The Hainan tropical rainforest covers less than 0.05% of China’s land, but contains 11.7% of the country’s wild vascular plants.

Trees can grow to heights of over 60 meters in the rainforest, the equivalent of a 20-story apartment building.

Trees are a vast storehouse of nutrients, which return to the never ending cycle of resources upon their death. As soil in the rainforest lacks a humus layer, most tree roots sink down less than 30 centimeters below the surface. That’s where most soil nutrients are found in the rainforest.

In order to support the large bulk of the tree, the roots spread out horizontally along the ground, growing into stable bases called “buttress roots”.

Once the roots have reached a certain distance from the trunk, they drill down to anchor the tree, creating the ground floor of this massive rainforest “apartment building”. This floor is occupied by small animals and plants, while the occupants of the higher “floors” forage and roost, spreading the seeds of these giant trees.

Some of those seeds happen to fall on rocky places with no soil. Don’t worry though, the young trees use aerial roots to reach the water and nutrients they need. These aerial roots grow around the rocks, allowing the trees to survive in the most inhospitable of locations and creating incredible jungle scenes of giant rocks wrapped in thick, winding roots.

Some seeds happen to fall on the trunks of large trees. The young seedlings thrive under the protection of their big brothers, sending out aerial roots that wind down the trunk and into the soil below.

The large and small trees grow together, weathering the days and nights as the roots of the younger tree gradually develop into a thick net, caging the trunk of the larger tree.

Their embrace grows tighter and tighter as they compete for the same survival resources. The larger tree must share its sunshine, water, and nutrients with the upstart who will eventually replace it. The younger tree slowly strangles the life from the elder, taking its place in the forest ecosystem.

In the tropical rainforest, every living thing faces complex, varied environments, but no matter how hard the struggle, wisdom and strength bring a glimmer of hope, creating all kinds of incredible scenes and weaving together the mysteries of life.