Established in 1986, Maoxian Research Station of Mountain Ecosystem (Abbreviated as:Maoxian Station) is subordinate to Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In 2003, it was selected as a key research station by Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN). It lies in Fengyi Town of Maoxian County，Sichuan, China, at E 103°53′44″，N 31°41′46″, with an altitude of 1 816 meters.
Geographically, Maoxian Station is located in the middle part of the upper reaches of Minjiang River (one of the largest tributaries of Yangtze River)，northern valley of Hengduan Mountains Region and eastern fringe of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau．Topographically, the region acts as the transitional area from first class terrace to the second one in China．It also represents the most fragile alpine valley ecosystem at the eastern fringe of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the upper reaches of Yangtze River．Relative height difference reaches up to 3000 meters in this region, with an apparent altitudinal zonation of vegetation and climate. Due to its sensitivity and vulnerability to the environmental change, it is listed as one of the most unique mountain areas in China and in the world.
Detailed information on the Station:
Natural Conditions Maoxian Station lies in the middle part of the upper reaches of Minjiang River (an important tributary of Yangtze River), northern valley of Hengduan Mountains, eastern fringe of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(103°53′44″E, 31°41′46″N, 1 816m a.s.l.).It belongs to the zone of temperate climate, with an annual average temperature of 8.6 ℃ and an annual average precipitation of 919.5 mm. Annual evaporation and sunshine reaches 795.8 mm and 1139.8 hours respectively, with an annual frost-free period of 200 days. It is mainly made up of brown soil. Man-made forest, as the main vegetation, is widely distributed in the area. Such vegetation as shrub forest of dry valleys, coniferous forest of middle part of the mountains, coniferous forest of subalpine, subalpine shrub, alpine meadows etc can be found at different altitudes.