Chinese Torreya is a woody oil plant peculiar to China and a wild plant under state protection (category II). In 2021, it was identified as the city tree of Ningxiang City by the local government.
The forest land accounts for more than 68 percent of Yueshan Village in Huangcai Town, Ningxiang City. There are more than 2,800 wild Torreya trees in the local mountains, including 771 trees with a DBH (diameter at breast height) of over 20 centimeters, 92 with an age of more than 100 years and 7 with an age of more than 800 years and under first-class national protection.
The oldest is more than 1,000 years old, and only six adults can encircle it hand in hand. It has been the oldest Torreya tree in central and southern China since the Chinese Torreya community was discovered by the forestry department around 1990.
It takes three years for a Torreya tree from flowering to maturity. It is in full blossom around May, and there is a spectacular scene that a tree has ripe fruit and flowers at the same time.
With compact and golden texture, Chinese Torreya is known as a superior material for building ships, houses, furniture, etc. Huangcai Town got its name from this.
Chinese Torreya is versatile. Its fruits can be made into nuts after drying and stir-frying, or serve as medicine to relieve cough, nourish lungs, expel insects and so on. The aromatic oil of the fruits can be used to make cosmetics.

In recent years, an increasing number of tourists travelled to ancient Torreya grandis community. In order to further protect the trees and promote the development of tourism, the local government has allocated funds to renovate and harden rural roads to the ancient Torreya grandis base and build trails and supporting facilities since 2020.