Trees in Xiamen

When I came to Xiamen, I saw many trees that are not found in my hometown in Ganxi, the main pole stands and the branch pole is surrounded by the big banyan tree, the mango tree with lush branches, lush green all year round and full of fruits in summer, the cottonwood tree that towers into the clouds and has huge flowers, known as the hero tree, and the phoenix tree, the acacia tree, the longan tree ......

　　The most amazing thing for me is the Bauhinia!

　　The Bauhinia is not the Hong Kong city flower Bauhinia, but another tree, alias sheep's foot, red Bauhinia, curved leaves, etc., mainly in southern China, India and other regions, in Xiamen is one of the road greening trees. In the neighborhood where we live, there are more than ten Bauhinia trees neatly arranged by the avenue on the side of the lake. Each tree's main pole is more than 20 cm in diameter, like a courteous gentleman slightly bending down, thick branches like arms stretching to the top of the avenue, thick branches on the thin branches such as fingers is more than a full stretch, each one is more than a meter, thin branches full of green leaves, each one is a butterfly with open wings. A row of Bauhinia will dress the avenue into a green corridor.

　　Summer is the most prosperous time for the Bauhinia, the dense green leaves will be strong sunlight blocked tightly, walking under the tree, a shade of cool, hot sweat suddenly disappear. When the breeze blows, the green leaves dance like butterflies, making you intoxicated and unwilling to leave. So, this green avenue has become a leisure site for the residents of the community. The retired grandparents come to the shade of the trees, or pull out a few cards to fling, or end chess, set up a dragon gate formation, kill a few games. Grandmothers or grandmothers rolled out baby carriages with dolls in them, who looked on in amazement, flapping their hands and smiling with open mouths. The shade of the trees is cooler and more lively at night. Anglers who have had their dinner sit by the lake and stick their long fishing rods into the lake, and in a moment, hooked fish are raised to the surface. Children who had finished their homework brought out their scooters and flew around the avenue, a bunch of cute little elves.

　　Bauhinia is at its most beautiful in winter. At this time, the trees are cowering in the cold wind as snow flies in the north, and even in the south, the deciduous trees have become bare poles. In places like Xiamen, where there is no meteorological winter, trees of all kinds no longer flaunt themselves. The Bauhinia, perhaps finding this environment monotonous, quietly blossomed. At first, four or five flowers appeared on a tree, two or three days is dozens of flowers, but a week or so, the tree is full of flowers, green leaves relegated to a secondary position. A closer look at the flowers, each with five petals, each petal is like a slightly curved ceramic spoon, slightly curved. The flower color from the stalk to the edge of the flower, from light red to deep purple, the standard rose red, and a light fragrance. The green promenade became a colorful promenade with bright red flowers, green leaves, and red and green. The light breeze, the silk petals fluttering in the air, as if red rain fell on the avenue, to the avenue on the red carpet. Flocks of birds fell in love with the red flowers and green leaves, hiding in the middle, cries and calls for companionship. The sun is warm, the birds are singing and the flowers are beautiful, making people suspicious that this is the scene of spring. The flowers of the Bauhinia are not just a momentary show, they bloom from the beginning of winter until the end of winter, making every winter day as beautiful as spring. When spring arrives and the flowers are in full bloom, it quietly grows its flowers into pods and participates in the rendering of spring colors with only a bright green.

　　I thought a tree like the Bauhinia must be very delicate. In the mid-autumn of 2016, Xiamen was hit by a strong typhoon "Moranti". That strong typhoon, the center of the wind up to 15, after the midnight rampage, Xiamen's landscaping suffered heavy damage, devastation, a tragic sight. In the morning, when we went out, we saw that the zinnias next to the avenue had fallen over as a whole, or the thick branches were broken, making the avenue impassable. In our neighborhood, the gardeners brought their cars and chainsaws, and volunteers and residents brought hand saws and woodchippers to join the labor force, and I joined in. The master workers used the chainsaw to cut off all the thick branches of each tree, and then we used the hand saws or firewood knives to deal with the fine branches, and then loaded them on the car to carry them away. We also picked up the fallen poles and used wooden sticks to hold them up from all four directions. At the end of the labor, a row of Bauhinia is simply a row of stumps, the former green corridor all but disappeared, this scene, let people heartbroken. I said, "It will take at least two or three years to restore the past appearance, during which time, how do people live?" But the garden master said, "Soon. If not for the typhoon, we are preparing to saw the branches once this year." The implication is that the typhoon did not destroy the trees, but the typhoon helped. When I was puzzled, but two or three days, those light poles on the green spots, after a week, the green spots into a dense thin branches, thin branches gradually grew out of the young leaves. Fine branches gradually thicken, the leaves gradually become broad, about a month, you can see a lush green, two months past, each tree has formed a diameter of two or three meters of the canopy, the green corridor has shown ruminant shape. After the winter, the trees bloomed with rose-colored flowers again. Until the next spring, the basic recovery as before, it is difficult to see the traces of the previous year suffered serious injury. What a miracle!

　　What is more miraculous is yet to come. One day last year, I came back from overseas and found that the garden master had sawed down the Bauhinia tree next to our house from the roots, leaving only the rootstock less than 10 cm above the ground. This tree also became a stump after the typhoon, now more than five years have passed, has long been flourishing, and before the typhoon there is no difference, why suddenly it will be completely sawed down? I could not help but protest: "A good tree, why do you want to saw down?" The master said, "The middle of the tree pole is empty, afraid that suddenly fall down to hurt pedestrians." "How could it fall down? The year before last, all the branches were broken during the typhoon, but the main pole did not fall. You are really cruel, not planting trees dedicated to destroy trees." "How could it be destroyed? This tree is like grass, it will grow again after it is cut." Looking at the poor roots of the tree I was very skeptical, I have seen many trees sawed into such a way can not be revived, a few fallen mango trees in the community when the typhoon was sawed into such a way, the short roots of the tree has long dried up by people removed. However, the facts proved that my fears are superfluous, a few days past, a bunch of green branches grew on the root of the tree, the master worker removed some, leaving three, half a month to more than a meter high. A month later, the master worker removed two more, leaving the thickest one. Now more than a year has passed, leaving a has grown into about a decent small tree. The trunk is erect, the branches are spreading, the leaves are green and lovely. In the near future, this tree will be able to grow into a large tree.

　　This is the Bauhinia, destruction is not extinction, but a new life. A damage is a transformation, a rebirth, life in this time and again in the destruction of new life and reincarnation, such life will always be youthful and vigorous!

　　The affectionate banyan holding camphor

　　Xiamen Zhongshan Park West Gate, a dozen meters into the door, a stream can be seen winding through the park, on the shelves of an exquisite stone bridge, called the Xirui Bridge.

　　Crossing the Xirui Bridge, there are large trees towering over the roadside, a coarse look thought to be a tree, a closer look at the original is two trees. The middle is a camphor tree, the pole is straight, no less than twenty meters, standing proudly, straight into the clouds, the crown of the tree branches and leaves.

　　The other is a banyan tree, the tree is about ten meters high. From the ground, surrounding the camphor tree, will be four or five meters above the ground to fully cover the part, only occasionally leaving a few small holes, vaguely visible camphor bark, the largest only palm size. The upper half of the banyan tree, the pole forked, as if a person open arms, stretching to both sides, the pole on the branches of dense verdant.

　　I opened my arms to hug the pole, but it was less than half as thick as the two trees. I asked a security master to join me to hug, still can't finish hugging, about 20 cm short.

　　On the ground, the roots of the camphor tree were basically missing, while the banyan tree was deeply rooted in the soil. The shade formed by the two trees is more than 100 square meters. Outside the tree hot sun, under the tree a shade.

　　Standing under the tree, I felt that the camphor tree was a great man, with extraordinary dignity and courage, sheltering the banyan tree from the wind and rain and resisting lightning with its own great body. The banyan tree is a pretty woman, she embraces the great man tightly, a piece of infatuation, never let go. But she is not pampered, not dependent, trying to show her talent and create her own world.

　　A walking grandfather approached, a question originated from Zhangzhou. He said: I came to Xiamen in 1964 to study, I found these two hugging trees, but then the pole is not so thick. Counting, from 64 years to date, nearly 60 years. So it seems that the trees are at least 70 to 80 years old, perhaps up to 100 years. In such a long time, of course, have navigated countless streams, rainbow, but also experienced countless wind and thunder, thunder, light typhoons have dozens of it, but did not let them separate, but hold tighter and tighter, this should be the power of love it.

　　A group of men and women from Xinjiang walked across the Xirui Bridge, found this strange tree, around the tree looked and looked, have been surprised, and as if to understand, a pair took turns to stand under the tree, taking pictures. They should have been together for 40 to 50 years, enjoying the infinite joy of life, overcoming the numerous hardships of life, and now they are still holding hands, walking on the long journey of life.

　　A young couple holding a four or five-year-old girl came to the tree and sat on the roots. It turns out that the man is from Hunan, the woman is from Sichuan, because of working, came to Xiamen by chance, met and fell in love. Love often sit on the roots of the tree, snuggle, pouring out their hearts, said lifelong together, never separate, regardless of life is sweet or bitter, never let go of each other's hands. Later they had a lovely daughter, the fruit of their love. Although they are not rich at present, they love each other and are happy physically and mentally. On both days off, they still often go to the tree to sit down and relive the sweetness of the past and share the warmth of today.

　　The photographer who took the wedding photos led a pair of lovers to this place. The man in a suit, the woman in a wedding dress, holding hands and shoulders, affectionate. When they are about to enter the marriage hall, let the couple tree witness their love and listen to their vows. With the couple tree as the background, the photographer framed their happy smiles and said, "Having their picture taken here, they will be like these two trees, embracing for life and getting tighter and tighter." The two couples looked at each other with a smile and nodded their heads repeatedly.

　　Yes, the world, everything has a spirit, grass and trees have love, not to mention people? Love, should be the most precious human emotion. The most valuable language for human beings should be the sweet words of love and vows, because it takes people a lifetime to practice.

　　I live not far from Zhongshan Park, every time I go to stop in front of the banyan camphor, gazing at the trees full of humanity, the famous poet Shu Ting's poem "To the Oak Tree" will appear in my mind. She is said to live not far from here on Gulangyu Island.