Yingkesong, or the Guest-greeting Pine, a famous landmark of Huangshan Mountain in East China’s Anhui province, will have a thorough physical check-up in late October or early November, according to the administrative committee of the scenic area. At an altitude of 1,680 meters, the 10.08-meter-tall tree is about 1,000 years old. It has been rated as the most beautiful old tress in China by China Forestry Society and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The snowstorms in 1974, 1979 and 1984 and the windstorm in 1998 all caused some damage to the tree. However, owing to the establishment of an emergency protection system and effective safeguards, it survived major natural disasters afterwards, such as the hailstorm in 2008, the typhoon in 2012 and the severe drought in 2019. In recent years, the scenic area has taken effective measures to protect the pine tree against extreme weather, including setting up a meteorological observation and infrared monitoring platform, and establishing special scientific research teams. Since 1981, a special guard post has been set up for the pine. Hu Xiaochun, a local veteran, became the 19th watchman in 2010. The physical examination is expected to take 15 days, the committee said.
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