The 20-ha Xishuangbanna plot was established in 2007 and is located in the south of Yunnan Province, southwest China, 21°36'42''-58''N, 101°34'26''-47''E. The plot is tropical forest, and annual average temperature is 21.8°C. The mean annual rainfall of Xishuangbanna is 1493 mm, and the rain season is from May to October, precipitation accounting for 84% of the annual rainfall. Plot elevation varies from 709.27 m to 869.14 m above sea level.

A total of 95,834 individuals with dbh ≥ 1 cm were recorded in the 20 hm2 plot; 95,498 individuals were identified to species level. The plot includes 468 species in 213 genera and 70 families, except for another 336 individuals that have not yet been identified. The flora of the plot is composed mainly of species in tropical families. Shorea wantianshuea, which dominates the forest canopy, ranks second in terms of importance value, although it has the largest basal area. Pittosporopsis kerrii, an understory tree species, in the most abundant species (20,918 individuals). The four canopy species have a large number of juveniles and exhibit size structures with reverse-J shape associated with continuously regenerating populations. Young trees (saplings and poles) have a clumped spatial distribution, but adults tend to have a random distribution. Most of the 12 rare tree species in the plot show aggregated distribution patterns.