A Tree,a City

Text by Chen Xi Photos by Zhu Xiyong

The tree seeing off the sun over the city 夕陽(yáng)下

Seemingly overnight,a tree on the bank of the Yangtze River became an internet fad.

Standing quietly near Tieji Road Wharf on the Wuchang Bund and gazing over the flowing Yangtze River,this Italian poplar has been bathing in the spring breeze and the autumn moon over the years,with a large green lawn behind and a bench on its right.

As there’s no other tree within 50 meters,it has become a landmark in the area,which has stirred up a sensation online.

People have been swarming here to meet it with curiosity.They come on sunny days,sitting quietly on the bench.The silhouetted picture from the back,with the tree,bench,and people in the foreground and bustling skyscrapers across the river and the boats on the surging water,forms a natural and meaningful landscape composition.

People come in heavy rains,sitting on the bench with an umbrella in hand and watching the torrential rains over the tumbling river.Sitting here,one can feel their heart and mind become transparent,wishes and worries heard by the nature around,and pressure and anxiety washed away by the water.

People come after the rain.Sitting there gazing into the distance,breathing deep and relaxing one’s mind,one may let go of every worry and care in the world for a moment.

People come at dusk,holding the hands of their love.After a long and tiring day,they can now relax and enjoy the glowing sunset and poetic tranquility.

People come in their wedding dresses,letting the unique and tranquil landscape witness their most sweet and beautiful moment.

長(zhǎng)江邊的一棵樹，火了！

一棵意楊樹，靜靜佇立武昌江灘鐵機(jī)路碼頭，觀滾滾長(zhǎng)江東逝水，望秋月春風(fēng)，回首是一大片青草坪，右后方一把長(zhǎng)椅與之相守。

以半徑50 米環(huán)顧一周再無一株樹，看似孤獨(dú)落寞的它，置身此情此景中，就這么自然地擦出了火花，火啦！

于是乎……

晴天，你來了，帶著一份好奇，來瞧瞧網(wǎng)紅樹，嗯，靜坐長(zhǎng)椅上，從背后拍照，對(duì)岸繁華高樓、滔滔江水、江上行船、一棵樹、長(zhǎng)椅和你融為一幅意蘊(yùn)悠長(zhǎng)的自然畫，你的心為之一振……

暴雨，你來了。撐傘坐在長(zhǎng)椅上，與它慢慢聊，聊聊心語(yǔ)心愿，與天地對(duì)話，紓解心中不快，江濤聽見了，驟雨聽見了……

雨后，你來了。坐在長(zhǎng)椅上，凝望著它，放空自己，什么都不想，自由暢快深呼吸，簡(jiǎn)簡(jiǎn)單單發(fā)會(huì)兒呆……

黃昏，你來了。疲憊工作一天后，牽著戀人或愛人的手，尋一份詩(shī)意的寧?kù)o，沉醉夕陽(yáng)中……

結(jié)婚，你來了。它的那份安寧，獨(dú)特的神韻，見證你們拍婚紗照的甜蜜時(shí)刻。

就這樣，你仰望陪伴它，它也傾聽、撫慰你的心，并祝福你。

自然而然，游客如潮，幾乎“不斷檔”，這棵樹火了！

“一棵普普通通的樹成為網(wǎng)紅，確實(shí)出乎意料?！蔽洳瓰┈F(xiàn)場(chǎng)負(fù)責(zé)人周曉煜感慨，可能是此情此景正好與你的心一拍即合吧。類似風(fēng)姿的樹在江灘找到了同款，但同一場(chǎng)景同一畫風(fēng)同一神韻的，確實(shí)找不到第二個(gè)。

這幅“畫”是人為設(shè)計(jì)的？“渾然天成。”周曉煜介紹，原址是一個(gè)舊廠區(qū)，改造成江灘時(shí)，它周邊樹木大多有病蟲害或長(zhǎng)勢(shì)不好，唯保留它這棵獨(dú)苗，設(shè)計(jì)大草坪是供游人扎帳篷，那把長(zhǎng)椅是供游客休息，每100 米放置一個(gè)，恰巧放在那棵樹右邊，沒想到成“點(diǎn)睛之筆”。

The tree waiting for an upcoming storm 暴雨前

The tree on a cloudy day 多云時(shí)

People visit and look up to the tree.The tree listens and soothes people’s hearts,greeting them with blessings.

Surrounded by an endless stream of tourists,the tree went viral online.

“We didn’t expect such an ordinary tree to become an internet celebrity,” said Zhou Xiaoyu,who’s in charge of the management of the Wuchang Bund.Maybe part of the reason is that this scene strikes the secret solitary in people’s hearts.There are some other similar trees on the bund,but none of the others seem to have the elegance and charisma this one has.

People wonder if this tree was deliberately designed.“It’s 100% natural,” Zhou Xiaoyu explained.Its location used to be an old factory site before it was transformed into part of the bund.Most of the trees were removed due to pest-related diseases or maldevelopment—except for this one.The large lawn was there for tourists to put up tents and one bench was placed every 100 meters along the bund.This particular bench ended on the right side of the tree and unexpectedly became the “finishing touch” of the scene.

“It’s quiet now.On sunny days it gets too crowded,” commented a tourist the day before yesterday while taking pictures after the rain.According to him,this tree is attractive because of the tranquility,simplicity,and nature it passes to modern urban people.

Perhaps even the prosperous skyscrapers on the other side of the river cast an envious eye upon this poplar tree standing there in peace.

Leading a fast-paced life in a noisy metropolis,we can’t help feeling blessed that there is such a beautiful tree tucked away,where everyone can calm down and enjoy the stillness.

What excitement will the upcoming summer days bring for the tree? What would the tree look like against the crimson clouds in a resplendent sunset? We’ll have to wait for you to unveil the answer when you visit.(Translation:Lu Qiongyao)

The tree bathing in the sunlight 晴天里

The tree bathing in the rain 小雨中

“這個(gè)時(shí)候拍，是最安靜的時(shí)候，出太陽(yáng)就不得了了。”前日陰雨間歇，一位游客拍照時(shí)說的這句話，道出這棵樹紅火的原因——對(duì)寧?kù)o、樸素和自然，大家有著極大的渴盼與追求。

這棵意楊，靜守一份純粹，對(duì)岸繁華的高樓或也投來羨慕的目光。

喧鬧的城市，快節(jié)奏的生活，能有一個(gè)角落，有一棵直抵人心的樹，供你獨(dú)自凝思、清靜片刻，實(shí)為小確幸。

夏天來了，火燒云與這棵樹會(huì)碰撞出怎樣的精彩，等你來揭曉。