Rare Flowers and Exotic Trees, Precious Plants (Part 2)
Section 2: Bizarre Ancient Trees, Unusual Creatures — A Dog That Walks Like a Human. On the sidewalk south of the main street in Cili County town, a small white curly-haired dog walked upright alongside its owner, waving its front paws, drawing many passersby's attention. The owner, Mr. Wang, named the dog "Lady."
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section II
Strange Ancient Trees, Unusual Creatures
A Dog That Walks Like a Human — The Little Dog That Can Stand and Walk on Two Legs
On the sidewalk south of the main street in Cili County town, a small white curly-haired dog walks upright following its owner, its two front paws constantly waving, attracting the gaze of many passersby. The dog's owner is citizen Grandpa Wang, and the little dog he raised is named "Lady" and has just turned one year old. He began training it to stand with food when it was young, and slowly, it actually could stand and walk. Later, he persisted in encouraging "Lady" to walk with food every day, and by about 5 months old it could walk long distances on the street. Now "Lady" can stand on two legs and walk over 700 meters in one go.
Rare Old Turtle Discovered for the First Time in Dongjiang Lake — The Temple Turtle
On August 23, 2008, He Honghua discovered a rare century-old turtle at the entrance of Tangwan River into Dongjiang Lake in Shangli Village, Qingjiang Township, Zixing City, Chenzhou. The turtle was over 40 cm long and weighed 26 jin. Experts from the Zixing forestry department were subsequently invited to examine it. The turtle has a relatively small head with a black top scattered with small yellow speckles, a pointed snout, black eye sockets with yellow flecks, and a "W" shape at the center of the upper jaw — all consistent with the characteristics of a temple turtle. Its age should be over 300 years. It likely came ashore this time to lay eggs on the beach, as May to October is their egg-laying season. This is also the first time a temple turtle has been discovered in Dongjiang Lake.
Truly Emotional Animals — The Grief-Stricken, Tear-Shedding Mother Cow
In the household of Liu Changshi in Dalu Village, Nanni Township, Dongkou County, Hunan Province, there was a 12-year-old water buffalo cow. Her calf was born right in the cold winter and later suddenly died. After the calf died, the mother cow shed tears of grief, utterly heartbroken, bellowing at the sky all day, refusing both water and grass and fine feed, and after a week she starved herself to death.
A Gecko That Can Run Back and Forth Without Turning Around Discovered in Hongjiang — The Two-Headed Gecko
On June 3, 2008, Mr. Li, owner of Chengfa Antique Shop opposite the escort agency scenic spot in Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town, discovered a two-headed gecko at his shop entrance. The gecko was about 10 cm long, with two heads of different sizes at the front and back. The larger was the main head, no different from an ordinary gecko, while the secondary head had eyes on both sides and a very small mouth. In addition, the toes of the gecko's four feet each pointed toward the head's direction, and it had only front feet, no hind feet. It walked very slowly and could run back and forth in two opposite directions without turning around.
A Two-Legged Amphibian with Suction Cups on Its Legs Discovered in Hunan — The Suction-Cup Frog
In the home of a resident of Yanling County, a frog with suction cups on its feet was found clinging to the window glass, about 15 cm long, catching mosquitoes in a "combat" posture. This frog had suction cups on all four feet — 8 on the front pair and 10 on the back pair. These 18 suction cups firmly "gripped" the smooth window glass at a 90-degree angle. Frogs are amphibians that spend most of their time in water, green mountains, or land near water. This frog, however, used the window glass as its "base" and mosquitoes as its food, catching mosquitoes on the window glass — truly remarkable.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Spectacle of Iron Trees Blooming in Hongjiang — Two Iron Trees Blooming Simultaneously
In the flowerbed of the courtyard of the Hongjiang City People's Procuratorate, two iron trees transplanted only two years ago unexpectedly bloomed simultaneously with pagoda-shaped, golden-yellow flowers. The two iron trees stand close together, both about 1 meter tall, with lush foliage and thriving growth. The flowers are located at the heart of the trees, over 50 cm tall and over 10 cm in diameter. Judging from their spindle-shaped flowers, both trees are male. The iron tree, also known as cycad or sago palm, is an evergreen tree with male and female varieties. It generally does not bloom in temperate zones and is an elegant ornamental tree species. Normally, an iron tree must be planted for over 10 years before it blooms, and its flowering period can last over a month. Male iron trees have spindle-shaped flowers, while female iron trees have hemispherical flowers.
The Ancient Camphor Tree God Discovered in Xinhua — The Ancient Camphor Tree of Louxia Village, Xinhua
In Louxia Village, Xinhua County, locals have long worshipped an ancient tree as the "Tree God." This tree is an ancient camphor tree that has grown in the village for countless years. Its trunk is tall and large, shaped like a canopy, occupying nearly a hundred square meters around it. Even more interesting is that a wax tree has grown from a hollow in the camphor tree, like an ancestor cradling a newborn descendant. Based on the local genealogy, experts have determined that this ancient camphor tree has a history of over a thousand years.
A Solar-Term Tree That Can Predict the Annual Harvest Discovered in Xupu — The Dahua Magnolia Tree
In Dahua Township, Xupu County, there is a magnolia tree aged 700 years, 17 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of 125 cm and a canopy covering 260 square meters. Locals call this tree the "Solar-Term Tree" and predict the harvest based on how many flowers bloom that year. When the flowers are in full bloom, whichever side of the canopy has more flowers, the rice on that side will have a bumper harvest. It is said this prediction has over 300 years of verified history. The Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era "Xupu County Annals" records: "This tree dates from the Yuan Dynasty. It withered during the Kangxi reign of the early Qing and revived decades later, with quite flourishing branches and leaves. The tree is not very tall but shaped like a canopy. The number of its flowers corresponds to whether the annual harvest is good or poor, and this has been repeatedly verified."
A Chongyang Wood Tree in Zhijiang That Can Predict Floods — the Yangxi Cloud Tree
In Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, on the bank of the Yangxi River, a tributary of the Yuan River, there stands a tree 15 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of 394 centimeters at breast height and a canopy covering 750 square meters. Beneath the tree stands a stone tablet inscribed "Yangxi Cloud Tree." According to the Qianlong-era "Yuanzhou Prefectural Gazetteer" of the Qing Dynasty, this tree was planted in the Han Dynasty, had already grown into a massive giant by the Song Dynasty, and was one of the famous Eight Scenes of Zhijiang during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Historical records state that this Chongyang wood tree can predict floods. Legend has it that every year, seven or eight days before the Yuan River rises in the seventh and eighth months, the leaves of the Chongyang wood tree become covered with red aphids the size of sesame seeds. When these insects appear, flood-control measures must be taken immediately, otherwise the tree and the surrounding buildings will surely be submerged — a prediction that has been verified for more than 600 years.
Hunan's King of Trees, Over 2,000 Years Old — the Thousand-Year Tree
The Yangxi Cloud Tree is located at the mouth of the Yangxi River, 3 kilometers south of the seat of Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County. Planted during the Western Han Dynasty, it has a history of more than two thousand years and can truly be called the king of trees. Locals call it the "Joy Tree," "Chongyang Wood," or "Thousand-Year Tree," and it has been listed in the province's register of ancient trees. Along the nine-hundred-li course of the Wushui River, only four such Chongyang trees survive. The tree is 16 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 11.5 meters and a canopy area of 206 square meters. The lower trunk is hollow inside, large enough for visitors to set up tables and stools to drink, compose poetry, and play chess. The upper part splits into three branches extending outward, their foliage interlocking in a dense, bushy tangle — a thick shade up close, and from afar a cloud-like mass towering into the sky.
A Strange Tree Discovered in Hongjiang, Hunan, That Can Forecast Snow — the Snowflake Tree
In Hongjiang, in southwestern Hunan, there are three "snowflake trees" that can forecast snowfall. Every year, about a week before it snows, these three trees burst into bloom with large white flowers all over. However many times it snows in a year, the trees bloom that many times. Of the three trees, the largest has a trunk diameter of 1.1 meters at breast height and stands more than 10 meters tall, with luxuriant foliage that stays green year-round.
A Strange Tree Discovered in Hengyang That Needs Intravenous Treatment — the Ginkgo
On the square of the Hengyang Municipal Government in Hunan stands a strange tree — a ginkgo that needs oxygen and intravenous drips when it "falls ill." This ginkgo is already 200 years old. Once, its leaves began to yellow and wither, showing symptoms of being in "critical condition," so gardeners quickly dug holes at the base and buried pipes to give the ginkgo oxygen, and hung ten IV bottles on the tree filled with glucose and other biological agents to give it an intravenous drip. Tree IV therapy is basically the same as when a person is ill, using the same tubing as for humans, with the needle inserted directly into the trunk. After a period of oxygen and IV treatment, the ginkgo's "condition" clearly improved and its leaves turned green again.
A Strange Tree Discovered in Ningxiang with No Branches or Leaves — the Pond Cypress
In Ningxiang County, Hunan, at the top of "Five Dragons Paying Homage to the Sage" peak of Chengqiang Mountain in Huangcai Town, there is a well, and beside it grows a tall pond cypress. Not far from this pond cypress grow six small pond cypresses. Strangely, these six pond cypresses all have no branches and no leaves, and the tallest is no more than 30 centimeters, as thick as a rice bowl, shaped like arhats. Why do these pond cypresses grow so strangely? Did they grow this way naturally, or did someone deliberately train them into this shape? At present, no one knows.
A Giant Tree with a Hollow Trunk Big Enough for a Tractor to Pass Through — the Great China Fir of Shuren Village
In Shuren Village, Quanshiqiao Town, Longhui County, there is a great China fir, dozens of meters tall with a trunk several meters in diameter — its height and girth are rare in the province. Its base is hollow, forming a large opening through which a walking tractor can drive. Out of a primitive worship of the great fir, many locals adopt it as a godfather, becoming its nominal children in the hope of drawing some kind of power from the great tree so that they too may live to a hundred like this ancient mountain tree — thus giving rise to the curious custom of adopting a tree as a father.
A Rare 3-Meter-Tall Peony Discovered in Changsha — the Thousand-Year Peony
In March 2008, in the peony garden of Changsha's Wangling Park, there was a thousand-year-old peony about 3 meters tall with a crown spread of 5 square meters. On its vigorous, aged branches hung blossoms of full, luxurious peony blooms. The flowers were white tinged with red, about 10 centimeters across. This thousand-year peony had been transplanted the previous year from a farmer's home in Yongshun, western Hunan. It belongs to the Fengdan series, a descendant community of the ancient Yangshan peony, and its flowering period lasts more than a month. Peonies are shrubs with semi-woody branches and are very difficult to grow tall, so a peony this tall is truly rare.
The Ancient Camphor with the Largest Canopy Discovered in Liuyang — the Shashi Ancient Camphor
In Taohua Village, Shashi Town, Liuyang City, there is an ancient camphor that has the largest canopy of all trees in Hunan. Its largest limb, which casts the greatest shade, has a diameter of about 1.2 meters. Measured from east to west and north to south, its canopy spans 40 meters and 42 meters respectively, shading an area of 1,680 square meters. The reason this tree has the largest canopy is mainly its unusual form. At about 1 meter up the main trunk, it splits into five limbs, each growing in a different direction. This radiating growth pattern makes it the king of canopies.
A Rare Azalea King Discovered in Hunan — the Changsha Azalea King
In April 2005, in the courtyard of Yang Jian's home at the Donghu Retired Cadres' Sanatorium of the Hunan Provincial Military Command, a rare azalea over 4 meters tall was seen, called the "Azalea King" by nearby residents. This azalea was dug up from the back hill of Hospital 163 by his father in 1973 while hospitalized there; at the time it was only 40 centimeters tall. The azalea has been in their courtyard for more than 30 years and is now about 4.2 meters tall, with tens of thousands of flowers blooming in a spectacular display.
The World's Only Female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle
A century-old turtle living in the Panlong Garden of the Changsha Zoo had long been mistaken for a different species of softshell turtle. On January 28, 2007, experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), after an on-site inspection, confirmed that it was one of only five living Yangtze giant softshell turtles in the world, and very likely the only female. On the experts' recommendation, this "beauty in her twilight years" would very likely be paired with the male Yangtze giant softshell turtle at the Suzhou Zoo in 2007, taking on the responsibility of perpetuating the species.
This female Yangtze giant softshell turtle has a carapace about 80 centimeters long and about 50 centimeters wide, weighing around 40 kilograms, matching the characteristics of the species. According to zoo staff, it came from the Huangpu River in Shanghai and has lived in the zoo for more than 50 years; it is now 100 years old. Because the turtle enters hibernation in winter, people could only glimpse its "charms" through the glass.
Even so, animal experts still confirmed its identity with a professional eye. "The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is a national first-class protected animal, extremely rare and precious, an 'aquatic giant panda' even more endangered than the Chinese sturgeon," said Lü Shunqing, coordinator of the WCS amphibian and reptile species program. The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is the most endangered species among turtles; currently only four are known to survive worldwide, all in captivity — one at the Suzhou Zoo, two at Suzhou's Xiyuan Temple, and one in Hoan Kiem Lake in Vietnam. The female discovered at the Changsha Zoo would bring the number of known surviving Yangtze giant softshell turtles to five. The Aquatic Wildlife Protection Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens held a special symposium on the Yangtze giant softshell turtle to find and identify unknown individuals, discuss and formulate conservation plans, and call on all sectors of society and relevant departments to make full use of the surviving turtles, doing their utmost to help them reproduce and save this species from extinction. Experts including Lü Shunqing conducted successive investigations in Shanghai, Suzhou, Changsha, and other places, finding that the Suzhou Zoo's turtle is male, while the sex of the three turtles at Suzhou's Xiyuan Temple and Vietnam's Hoan Kiem Lake could not yet be determined. The experts suggested that the Suzhou and Changsha zoos cooperate by putting the male and female together and breeding them through certain methods to save this critically endangered species.
Wild Chinese Sturgeon Discovered in Leiyang
At noon on May 25, 2009, when the Shangbao Hydropower Station on the Leiyang section of the Lei River opened its gates, a large fish was caught in the gate. A villager, seeing the fish was no small catch, risked wading into the river to grab it before the water had finished draining. Once he hauled it up and looked closely, the villager was stunned: it was a "strange fish" he had never seen before — with a slender, pointed head, a spindle-shaped body, and "hard armor" along its dorsal ridge, it looked utterly bizarre. The locals had never seen such a fish and came running to see the curiosity, some even worrying that "catching a monster might bring bad luck."
Li Jinjian, who was present, thought the fish closely resembled the national first-class protected Chinese sturgeon, so he immediately ran home to look it up online. By comparing it with pictures of Chinese sturgeon online, Li Jinjian preliminarily concluded that the fish that had been crushed to death in the gate was a Chinese sturgeon.
Coincidentally, at about 6 a.m. on May 24, near the Shangbao Hydropower Station, Li Jinjian encountered another fish of the same appearance. "At the time, a villager was carrying an injured fish around trying to sell it. The villager said it had also been caught in the discharge gate and hauled up. Seeing that the fish looked exactly like the one that had been crushed to death the day before, he bought it for 40 yuan." The "Chinese sturgeon" Li Jinjian bought weighed about 4 jin, with severe injuries to the tail. After getting home, Li Jinjian quickly borrowed an oxygenator from a neighbor to give it artificial oxygen and called the relevant Leiyang authorities for help.
At around 11 a.m., officials from the Leiyang Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Bureau arrived at Li Jinjian's home, confirmed that the fish he had bought was a wild Chinese sturgeon, and began rescue efforts. Due to the severity of its injuries, the Chinese sturgeon died that afternoon.
Experts confirmed that the strange fish discovered was indeed a wild Chinese sturgeon. Whether the strange fish found in succession in Leiyang are all wild Chinese sturgeon, and whether a wild Chinese sturgeon population exists in the Lei River, remains for experts to clarify.
Changsha's "Top Ten Tree Kings"
In 2008, the readers' favorite "Changsha Top Ten Tree Kings" selection was announced. Among 35 candidate ancient trees, 10 were crowned kings in a particular category for one outstanding quality.
1. Oldest ancient tree: the Buddhist pine north of the Guanyin Pavilion. Reason for selection: 1,500 years old, the oldest ancient tree in Changsha city on record.
2. Ancient tree with the most cultural character: the ancient camphor at the back gate of Yuelu Academy. Reason for selection: it has listened to centuries of reading aloud and witnessed countless famous scholars lecture.
3. Most charming ancient tree: the ancient camphor in Xinyuan Village, Gugang Town, Liuyang. Reason for selection: 4.06 meters in trunk diameter, over 1,000 years old, with a hollow large enough to set up a mahjong table inside — some residents call it the "Mahjong King."
4. Ancient tree with the most "Hunan" character: the ancient camphor beside the incense burner at Taogong Temple in Langli, Changsha County. Reason for selection: its cylindrical trunk has become an arc, with only 1/3 of its bark and a bit of trunk remaining, yet at 800 years old it still stands lush and green between heaven and earth, embodying the spirit of Huxiang culture.
5. Most naturally beautiful ancient tree: the five-needle pine at the Changsha Museum. Reason for selection: from afar it looks like a giant green umbrella shimmering with silver light, its five branches stretching outward like a group of dancing fairies.
6. Ancient tree with the most "grandfatherly" demeanor: the ancient camphor in Nanyue Village, Jingang Town. Reason for selection: four trees in one, with parasitic trees growing on its dead wood, like a kind, yet stern, grandfather.
7. Most "old but vigorous" ancient tree: the ancient camphor in Taohua Village, Shashi, Liuyang. Reason for selection: experts have determined it is at least 800 years old, yet it is full of branches and leaves, with five stretching limbs covering houses and a river, shading an area of about 1,680 square meters.
8. Most "aristocratic" ancient tree: the ginkgo on the lawn to the lower left of the Mahavira Hall at Miyin Temple on Mount Wei, Ningxiang. Reason for selection: not only is its species noble — a thousand-year ginkgo known as a "living fossil" — but it is also "of distinguished birth," planted personally by the Tang Dynasty prime minister Pei Xiu.
9. Most low-key ancient tree: the ancient camphor at the Quzi Temple on Yuelu Mountain. Reason for selection: its thick trunk could serve as a dwelling, yet its most proud part is now buried; this unassuming character is precisely a virtue passed down through generations of the Chinese nation.
10. Happiest ancient camphor: the ancient camphor on the side lawn of Taogong Temple in Langli, Changsha County. Reason for selection: hundreds of years ago a thunderbolt split open its trunk, and from the split a new branch sprouted, joining the remaining old trunk at a height of more than 7 meters; today the ancient camphor is thick with green shade — the result of the tree's descendants nurturing it in return.
The 44-kilogram Giant Sweet Potato King
On November 15, 2006, villager Huang Xihe of Nanlin Village, Taolinsi Town, Miluo City, dug up a giant sweet potato of the "Xiangfu No. 1" variety weighing 44 kilograms. This was a "sweet potato king" consisting of four conjoined tubers with a total weight of 44 kilograms, one of which alone weighed 20 kilograms. In the rural areas of this city, sweet potato farmers who have made a name for themselves growing sweet potatoes like Huang Xihe are countless. The sweet potatoes they grow are not only large but also diverse in variety. Among the city's more than 50,000 mu of sweet potatoes, there are industrial-use potatoes, fresh-eating potatoes, culinary potatoes, and health-care-type potatoes. The fragrant Miluo specialty sweet potatoes have increased income for farmers' pockets.
Both banks of the Miluo River have long had a traditional habit of growing sweet potatoes. The Miluo Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have made developing and strengthening the sweet potato industry an important task in agricultural structural adjustment. They selected Taolinsi Town, which has a relatively good foundation for seed potato cultivation, as a demonstration site, and organized a strong team of agricultural technical experts to help the town's sweet potato farmers improve and introduce varieties and expand the scale of seed potato cultivation. The sweet potato area rapidly expanded from the original scattered less than 1,000 mu to more than 4,000 mu in contiguous plots. The sweet potato varieties also expanded from the original single "Yushu 818" to more than 20 varieties including "Xiangfu No. 1," "Jingshu No. 6," "Nanshu 88," "Chuanshan Purple," "Five-Color Potato," and "Apple King."
In order to further give play to the driving role of scientific and technological demonstrations, the Yueyang City and Miluo City science associations carried out activities to bring science and technology to the countryside, helped Taolinsi Town establish the "Elderly Science and Technology Volunteer Association," and, led by the association, formed northern Hunan's first "Taolin Sweet Potato Production and Processing Cooperative." The science association and the cooperative successively held more than 10 sessions of sweet potato science and technology training classes taught by relevant experts such as professors from Hunan Agricultural University. From sweet potato seed storage, seedling cultivation, planting management, fertilization, and virus elimination to harvesting, they helped sweet potato farmers raise their scientific and technological awareness and master practical techniques. Driven by departments at all levels, the upsurge of scientific sweet potato cultivation in Taolinsi Town quickly spread to more than 10 surrounding townships including Jiayuan, Huotian, Quzici Town, Huangshi, Xintang, and Baitang, becoming a strong industry among the city's four major crop economic sectors. The city's more than 50,000 mu of sweet potatoes produce nearly 200 million kilograms annually, and some per-mu yields have exceeded 4,000 kilograms.
The development of the sweet potato industry has benefited the vast number of sweet potato farmers. Taolinsi Town sweet potato farmer Huang Xihe earns 30,000 yuan a year from growing potatoes. The Rongtai Sweet Potato Processing Factory introduced by the city purchases more than 3,000 tons of sweet potatoes from farmers each year, generating more than 4 million yuan in income for farmers. Sweet potato processed products are sold far away to more than 10 provinces and cities including Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, and Hubei. This year the city also introduced a new potato variety whose stems, roots, leaves, and vines are all edible. The once-unremarkable sweet potato has become a delicious dish on people's dining tables, and its market prospects are even broader.