A Natural Form of Resilience

Chinese tourists in Kennedy Town last year

On Xiaohongshu, Chinese tourists flock to Kennedy Town, specifically Forbes Street to take pictures of and with the banyan trees that seem to effortlessly cling onto the wall. This phenomenon is unique to Hong Kong.

Some people call them masonry wall trees because stone walls were built between the 19th century and World War II as retaining walls using stone.

Banyan trees in Kowloon Park

As these walls were being constructed, some banyan tree seeds may have blown into the crevices of the stone walls or dropped by birds and managed to sprout and grow, with their roots on the outside of the wall. It's quite amazing these trees have managed to flourish despite such an unnatural environment to establish themselves in.

There are many trees in Kennedy Town, Mid-Levels and Wan Chai.

On this trip I saw some of these banyan trees in Kowloon Park, adjacent to the aviary pond.

Banyan trees are considered to have good feng shui, symbolising longevity and perseverance. It is not a tree that is cut down for its wood because its wood is full of knots, and it is hard to set on fire so it can't be used as firewood.

These trees are beautiful signs of resilience in nature!