Ma Guoxiang, a farmer in Funing, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been guarding a endangered plant species for nearly 30 years. Under his efforts, the plants were saved from being chopped down. Some trees even grew as tall as 40 meters. They are so big that six people are needed to encircle the trunk. Photo: Sina Weibo

Ma Guoxiang, a farmer in Funing, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been guarding a endangered plant species for nearly 30 years. 

Under his efforts, the plants were saved from being chopped down. Some trees even grew as tall as 40 meters. They are so big that six people are needed to encircle the trunk. 

The trees belong to a kind of evergreen tree known as cyclobalanopsis sichourensis. According to scientists, there are only nine of such trees in the world and the ones looked after by Ma are already hundreds of years old. In order to save the species, Ma has successfully bred 300 young ones. 

"It is not about making money. Seeing mountains full of young trees is the glory of my life," he said.

Global times