News
The Grain Rain, which nourishes the four seasons, arrives as expected
While the banyan tree, sheltering the land, stays evergreen year after year
Leading to Niuzhai Village
a renowned hometown of overseas Chinese
is Yuanzai Road
On either side stand robust banyan trees
each over thirty years of age
Their lush canopies arch overhead
merging into a green tunnel, sheltering villagers from sun and rain
More than building roads, he sought to grow banyan trees
Yuanzai Road, built in 1993 with a donations from Mr. Liem Sioe Liong
who specifically instructed the planting of banyan trees
The once slender saplings have now grown into towering giants
their roots digging deep into the earth
their branches stretching high like colossal green umbrellas
Year after year, they stand witness
as generations of Niuzhai villagers grow beneath their shade
He planted trees, yet far more than trees
Thirty years have passed in the quiet turn of seasons
pavement renewed, but the banyan’s embrace constant
They watch, they remember, witnessing the passage of time
What grew from one man’s vision is now the village’s most enduring monument
The Grain Rain’s waters never fail to return
Thirty years ago, raindrops fell on villagers’ shovels in Niuzhai
seeping into the earth, nourishing young banyan roots
Now they reappear as dewdrops on emerald leaves
The same water, cycling through time
feeding canopies that grow denser with every passing year
Just as Mr. Liem’s kindness keeps nourishing the hearts of his fellow villagers
Text: Lan Zhenhua
Photograph: Hong Ning