Millennium "Wild Goose Tree"

Millennium "Wild Goose Tree"

In the northwest corner of Laoliji, about 15 li northwest of Changxing Town in Mengcheng County, there used to be a Huazu Temple. In the temple courtyard stood a towering thousand-year-old ancient tree, which locals called the "Wild Goose Tree." The tree rose above the temple walls, and from a distance, it resembled a green silk parasol, standing tall and upright. Its leaves were similar to those of a persimmon tree, bearing small white flowers with tiny green round grains at their centers; it bore bean-sized red fruits that were edible, and its leaves could be used to make tea, yielding a purplish-red brew.

This tree is different from others, possessing several peculiarities. First, the veins of its leaves are red. If you write on it with a cone or a hard stick, the characters won't be visible from the front, but when viewed obliquely against the sunlight, clear red lettering appears. Second, it buds early. Every early spring, while other trees have yet to sprout, this tree is already lush with branches and leaves. Third, its leaf growth is unpredictable. Sometimes in summer, its leaves suddenly wither, only to regrow in autumn; other times, leaves on one side of the tree wither while those on another side flourish, changing unpredictably. Fourth, it can predict weather changes—when the trunk is moist, rain is coming; when it’s dry, fair weather is expected. For these reasons, it is regarded as a "sacred tree" by locals. In the old society and early years after liberation, when feudal superstitions were prevalent, people often burned incense and kowtowed under the tree, praying for safety and protection. There are many ancient legends about this tree. Some say that Luo Cheng of the Tang Dynasty once rested here; during the Song Dynasty, the heroine Liu Jinding tied her horse here while marching south to the Southern Tang. As for the origin of the tree, legend has it that it is connected to "The Wild Goose Delivering a Letter." It is said that during the late Sui Dynasty, a wild goose carrying a letter paused here to rest in the temple courtyard, and seeds in its droppings fell to the ground and grew into this tree. Later, monks carefully nurtured it until it became a large tree, hence the name "Wild Goose Tree." In the spring of 1946, I visited the "Wild Goose Tree" under the guidance of my mentor, Li Hansan. After seeing the tree, he was inspired to compose a poem titled "Reflections Upon Visiting the Wild Goose Tree" (included in the first volume of "Clear Spring Poetry Collection"), based on the legends and the unique features of the tree:

A wild tree known through thousand years, where Luocheng once tied his steed.

Early or late its leaves foretell the yield, wet or dry its shoots the rain or field.

Its stamens like green pearls in threads so fair, its bark like jade gleams with tender glare.

Now gazing from afar at this sacred wood, a wild goose’s cry startles a crane’s hood.

– This tree met with disaster. In 1968, a group of Red Guards, under the guise of demolishing the Four Olds, had several carpenters chop it down. When they cut the tree, red sap flowed from it.