Haikou (CNS) -- Sitting at the banks of Nandu River is the "town of fragrant rosewood," Longquan, in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province. Almost all households have planted the fragrant rosewood tree (Dalbergia odorifera). Yet, it might be hard to tell because most of the ubiquitous fragrant rosewood trees are wearing protective "armor" made of iron and cement. The larger the tree has grown, the more sophisticated the protective equipment is. The tree's neighbor, Pashu Padauk (Pterocarpus indicus), has not been treated so well.
According to Qiu Gang, director of the Hainan Provincial Museum, as one of the three treasures of Hainan, together with lijin (one of the earliest cotton textiles in China with over 3,000 years of history) and haici (a kind of china made of shells), fragrant rosewood can be processed into furniture and handcrafts. It also has various medicinal values. For instance, its fragrance alone is good for controlling blood pressure, as recorded in the ancient book Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen.
The preciousness of the fragrant rosewood had been undervalued for a long time until recently. In the 1970s, it was traded as cheap medicine or even burned in households. Starting in 1998, a wave of fragrant rosewood collectors swept the island. As a cultural heritage, fragrant rosewood gained large popularity with praise from experts and the hot pursuit of investors. The price of fragrant rosewood also rocketed from 8 yuan per kilogram 30 years ago to over 8,000 yuan per kilogram now.
"The grain patterns of fragrant rosewood are called 'friendly ghost faces.' It grows slowly, and the annual rings take the shape of 'ghost faces.' The 'ghost face' patterns of fragrant rosewood are more evident than wood of other kinds, which has increased its price," an elderly villager surnamed Wang said. "The more patterns, the more beautiful and expensive it is."
One local explained that the most valuable part of the fragrant rosewood is the ge (heart of the tree), where the essential patterns can be found. A 30-year-old tree can be priced at over 10,000 yuan (about $1.551).
Many of the fragrant rosewood trees in town were transplanted there from the countryside. Before this, wild trees were often stolen. Even after they were moved into the town, the thefts did not stop. Only since they have been "dressed up" has the situation gotten better.
With two rows of over 200 fragrant rosewood trees and many ancient buildings, the 100-meter long Huali Street attracts people when the sunshine glitters through the leaves and casts a shadow on the ground.
Apart from the traditional method of protecting the trees with hardware, modern electric devices such as cameras have also been installed.
