SOMK IMPORTANT LINC XAX LYCHKK CFATKKS $1 



lychee country is more readily accessible by proceeding to Shik 

 t'an (Shek ran tf%) on the Canton Kowloon Railway and from 

 there proceeding up the Tsang river to the city of Tseng Ch'ing 

 Hsien 



Arriving at this city one will have little trouble to locate the 

 famous lychee tree. Outside of the west gate of the city, near a 

 small garden and a temple, there will be found a small group of 

 lychee trees. Here will be found the original and famous Kua hi 

 (Kwa luk J)4) tree, of which it is said there has never been another 

 like it. In this garden there are only fifteen lychee trees. Fourteen 

 of them are Huai chih (Wai chi ?(!$&) and the fifteenth is the Kua lu 

 (Kwa luk 



It is not strange that this famous lychee tree is very carefully 

 guarded for in the year that we visited it the fruit of the tree was 

 selling at twenty-four dollars per catty (one and one-third pounds). 

 The tree was protected by two fences and a net (figures 23 and 24 ). 

 First there was a large enclosure of heavy poles (figure 23 ) ; then an 

 inner enclosure of bamboo fencing and finally the net thrown over 

 the tree (figure 24). These precautions are necessary not only to 

 keep thieves away but to prevent people from propagating from the 

 tree. This tree is said to produce fruit noted for its wonderful taste 

 and fragrance. But fruit produced from layers taken from this tree 

 and growing in the same district is said to be of very inferior quality 

 when compared to the fruit of this tree. The Chinese in the 

 vicinity attribute this fact to the peculiar soil conditions surrounding 

 this tree which they think cannot be duplicated elsewhere, even 

 within a distance of a few yards. The tree is said to be several 

 thousand years old and its present growth shows evidences of new 

 growths which have shot out from the old trunk. Its shape is 

 described by the Chinese as one side like the "dragon's head " and 

 the other side as resembling a " peacock's tail." Before the in- 

 auguration of the Republic of China the fruit of this tree was either 

 sent to the Emperor or found its way into the hands of officials. In 

 those days many so-called Kua lu ( Kwa luk 4$,$) fruits were exhibited 

 as curiosities but most of them were deceptions. In modern times 

 the Chinese pay less attention to these rare curiosities of China's 

 past. 



This district of Tseng Ch'ing ( Tsang Shing *||$p comprises 

 a beautifully hilly country nestling close to the famous Lo Fou (Lo 

 Fan I^T^ili) mountain. Lungan and lychee thrive especially well 



