Fine Cypress Trees

　　There are three ancient cypress trees in Xixi Village Committee, Mengmeng Town. One is located in the mountain hollow to the right of Xixi Village, and the other two stand tall at the entrance of the current Xixi Village Committee. It is said that these trees were planted by the Lahu people of the Lahu Na sub-group when they migrated to Xixi, and they have a history of over 800 years. Legend has it that over 100 years ago, a salt merchant named “Li Xizhe” from Jinggu County was building a house and was gathering ancient cypress wood from all over. He sent out many workers to search for cypress trees in different places and took a liking to the one in Xixi Village. He asked the village head of Xixi to sell it to him, offering any amount of silver. At the time, the village head did not agree, but he also didn’t dare offend the salt merchant. So, he went to consult Mr. Ma Defeng from the “Ma Family School” in Xixi. Mr. Ma believed this was a serious matter and should be reported to the local government. The government also agreed that the cypress tree should not be sold, but they couldn’t offend the salt merchant Li Xizhe from Jinggu either. They needed to find a solution that would neither offend the merchant nor result in the loss of the tree. The government said to Mr. Ma Defeng, “You are well-versed in literature—write a few lines of poetry 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 Xixi with the government’s instructions, Mr. Ma wrote: “In front of the temple gate in Xixi Village stands, a literary brush piercing the blue sky. Since olden times, the mountain’s shape was strange; a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den lie within.”

　　Later, when the salt merchant’s tree cutters came to Xixi again and saw the bold, straight cypress tree with the poem hanging from it, they said nothing and reluctantly returned. (