long been famous, it is known as a paradise for zoologists to collect specimens [4].

The Pope soon arrived at this magical place. Because of long-term contact with foreign animal collectors, the residents there are not only good at collecting animal specimens, but also experts in skinning animals. Shortly after his arrival, the residents began to send him some specimens of reptiles. Pope immediately hired several people to help him hunt, collect and sort out various animal specimens. He later lived in Sangang, and the animals he wanted were quickly collected by the villagers for him. Later, the villagers sent him a large number of various animal specimens. By mid-July, due to foot disease, Pope wanted to do some collection in the coastal area of Fuzhou, so he temporarily ended the collection here.

Pope left Guadun, went south to Fuzhou, and traveled in Gushan and other places in the northeast of Fuzhou for several days. Later, I went to Fuqing and collected animals in the mountainous area around a temple, and the animal species obtained were roughly the same as those in Yanping. 10 months later, due to the cold weather, amphibians and reptiles went into hibernation, making it difficult to collect. So he mainly collects mammals there.

1926 In late April, Pope returned to Sangang and Guadun in Wuyishan. His former assistants have been familiar with the collection and production of specimens, and he is free to go to the field for actual investigation and collection. He collected there for more than five months and did what he thought was the most successful work. Later, he went to Fuqing to collect and tried to hunt a tiger specimen there, but because of bad luck, although he had found a tiger, he failed to get it in the end. In almost half a year, he collected specimens of 45 different types of animals, including bats, rodents, fragrant cats, wild cats, badgers, foxes, mongooses, deer and monkeys. In addition, there are a large number of snakes, lizards, many rare wart salamanders, various types of toads and frogs and a variety of fish specimens [8].

1926, British taxidermist f·t· Smith led people to collect animal specimens in Guadun area of Wuyishan with the support of "China Science and Art Society" composed of several foreigners. He was accompanied by a photographer from the Fashion Photography Department of British American Tobacco Company. After Guadun collected many exotic animal specimens from Tanwei Island, La Tao Qi and Pope collected many new species there, which is a famous origin of model specimens. It is for this reason that they also hope to make a name for themselves here. They first went to Fuqing in the south of Fuzhou in June+10, 5438, and collected some valuable animal specimens such as otters in Haikou town, about 20 miles away from the town. I also went to Fuqing seaside for investigation and collection, and saw migratory waterfowl such as wild ducks and swans. And took a lot of scenic photos in that place. In Fuqing, they met the American scholar Pope mentioned earlier. Pope received them warmly and introduced the species of animals he saw in the local area, some places he visited in Minjiang River last year and his animal collection. After collecting in Fuqing for a period of time, it arrived in Fuzhou and went north along the Minjiang River. Photographers photographed local life scenes, wild animals and beautiful mountains and rivers along the Minjiang River along the way. After arriving in Jianyang, the photographer returned to Shanghai.

Smith and his family arrived in Sangang in mid-May, where they met Pope again. The latter has been there for nearly a month. Pope introduced them to the species of animals in Wuyishan Port and other places, as well as the folk methods of catching animals. Sangang is more than 20 kilometers away from Guadun, which is the base for foreigners to collect animal specimens in Wuyishan. Later, Smith, his assistant and two hired hunters went deeper into the hanging dock. Unfortunately, it is the tea harvest season in the local area, and no one in the local area is willing to hunt them; In addition, it was also the season of plant growth, and the vegetation was particularly rich. It was difficult to find animals in the forest and it was not suitable for hunting. September to165438+1October in autumn is a good season for hunting. So although the hunters he took were very diligent, he didn't get as many animals as they thought. However, they still obtained about 280 specimens of mammals, birds and amphibians and reptiles within one month. Although the number is not very large, they found that there are indeed many kinds of animals here, which is worthy of being one of the most famous type specimens in China, because 80% of the specimens they obtained are not duplicates. Among them, the notable mammals include two ring-necked gibbons, two macaques, a macaque, a golden cat (F.temmincki), civets, bamboo rats and some valuable rodents; Birds include yellow-bellied pheasant, silver pheasant and some unusual birds, as well as some rare snakes and frogs. They noticed that there were many orioles there and collected specimens. In addition, they collected 500 or 600 kinds of beetle specimens [9].

Probably influenced by La Taoqi and Smith's insect collection work, during the period from 1937 to 1939, German Crapa Ritchie went to Guadun and Dazhulan in Wuyishan area to collect insect specimens, and the obtained specimens were not less than160,000 [with pages 6 and 27]. Another German businessman Horn (H.H.? Ne) also collected many insect specimens in Wuyishan. Because these two Germans collected so many insect specimens there, Westerners began to notice that this was simply an "insect world".

3. Western scholars' research on Wuyishan animals

The animal and plant specimens collected by Tan Weidao in Wuyishan were sent to the Paris Museum of Natural History. Among them, animal specimens are mainly published by A.Milne-Edwards)[6], a zoologist at the University of Paris [6]. The research results of birds collected by him can be found in the book Birds in China [10] which he cooperated with M.E.Oustalet. His achievements in these two aspects will undoubtedly play an important role in promoting collectors who come to Guadun and other places later.

According to his collection in Wuyishan area, La Tao Qi published a large number of research papers on birds in China, and later published the Handbook of Birds in Eastern China [1 1]. This book mainly describes 750 species and subspecies of birds in coastal provinces such as Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. This book is regarded by westerners as another good monograph of China ornithology after Tan Weidao's Birds in China. Many of them are new species collected from Guadun and other places. Tan Weidao and La tao qi's monographs on birds gradually made people notice that Wuyishan is a bird kingdom. Later, the insect specimens collected by Latozzi were mainly sent to the British Museum of Natural History. After finishing and publishing by relevant experts, people began to pay attention to the rich insect species there.

The animals that Pope collected in Wuyishan were quickly studied and sorted out by some of his colleagues in the United States. J. T. Nichols of new york Natural Museum published fish specimens, including six new species. K.P. Schmidt made a partial study of his collection of amphibians and reptiles. Later, he did his own research, and the final result was embodied in his book Reptiles in China [12]. He thinks that the reptiles in Sangang and Guadun are particularly rich, with 35 kinds of snakes and 24 kinds of frogs. Among them, 6 species are new species that have not been recorded scientifically. There are 9 species of lizards belonging to 6 families, and only 2 species of salamanders. He estimated that there are 80 species of amphibians and reptiles in the area. He even thinks this is the key to the study of reptiles in China.

Most of the specimens collected by British herbalist Smith were sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, USA, and some of them were left in the Natural History Museum of Asia Society in Shanghai. The macaque they collected was once designated as a new species by an American zoologist, but it didn't seem to be recognized later. Crapa Ritchie and others collected a large number of insect specimens and many new species. From 1938 to 1939, German entomologist A. Caradja published more than 100 new species of moths based on his collected specimens. Later, another German entomologist published 370 species of weevils in this area in 1958, of which 228 were new species. 1973, entomologist Frey published 28 species of scarabs [same page 6, 27]. Of course, they only describe some specimens, but it is enough to reveal that the insect species in Wuyishan area are indeed very rich.

The biological investigation of modern westerners in Wuyishan, like the investigation in other parts of China, has its special social background and other reasons. But fundamentally speaking, it is a concrete manifestation of China's backwardness. On the one hand, after China was forced to open to the outside world, westerners can gradually travel wherever they want and collect whatever they want. On the other hand, because of their early development of modern biology, they are interested in collecting specimens all over the world to expand their knowledge. A church later established by Americans in Sangang has almost become a good resident specimen collection base for foreign collectors. Guadun missionary point is a good place for westerners to collect specimens in this deep mountain. Of course, as far as the specific collectors are concerned, it also reflects the unique shrewdness and adventurous spirit of British businessmen at that time. The agility and tenacity peculiar to French missionaries; Americans are good at using money to hire people for our use.

The biological collection and research work of westerners in the mountainous area around Guadun unveiled the veil of being a gene bank of rare species here. Guadun, Dazhulan and Sangang are also famous at home and abroad. Nowadays, almost no one who is engaged in the study of fauna will not know these places, because they are sacred places for making model specimens. Many famous natural museums in the world, such as Paris Natural Museum, London Natural Museum, Berlin Natural Museum, new york Natural Museum, Washington Natural Museum and Shanghai Natural Museum [8], have a large number of animal specimens produced there. There are hundreds of animal model specimens. With the development of Chinese learning and the improvement of people's understanding, Wuyishan was finally established as a nature reserve in 1979. China people finally realized the value of this rare species gene pool. Obviously, the work of the former westerners has also established a good atmosphere and far-reaching influence for them to become the world's "natural heritage". However, it also contains the lament and sorrow of biologists in modern China, and reflects the epitome of the difficult course of biological development in modern China.

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Date of receipt

About the author: Luo Guihuan, born in 1956, Liancheng, Fujian, is a researcher at the Institute of Natural Science History, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

At the time of writing this article, Professor Zhou Yao from Northwest A&F University gave me some information about Krapperich, and the author would like to express his deep gratitude.

Fund Project: Knowledge Innovation Project of China Academy of Sciences (No.:KJCX2-W6)

[2] According to Baylor, this name is a local dialect. See: E. Bretschneider, The Discovery History of European Botany in China. Leipzig, 1962, P.4 1 1. I think it may be the transliteration of "Bai Hao", the local black tea.

[3] The late Professor Zhang said that Tan Weidao's "hometown is always his hometown" is not true (see his essay "The History of China's Taxonomy", which contains China's Historical Materials on Science and Technology1987,8 (6)16). )

[4] A.C. Sorbi, Travel and Exploration, China Journal,1926,4 (4)176.

[5] Established in 1923.

[6] The scholar was then the curator of the Paris Museum of Natural History.

[7] Fu Qiong and La Tao Qi are essentially businessmen.

[8] The Museum of Natural History of the Asian Language Society was incorporated into it.

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[1] Li Wenhua, Zhao Xianying, China Nature Reserve, Beijing: Commercial Press, 1995, pp. 48-54.

[2]r. Fortune, two visits to tea countries in China and British tea gardens in Himalayan region, London: John Murray, 1853, 125-247.

[3] G.M. Allen, Mammals in China and Mongolia, new york: American Museum of Natural History, 1938, preface.

Zheng, List of Birds in China, Beijing: Science Press,1976,641.653.680.684.707.

[5] M.A. France, Giant Panda Plant, Volume 1, Paris: G.Masson, Editions 1884, 21,29 1, 293.

Wang Siming, Zhou Yao, History of Modern Entomology in China, Xi: Shaanxi Science and Technology Press,1995,26.

[7] Sorbi, A.C., Natural History of China, Jour. National Committee of Canada. R.A.S., 19 16, vol. 53, p. 15.

[8] Sorbi, A.C. Travel and Exploration, China Journal,1926,4 (4)176.

[9] Smith, F.T., Fujian Scientific Investigation, China Journal,1926,5 (3)128-131

David, A. and M. E. Ostaret, China's Ocean. Paris: Library of Academy of Medical Sciences 1877.

Handbook of Birds in Eastern China, Doctor of Law. 1: 1-500, 1925- 1930; 2: xxiii， 1-566， 193 1- 1934。 London: Taylor and Francis. 1925- 1934.

Pope, C.H., Reptiles in China. New york: American Museum of Natural History, 1935.

abstract

Wuyi Mountain in northwest Fujian is a famous mountain with rich biodiversity. Since Tan Weidao, a French missionary, collected many new animal and plant species there in the second half of the19th century, it has attracted wide attention from western biologists. Since then, many foreign naturalists have been conducting biological surveys and collections there. He is famous for Latozzi in England, Pope in America and Crapa Ritchie in Germany. They all collected a large number of animal specimens from Guadun area of Wuyishan, but it is particularly worth mentioning that La tao qi's work made people notice that this is the kingdom of birds; Pop's works reveal that this place is the "key" to study amphibians and reptiles in China and even Asia, while Crapa Ritchie's collection reveals that this place is an "insect" world. A large number of birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects they collected are all new species that have not been scientifically described before. There are hundreds of species that later became type specimens. At the beginning of the 20th century, influential books, such as "Handbook of Birds in Eastern China" and "Reptiles in China" published by Britain and the United States respectively, were closely related to this area. Based on the above reasons, Wuyi Mountain has gradually become a sacred place for animal researchers and is well known to the world.

abstract

Wuyishan in the northwest of Fujian is a famous mountain with biodiversity. Since the French missionary David brought back many new animal and plant species from the mountain at the end of 19 century, the mountain has aroused widespread interest in western biology. Since then, many western naturalists have gone there for biological investigation and collection. British doctor of law La Tush, American biologist C.H Pope and German J. clapper Ritchie, who are customs officials in China, are all outstanding figures. They all collected large animal specimens at Guadun (Kutun) in Wuyishan. However, it is worth pointing out that La Tush's work led to the discovery of the bird kingdom; Pope's work makes him the "key" to study amphibians and reptiles in China and even Asia. Krapperich's collection shows that it belongs to a kingdom of insects. The specimens of birds, reptiles and insects they collected have produced many new species. Later, hundreds of animal specimens became model specimens. Handbook of birds and reptiles in eastern China. What was published in Britain and America at the beginning of the 20th century showed remarkable relevance. For these reasons, Wuyishan is widely known as a paradise for zoologists.

Keywords: creatures in the west of Wuyishan