(CFP Photo)

An ancient Chinese fringetree at Longdong An (Dragon Cage Nunnery) in the Kongwang Mountain scenic area in Lianyungang City has been included in China's first batch of "Nationally Protected Cultural Heritage Sites – Ancient and Famous Trees."

(Photo courtesy of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)

The tree stands 10 meters tall with a trunk diameter of 30 centimeters and is estimated to be more than 830 years old. A species unique to the Yuntai Mountain range, including Kongwang, it bears long, slender white petals resembling glutinous rice grains. The flowers can be brewed into tea or used in traditional medicine. Today, this ancient tree remains lush and in vigorous health.

Kongwang Mountain is best known for the cliff carvings dating back to the late Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220). These are the earliest known cliff carvings in China to combine both Buddhist and Daoist stone art. Carved into a cliff face 17 meters long and 8 meters high, the site has 105 figures, ranging from 154 centimeters to just 10 centimeters high.