As an old Chinese saying says, "Mobility offers people chances to survive, while the trees will die if moved to another place." This may not be the case considering that modern technology has enabled a number of trees to migrate to every corner of the world. But there are still some breeds that refuse to be tamed. Their stubborn immobility proves the ancient wisdom is still valid today. The Nian Gao tree, or literally the "Gluey Cream" tree, native to South China's Guangxi Province, is one of these diehards.

The tree has no Latin name, as Chinese botanists can only categorize it into the toon family. It can grow as high as 20 meters and the oldest example is more than 300 years old. Its middle trunk is five to six times larger than both ends, resembling a plump pregnant woman. To balance its big "belly," the crown is medium-sized with just a few branches. It only survives in the compact communities of the White Pants Yao people, an offshoot of the Yao ethnic group deriving its name from the white pants men typically wear.

Efforts to transplant the tree to other places have proven to be in vain, for reasons which remain unknown. In the spring of 2001, a Shanghai property developer bought four Nian Gao Trees from Lihu Village, Nandan County, at the price of 150,000 yuan (about $18, 123 USD) each. Before the trees were transported to Shanghai, the villagers stopped the transaction. Local government confiscated the trees and assigned technical workers to save the trees by planting them near the government office building, about 17 kilometers away from Lihu Village. The climate and soil were the same as their original place, yet none of them survived.

In fact, for hundreds of years, the trees have coexisted with the White Pants Yao people and played an indispensable role in their culture - the sticky tree juice is a vital ingredient in the wax dye they use for their clothing.

Making dye with the gluey juice of the tree is one of the group's traditional crafts, and the White Pants Yao people know more about the care of the tree than any other group.

When baby trees are found growing under big trees, people will dig them out with the soil and put them in big water jars. After a few days, the trees will be transplanted to a chosen place in the middle of the night. The Yao people pay tribute to the trees and pray that they will be able to care for them forever.

Once the trees have reached 2 meters in height, owners decide whether to let them grow freely or hack the trunks every year to get the sticky juice. The trees must be chopped each year to keep them producing the juice, or they will dry out and die.

Trees are hacked in March and April with a steel knife. Holes are cut at equal distances along the trunk, starting 1.5 meters from the roots. The next spring, the sticky cream comes out, a straw yellow color. During the first year the trees are tapped, they will produce a few grams of the ream, and more in the following years. A tree older than 50 years is capable of producing 10-20 kilograms per year.

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