Nine Dragon Juniper 九龙柏

Five Hundred Year Old Tree at the Temple of Heaven Park

Five Hundred Year Old Tree at the Temple of Heaven Park

Although the Temple of Heaven is the star attraction of the Temple of Heaven Park, there are still smaller and minor attractions which merit some tourist attention. It was already starting my way back to the entrance of the Temple of Heaven Park having gone in from the east gate. On the way back, I happened to see a tree which happened to get a lot of attention. This was a juniper tree. I didn’t even know what a juniper tree looks like having lived in the tropics all my life.

Closer Look at the Tree Trunk

Closer Look at the Tree Trunk

The juniper tree here is more than five hundred years old. The Chinese love trees, especially when they are this old. What makes this tree so special is it trunk. The trunk is twisted and deformed into a strange pattern that looks like nine dragons flying to the heavens. I find it amusing to see how people can see things in these shapes. I probably wouldn’t have given this tree much thought if it weren’t for the attention being given it by the people.

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