Abstract:The subtropical forest and red soil hilly region interlace in southern China is one of the largest eco-environmental protection areas, and it plays a crucial role in ecological civilization and national sustainable development. Achieving sustainable development of the region requires extensive actions to make economic and social progress, and at the same time, to strengthen eco-environmental protection. Qianyanzhou Ecological Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences (“Qianyanzhou Station” for short), locates in typical red soil hilly region, mainly studies the subtropical forest ecosystem structure and function. The station has observed the key ecological processes and patterns across plantations, evergreen broad-leaved forests, secondary forests, and other ecosystems for a long time. The station developed the “Qianyanzhou Model,” which successively controlled the soil erosion and significantly enhanced ecological services and economic benefits, set an excellent example for this ecological restoration. The station is the earliest forest site to observe carbon and water flux in China, breaking through the technical bottleneck of collaborative observation of eddy-covariance and stable isotope technology. Further, they studied the mechanism of how subtropical forests respond to global changes from trees to region, and clarified the subtropical forest was a vital carbon sink in the northern hemisphere. The satiation revealed the coupling mechanism of material cycles and eco-hydrological processes from water-catchment to Ganjiang watershed. Qianyanzhou Station built several important demonstration models of multi-purpose forest management, and developed theory for subtropical forest ecosystem and management. Based on long-term study of root ecological process, the researchers of the station have unearthed evolutionary theory and provided the explanations for the root economic spectrum. Qianyanzhou Station is a typical station for subtropical forest, and represents a holistic restoration and sustainable development for mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, providing a critical field platform for studying the subtropical forest ecosystems succession. It has also become a comprehensive station for regional observation and research, focusing on interdisciplinary studies between life sciences and geosciences.