Twin Dragons Pine

　　Introduction      The Twin Dragons Pine grows opposite the Echo Wall at the West Sea Gate. This ancient pine splits into two trunks that emerge from a crevice in the rocky cliff and twist and coil along the steep precipice, resembling two dragons playing amid clouds and pine waves—hence the name. Viewed from afar through the mist, their scales seem to glimmer and their horns and beards appear to bristle, making the resemblance even more striking. Struck by lightning in 1977, the tree died but its trunk remains. Its posture—towering above the abyss, enveloped in clouds and mist, powerful and majestic, as if ready to take flight—still captures both form and spirit, allowing visitors to appreciate its grandeur. A poem titled “Picking Mulberries · In Memory of the Twin Dragons Pine” commemorates it: “Among all pines, none match its graceful charm; once a pair, now never to be paired again. Lightning stole its youth, yet its fragrance lingers. Amid the boundless sea of clouds, it seems dragons are flying, yet none are seen. All that remains is its broken form, breaking my heart.”

　　 Huangshan City, Anhui