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!

Picture of the Day: Totem Pole in HK

The totem pole is blocked by potted plants

One day during my trip to Hong Kong I had some extra time in the late afternoon before meeting a friend for dinner in Harbour City, so I went to Kowloon Park.

After all my years living in Hong Kong I have to admit I'm not very familiar with the park so it was a good opportunity to wander around and see the facilities that include a swimming pool, a mini soccer pitch, an aviary, piazza, a maze garden and sculpture garden.

These feral cats don't like humans

I walked up a hill and saw some feral cats that reside there; a cat lady was fussing over them and bringing them dinner. It reminded me of the volunteers who feed the cats that reside on the giant rocks by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai...

But I also came across a totem pole! What was this doing here in Hong Kong of all places! I tried to get closer to it, but the tiled steps leading to it were closed off by potted plants in a bid to keep visitors away from it. Were people touching to cause the staff to prevent people from getting too close? This is why my picture looks so awkward.

As a result I could not find a plaque or some kind of explanation of why this totem pole was here.

An article by Christopher DeWolf gives a bit more information: "On the other side of the park is a totem pole carved by the indigenous Tlingit people of British Columbia in Canada."