Fine Cypress Trees

Fine Cypress Trees

Fine Cypress Trees

In Xixie Village Committee of Mengmeng Town, there are three ancient cypress trees—one located in the mountain hollow to the right of Xixie Village, and the other two standing continuously at the entrance of the current Xixie Village Committee. It is said that these were planted by the Lahu Na subgroup of the Lahu ethnic group when they migrated to Xixie, and they have a history of over 800 years. Legend has it that more than 100 years ago, a salt merchant from Jinggu County named…

In Xixie Village Committee of Mengmeng Town, there are three ancient cypress trees—one located in the mountain hollow to the right of Xixie Village, and the other two standing continuously at the entrance of the current Xixie Village Committee. It is said that these were planted by the Lahu Na subgroup of the Lahu ethnic group when they migrated to Xixie, and they have a history of over 800 years. Legend has it that more than 100 years ago, a salt merchant from Jinggu County named “Li Xizhe” was building a house and was gathering ancient cypress wood from all over. He sent out a large number of employees to various places to look for cypress trees and took a fancy to the cypress tree in Xixie Village. He asked the village head of Xixie to sell it to them, offering any amount of silver. At the time, the village head did not agree but also did not dare to offend the salt merchant, so he went to discuss the matter with Mr. Ma Defeng of the “Ma Family School” in Xixie. Mr. Ma considered this a major issue and thought it should be reported to the local government. The government also believed that the cypress tree should not be sold, but they could not offend the salt merchant Li Xizhe from Jinggu either. They needed to find a solution that would satisfy both sides—neither offending the salt merchant nor losing the cypress tree. The government said to Mr. Ma Defeng: “You are well-versed in writing; compose a few verses and hang them on the tree. When they come to cut it down and see the poem, they might not want it anymore.” Mr. Ma thought this was a good idea.

After returning to Xixie with the government’s instructions, Mr. Ma wrote: “In front of the temple guarding Xixie Village, a literary brush pierces the blue sky. Since ancient times, the strange mountain has played tricks; the dragon pool and tiger den lie within.”