From one tree, a forest of friendship

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, October 4, 2026

In 1972, a young coastal redwood was planted at Hangzhou Botanical Garden as a symbol of thawing relations between China and the United States following President Nixon's visit. Since then, the tree has thrived and produced offspring propagated across China, embodying a lasting representation of the countries' diplomatic friendship.

In February 1972, a young coastal redwood tree was delivered to the Hangzhou Botanical Garden in China, marking the beginning of a symbolic gesture of friendship between China and the United States. The tree, about eight feet tall at the time, was brought from the United States amid warming diplomatic ties following U.S. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Hangzhou during his trip to China.

The arrival of the redwood coincided with the discussions surrounding the Joint Communique, an agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Beijing and Washington. The tree, still wrapped in its original packaging and accompanied by detailed care instructions, was planted in Hangzhou’s subtropical monsoon climate—a stark contrast to its native environment on the cool, humid West Coast of the United States.

Maintaining the redwood’s health required significant adaptation efforts. Garden engineers installed artificial misting systems to simulate humidity, employed woven reed screens to provide shade during hot summers, and surrounded the tree with a tall bamboo fence for protection. A small guardhouse was constructed nearby where staff monitored the tree continuously to ensure its survival.

Later in 1972, horticultural staff propagated new redwoods from cuttings taken from the original tree. Through artificial pollination, seeds were produced seven years later, leading to the cultivation of first-generation seedlings. Over time, the redwood and its offspring became a point of interest for both locals and visiting dignitaries.

Nixon revisited Hangzhou in 1982, viewing the redwood at more than 25 feet in height along with its growing progeny. He returned again in 1993, remarking on the redwood’s potential lifespan of up to 2,000 years and expressing hope that the friendship between China and the United States would endure just as long. In 2013, Christopher Nixon Cox, Nixon’s grandson, led a delegation from the Nixon Foundation to Hangzhou. The group planted two southern yew trees next to the original redwood, symbolizing continued ties between the countries.

The legacy of the Hangzhou redwood has extended well beyond the botanical garden. Today, redwoods propagated from the original tree have been introduced across more than 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions throughout China. With redwoods capable of living for centuries or even millennia, horticultural staff say the story of this tree—and what it represents—remains far from complete.

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