Surface pollen (sampled in 1984 and 2017) and fossil pollen, collected in the Luoji Mountains in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, were used to analyse the relationship between pollen assemblages and their associated vegetation. Arboreal pollen constituted 91.0%, and the main pollen taxa were Pinus, Abies, Cyclobananopsis, evergreen Quercus, deciduous Quercus, Alnus, Ericaceae, Gramineae, and Artemisia. On the whole, pollen assemblage-vegetation community associations were strong for artificial and secondary forests, moderate for coniferous-deciduous broadleaf mixed forest, and weak for evergreen broadleaved forest, coniferous forest and shrub-meadow. In addition, detrended correspondence analysis showed that disturbed and natural vegetation can be effectively distinguished by pollen spectra. However, artificial and secondary forests, evergreen broadleaved forest, coniferous-deciduous broadleaf mixed forest, coniferous forest, and shrub-meadow were not accurately represented by their pollen spectra. There was a significant difference in surface pollen assemblages over the past 30 years. The main pollen taxa were Pinus, Cyclobananopsis and Alnus in 1984, and Pinus and Alnus in 2017. Under increasing human activity, Pinus yunnanensis and Alnus cremastogyne have large-scale cultivation which has induced an inverse correlation of disturbance intensity between surface pollen assemblages and their associated vegetation. The relationship between surface pollen assemblages and the existing vegetation can provide a reference for reconstruction of palaeovegetation and the palaeoenvironment. However, pollen spectra where native vegetation has been destroyed cannot be used to reconstruct palaeovegetation. This study provides theoretical support and a practical reference for reconstructing the palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate of the Quaternary, and can also aid understanding of the relationship between human activities and the environment.