Inner Mongolia: the Hu poplar in thousands of postures

Hu poplar(“Tao lai” in pinyin in Mongolian) is a member of genus deciduous trees with soft wood and big leaves. It has strong drought tolerance and is one of the rare tree species in mature.

The Hu poplar forest in Ejina Banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is one of the last three Hu polar forests and the best preserved one in the world. Endowed with tenacious vitality, Hu poplar was known as “the Living Fossil of Plants”. Each Hu poplar’s taproot can reaches more than 100 meters beneath the ground. That explains the saying that Hu poplar will not die even though it has fell down for 1000 years and it will not be rotten even though it has been dead for 1000 years. Now some polars that have grown for hundred years are still alive, which can be said as a miracle in the nature.

There is a rotten Hu poplar forest in the southwest of Dalaihubu Town, Ejina Banner, where had been a primeval forest hundred years ago. Later, groups of Hu poplar became rotten and fell down in different directions, presenting various postures due to natural reasons. The dead bodies of these polar lie on the vast ground and make you feel creepy in dark night and windy dawn.