It’s true, there’s a category of cultural relic known as “old tree (古树)”. These old trees root the community in histories that stretch back to the late Ming Dynasty (early 1600s). Moreover, their beautiful limbs create poetic interludes throughout the remnants of Shenzhen’s old village homesteads. Buildings may decay through lack of care, but the trees grow despite threat of urban renewal.
Shenzhen Noted 
How wonderful! We have just cut down a 120-year-old ginko tree in downtown DC–by mistake! So sad for a city that prides itself on its tree cover.
Yes, the old trees are wonderful and it is sad when they go. Unfortunately, in Shenzhen, unless an old tree is near a temple or ancestral hall, it rarely survives urban renewal.
I love how the trees there are ‘functional’ in more than one way, lol.
I know. And the imports? Well they also create job opportunities in that they need so much care~