Thankfully, There Were Seven Trees Remaining

Shennongjia is a beautiful dream for me.

In my dreams， Shennongjia is characterized by steep and towering mountains， remote and inaccessible to human footsteps， where reckless virgin forests stretch every where， with towering trees shrouding the sky， and ancient vines tightly entwined among them like bowls. Those trees are so big that they can’t be surrounded by a few people hand in hand， and the forest floor is covered with a humus layer， thick like a sponge. This place was a completely different world compared to the world outside the forest. Here is the world of rare plants， the world of golden monkeys， red pandas， leopards， golden phoenix butterflies， the world of “savages” and “mountain ghosts，” the world of myths and legends.

In this world， man is just a fish in the ocean， or rather， a “wild man” but with no tail and no longer covered head to toe with long hair.

I have been immersed in such a dream.

The first time I entered Shennongjia was 20 years ago. At that time， what made Shennongjia famous was the newly-discovered endemic species of golden monkeys and the mystery of the “wild man.” Many people， including myself who was full of curiosity， were attracted by the mystery of the “wild man.” However， the main body that constituted Shennongjia， the most valuable primitive forest， was ignored.

I still clearly remember the feeling when I first arrived at Shennongjia forestry district. At that time， it was already dark when we reached the forest government seat of Songbai town.There we stayed in the Shennong Hotel. The hot August weather could easily leave one breathless， but at Shennongjia there was a sudden burst of cool air. As if stepping into a huge air-conditioned house， the world of summer air suddenly disappeared. One’s sweat-covered body suddenly dissipated， every pore taking in a long breath of relief， as if one’s organs were washed by the cool spring water，" an indescribable refreshing feeling.

At night， the mountain wind blew， an autumn-like burst of coolness falling upon us. Looking into the distance， the dark mountains roll， embracing the lights of the town of Pinehurst， black velvet like the night sky. Because the line of sight is not blocked， they appear to be extraordinarily sparse and boundless， giving off a dome-like feeling. Looking at such a magnificent starry sky， I suddenly felt that the dome of the sky was a huge crystal ball， and I was just wrapped in the crystal ball in the middle of a small worm.

Later we took the car along the road to visit Shennongjia. The cloudy scenery， the mysterious and peculiar Swallow Cave， the towering Iron Fir， and especially the unlimited imagination about the legend of the “wild man，” all make people feel fresh and excited， relaxed and happy. Gradually， I grew a bit impatient. I found on both sides of the mountain road， either new forests， or secondary forests， and even more surprising was that some mountains looked as if there were no forests on the barren mountains. I gradually wondered: Is this Shennongjia? Is this the Shennongjia covered with primary forests? Where are the virgin forests? Where are the old-growth forests mentioned in the books about Shennongjia?

That time a group of writers went to visit Shennongjia together， ready to write articles about Shennongjia. However， if I have not seen the primeval forest， and if I can’t even understand why there are newborn forests along the highway， can I still write casually?

I have to understand.

My forest friends were silent. They took me to the roadside of the Saffron Forest to see the famous “Seven Trees.”

They were seven tall and sturdy Qinling Firs， like a row of tall and mighty soldiers， standing tall beside the road. They are so tall， so beautiful and upright， and the surrounding newborn trees form a sharp contrast， like a crane in a flock of chickens. My friends in the forest area told me that this was the original forest， and there were countless Qinling Fir trees growing in such a beautiful and upright manner. The Qinling Fir is a rare species of tree in China， and is a national key wild plant under second-class protection. However， they were all cut down. These seven Qinling Firs are the survivors of large-scale logging.

I stroked the seven trees， imagined the old and magnificent original primitive forest， and imagined that I was surrounded by trees as big as the seven trees. I wondered how the seven trees had survived， and who had been merciful enough to let them go. I don’t think it could have been accidental neglect; it must have been deliberate neglect. I think it must have been someone who could not bear to see such a good forest destroyed on a large scale， and therefore deliberately left these seven trees behind as a witness to living history， so that people in the future could see what a beautiful forest there once was here.

It must be so.

In the mists of history， in the blindness and ignorance of history， there must still be clear eyes and souls.

Decades of felling.

Only seven trees remained.

Thankfully， there were seven trees remaining.

My friends in the forest area frankly told me that now， along the highway， you can no longer see the primitive forest， and you can’t even see seven trees like this. In the past， Shennongjia had not been developed， a time when both sides of the highway was surrounded by wild forests. The early 1960s marked the development of Shennongjia. Interested in Shennongjia’s resources， the country needed timber to build. In the eyes of developers， Shennongjia’s value was a large treasure trove of timber reserves， and therefore they quickly built the highway to develop Shennongjia’s timber industry.

Wherever the road was built， the chainsaws of deforestation went off. The more active the forest workers were in logging for the country， the more timber Shennongjia contributed to the country， the faster the virgin forests of Shennongjia disappeared. By now， except those in high mountains and deep valleys with steep and precipitous slopes， where some primitive forests remain， the rest have all been cut down. My friends in the forest area told me that at this very moment， the forest area is still being logged. This is because there are still forest industry enterprises in the forest area， and there is still the task of logging. They smiled bitterly and said， “Nowadays， the places that have been cut down have been protected. While the places that really need to be protected are being logged.”

The history of mankind is often a history of later generations lamenting for those who came before them. I often wonder what it would have been like if Shennongjia had been developed first as a unique nature reserve in the world， instead of a “timber treasure trove.” Fortunately， history woke up after a nap. In the 1980s， the year before I visited Shennongjia for the first time， it was finally established as a provincial and national nature reserve， or to be more precise， a “national forest and wildlife nature reserve，” with an area of more than 700 square kilometers. Hunting and logging are prohibited within the nature reserve， and protection is a priority. The area of such a nature reserve is about a quarter of the total area of the Shennongjia forestry district. Shennongjia’s wildlife has a safe island. However， I often wonder if the wildlife can understand the “rules” and use the safety island to protect themselves. Trees don’t grow legs; they stay in the reserve and protect themselves from being cut down. However， wild animals are different. They have legs to run and wings to fly. What if they run out of the protected area? Are they not protected anymore?

Dong Hongyou

Dong Hongyou is a well-known children’s writer and vice chairman of the Wuhan Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He used to be the vice chairman of the Hubei Writers Association and the chairman of the Wuhan Writers Association. He has won the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award four times， and the National “Five One Project” Award of the Central Propaganda Department three times. Many of his works have been translated abroad.