Saihanba is a plateau forest in Weichang County in the far north of Hebei, where since 1962 state foresters have planted a woodland of larch, pine and spruce on land that had become sandy grassland. Once part of the Qing emperors' Mulan hunting grounds, it is now a national nature reserve and national forest park, and one of the largest planted forests in the world.
- National nature reserve
- National forest park
Key facts
Overview
Saihanba lies where the Inner Mongolian Plateau meets the Yan Mountains, some 400 km north of Beijing. The name joins Mongolian saihan, “beautiful”, with Chinese ba, a high plateau edge: “the beautiful highland”. In the Qing dynasty it was forested hunting ground; by the mid-twentieth century logging, farming and fire had left sandy steppe exposed to the winds that blew dust towards the capital.
In 1962 the state founded the Saihanba Mechanised Forest Farm, and generations of foresters planted trees in a climate of long winters and short growing seasons. The result is a continuous forest of conifers and birch broken by meadows, lakes and the headwaters of the Luan River. The project has become a national symbol of ecological restoration and received the UN Champions of the Earth award in 2017.
How the landscape formed
The forest spans the transition from the Yan Mountains to the plateau: in the south, hills cut by valleys; in the north, rolling highland at around 1,500 metres covered by sandy soils blown from the steppe. Winters are long and very cold, and the growing season is short. The plateau is a watershed: the Luan River and the Liao River draw part of their headwaters from its streams and wetlands, which is why the forest matters for water supply to Beijing and Tianjin.
Highlights
Seven Star Lakes
七星湖
A chain of small lakes and marshes on the plateau, crossed by boardwalks.
Saihan Tower
塞罕塔
A lookout tower with views over the forested plateau in all directions.
Fire lookouts
望海楼
The fire watchtowers, including Wanghai Lou, where couples of foresters have kept watch for months at a time; they stand for the history of the forest farm.
Luan River source area
滦河源
Meadows and wetlands feeding one of the headwaters of the river that supplies Tianjin.
The “merit tree”
功劳树
A lone old larch said to have convinced the founders in 1962 that trees could grow here again.
Plants and wildlife
The forest is dominated by planted larch and pine, with natural birch and aspen woods and wide meadows between. It forms a shelter belt against sand from the Hunshandake sandy land to the north and supports a wide range of plateau and forest wildlife.
Plants
Prince Rupprecht's larch
华北落叶松
Larix principis-rupprechtii, the main plantation tree, turning gold in autumn.
Mongolian Scots pine
樟子松
Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, planted on the driest, sandiest ground.
White birch
白桦
Natural stands of birch line the valleys and meadows.
Globeflower
金莲花
Trollius chinensis, colouring the summer meadows orange-yellow.
Wildlife
Siberian roe deer
狍子
The commonest large mammal of the forest edges.
Black grouse
黑琴鸡
A bird of the northern forest edge that displays in spring on open ground.
Whooper swan
大天鹅
Passes through the plateau lakes on migration.
Culture and legend
From 1681 the Kangxi Emperor made the area part of the Mulan Paddock (木兰围场), where the Qing court held great autumn hunts with Mongol nobles as a mixture of military exercise and diplomacy. The court travelled there by way of the Summer Palace at Chengde. Hunting and settlement later cleared the forest. The story of the forest farm's founders — the “Saihanba spirit” of hard work in a harsh place — is told in the site's exhibition hall and has been retold in television dramas.
Mulan Paddock
木兰围场
The Qing imperial hunting ground, from which Weichang (“enclosed field”) County takes its name.
Saihanba exhibition hall
塞罕坝展览馆
Tells the history of the forest farm since 1962.
History
1681
Mulan Paddock established
Kangxi makes the plateau an imperial hunting ground for the Qing court's autumn hunts.
Late 19th century
Hunting grounds opened to settlement
Logging and farming strip the forest; sand spreads across the plateau.
1962
Saihanba Mechanised Forest Farm founded
The start of large-scale planting on the plateau.
2007
National nature reserve
Saihanba is raised to a national-level nature reserve.
2017
UN Champions of the Earth award
The UN Environment Programme honours the forest builders of Saihanba.
2021
UNCCD Land for Life Award
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification recognises the restoration work.
Through the seasons
Spring
Late and windy; the larches green only in May, and nights can still be frosty.
Summer
Cool and green, the main visitor season, with meadows full of flowers in July.
Autumn
The larches turn gold in September; the colour is short-lived before the first snows.
Winter
Long and very cold, with deep snow; temperatures regularly fall far below freezing.
Routes and ways in
Forest circuit by road
A loop road links the lakes, lookouts and meadows of the plateau; most visitors drive it over one or two days, stopping for short walks.
Walks at Seven Star Lakes
Boardwalks lead through wetland and birch woods around the lakes.
Practical notes
- Saihanba is in Weichang Manchu and Mongol Autonomous County, Chengde prefecture; the usual approach is via Chengde.
- Even in summer nights at 1,500 metres are cold; warm clothing is needed from September to May.
- Fire prevention is strict: smoking and open fires are banned throughout the forest, and some areas close in the dry seasons.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Saihanba Mechanised Forest Farm — National Forestry and Grassland Administration (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Saihanba Afforestation Community — Champions of the Earth 2017 — UN Environment Programme (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Hebei Provincial People's Government — Hebei Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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