Fragrance of Life Emitted from 1,000-Year Old Tree

Giant Trees on Our Soil

By Goh Gyu-hong (writer) and Kim Sung-chul (photo)

368 pages

Publisher: Nulwa

Price: 20,000 won

The book is, in a nutshell, a "tree almanac" helping us to rediscover the life and beauty of old trees.

The two "authors" have searched each and every corner of the nation, looking for old giant trees of 400 or, sometimes, 1,000 years of age. They are relaying to us the whisper, which they heard walking along the roads, of the 130 trees of 27 kinds that have stood independently through all the times.

People cherish the ash tree, mulberry tree and the scrotum for their various utilities to the human race. On the other hand, zelkova trees and gingko trees have watched joy and sadness of villagers, serving as spiritual protector or material for kiosks. The fir tree, the locust tree and the crape myrtle attract the human attention for their beautiful appearance. Walnut trees, papaya trees and Camellias are loved by people for their charming fruit and shining flower.

This book leads us to look back on our own lives by giving us an insight into the history, origin, characteristics, and spirits of each tree.

The pine tree, which is incorporated in the South Korean national anthem, feels most familiar and symbolizes our culture. Its Korean name, or Soh-tree, means the top. In ancient Korean, Suri meant the same, which was changed in pronunciation and is now read as "Soh". Thus, Koreans believe Soh-tree as the one sitting above all the other trees.

The Japanese apricot tree, which survives the harsh winter and signals spring before anything else, was beloved by ancient scholars for its symbolic straightness and persistence. The scholars believed that the tree cherished more of the rare than the frequent, the old than the young, the slim than the fat, the budding than the fully bloomed. Lee Hwang, a famous ancient scholar and official, was quoted as saying just prior to his death, "Water the apricot tree!"

`Big Tree Guinness` has also many interesting stories to tell. A big tall Chinese jupiter standing near the Dodong Port in Ulreung-do is more than 2,000 years old. The gingko tree in Yongmun Temple is the Asia`s largest. It is 1,100 years old and 67 meter tall. A nettle tree in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk-do owns a 3,700-pyong land and even pays taxes.

The mystery about these trees is that they become more beautiful as they grow old, the book says. They stand tall and become more magnificent going through years after years.

Big trees bear expressions. They are sometimes like mothers embracing little children. Other times they are like holy sprits of mountains or noble men of honor. When you just look around, you will never find their great beauty.

They wear different looks as seasons change. They just look different from the way you see them. For those who have abilities to look inside things and find hidden beauty, therefore, they will reveal their true selves. Then you will realize that this land has these great trees and feel sorry that some of them have gone due to human selfishness.

mskoh119@donga.com