Dhana Raj Acharya

This 1,000-year-old pine tree’s protector fears changing weather patterns

HUANGSHAN, China — As temperatures neared their midday peak, Hu Xiaosong was doing his regular patrol, at an altitude of more than 5,500 feet, to protect a 1,000-year-old pine tree that he says is like family to him. This spectacular, oddly shaped pine is the most iconic landmark on China’s Yellow Mountain, or Huangshan, a major tourist site in the eastern Anhui province. Called the Guest-Greeting Pine, or Yingkesong in Mandarin, it is a symbol of hospitality and friendship, miraculously...