Hu Xiaochun examines the Greeting Pine with a pair of binoculars during a routine inspection on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)
HUANGSHAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Mount Huangshan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its majestic scenic beauty, strange rocks, cloud-shrouded peaks, and the Greeting Pine, one of China's most well-known trees.
The Greeting Pine is believed to be 800 to 1,000 years old. Since the 1980s, a special guard has been assigned to better protect Mount Huangshan's iconic tree. Hu Xiaochun was appointed as the tree's 19th guard in 2010. For 12 years in a row, he has spent over 300 days a year on the mountain keeping company with the tree.
Hu Xiaochun checks a pole supporting a branch of the Greeting Pine on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)
Hu Xiaochun examines the Greeting Pine with a pair of binoculars during a routine inspection on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)
Hu Xiaochun monitors the Greeting Pine and its surroundings on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)
Hu Xiaochun uses a magnifying glass to look for potential pest impacts on the Greeting Pine on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)
Hu Xiaochun uses a magnifying glass to look for potential pest impacts on the Greeting Pine on Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)■