Corylus chinensis, the Chinese hazelnut, was widely distributed in Asia during the Tertiary period, but is now endangered and only disjunctively distributed in the mid-high mountains of subtropical China. However, its genetic characteristics, demographic history, and adaptive potential remain largely unknown. Based on genomics and conservation genomics, Yang et al. provided the first comprehensive look at the demographic history of population collapse, local adaptation, and the potential for future recovery of this endangered species. The results can provide theoretical basis for conservation and introduction, and offer a typical case for exploring the adaptive strategies of endangered plants to cope with climate change.