Located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, Nantong boasts profound culture and history, of which ancient trees are an important component.

The city started documenting its ancient trees in the late 1980s and it currently has 339 ancient trees under protection.

Nantong Museum, which is one of the city's cultural landmarks, accommodates several such trees.

Walking through the southern gate of the museum, visitors will see a vital ginkgo tree coming into the view.

The 520-year-old tree belonged to Dongyue Temple and was bought in 1912 by Zhang Jian, a local industrial magnate and scholar who also founded the museum, to protect it from being cut down.

During the museum's expansion in 2002, the new exhibition hall was designed between the tree and another for century-old ginkgos in the north, enabling the trees to better integrate into the new building.

A 520-year-old ginkgo tree stands near the southern gate of Nantong Museum. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

In addition, two century-old wisteria trees at the museum also attract many visitors during its florescence in the spring when the stunning purple and white flowers cascade down Haonan Bieye, the former residence of Zhang Jian. According to historical records, the wisteria trees were planted by Zhang the same year the villa was built.

"The protection of ancient trees cannot rely on a certain group of people, but should be passed down from generation to generation," said Ju Weidong, a local animal and plant expert.

Cao Yunquan, who has been devoted to this case for decades, exemplifies this dedication.

The 85-year-old started recording and protecting ancient trees in 2003 and has archived each ancient tree with basic information, such as species, age, and height, as well as photos and background information like historical records and related oral legends.

Experts said that these files collected by Cao are the most comprehensive in Nantong's history and are precious teaching materials for local culture and history.

Information about ancient trees in Nantong is filed by Cao Yunquan at his home. [Photo/ntfabu.com]