Amazing Trees Atop Chimneys

An amazing sight in the Xialu Village, Tuling Town, Quangang District, China, is the banyan trees growing at the top of two red brick chimneys of now defunct state-owned Hui'an Sugar Factory. The sugar factory built around 1960s had ceased working in 1980s, though the building was continued to be used for other businesses but the chimneys were disused. Around mid eighties locals observed small banyan trees on top of the chimneys. The foliage now has become quite large and can be seen from distance. The locals call these as "Chimney with Green Hat.

The two chimneys are about ten meters high and the banyan trees have never withered despite the dry seasons and have withstood both wind and the sun. As per locals there was a drought in the village for a year yet both trees were fine, and they grew more and more lush.

Banyan tree grows very easily in cracks or crevices on buildings. The seeds of banyans are generally dispersed by wind or fruit-eating birds. When the seeds germinate they send roots down towards the ground, and may envelop part of the building structure, giving banyans the casual name of "strangler fig". A typical example of such an strangulation are the temple structures in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

View location in Google Maps / Google Earth

Main source of info: fj.people.com.cn (In Chinese) (English Translation)

---

Copyright: The images shown here have been copied from en.people.cn and are Copyright © People.cn. Permission to use these images has been requested and same is awaited.