Preservation

       Another thing that pleases Anami very much is the increasing appreciation for the city's old trees, stones and water, and understanding of the need to and the ways to preserve them.

       She can still remember her first visit to China in 1976, when her encounter with Beijing's ancient trees began. It was on her way to the Ming Tombs (the imperial tombs of Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644). She found many great gnarled cypresses and pines lining the road, giving it the air of a sacred colonnade.Upon returning in 1983 she drove this road again.To her shock, the giant trees were being uprooted to widen the road. Scattered all along the way were the stumps and torn-up roots of these 500-year-old trees.Today, thankfully, such things rarely happen.