There is the King of Chinese Pine.

There is the King of Chinese Pine.

There is the King of Chinese Pine.

On the vast Ordos Plateau stands an ancient tree, majestic in form like a golden roc spreading its wings, its branches and leaves hanging like clouds from the heavens. Known as the King of Chinese Pine in China.

Its crown is not bestowed by people’s reverence. According to experts’ research, it has now reached the ripe old age of 908 years.

Tracing back further, this tree was born in the third year of the Zhiping era during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, which corresponds to the year 1089 AD. It stands 25 meters tall, with a breast-height diameter of 134 centimeters and a timber volume of 13.5 cubic meters.

It is a living fossil on the Ordos Plateau. It proves to people that

one thousand years ago, the plateau was a land rich in resources, covered in dense forests and abundant in water and grass. This is entirely consistent with historical records, and even today, not far from its location, there still exists a natural secondary primeval forest of over 20,000 acres, predominantly consisting of Chinese pine and juniper species.

Today, whether believers or non-believers, people travel from afar to worship it. And all respectfully refer to it as the Sacred Tree. Indeed, its survival is a miracle. It is situated atop a hill in the southwest of Jungar Banner, Ordos City, having withstood the harsh trials of nature such as soil erosion and drought, and overcoming greedy human plunderers. Even now, though over 900 years old, it shows no signs of aging.

In recent years, it seems to have regained some youthful vigor, with more lush foliage, greener color, and branches laden with pine cones. It has been listed as a key cultural relic under local government protection, and special funds have been allocated to build a protective fence around it and cultivate fertile soil.