Horse chestnut tree in Xixia county, Henan province. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]

Forestry workers in Henan province have concluded that a horse chestnut tree in the village of Shimen in Xixia county, Nanyang?is around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest of its kind in China

The 28-meter-tall tree has a diameter of 2.2 meters so it takes five people to reach around it with their arms fully stretched out. People in the village consider it a symbol of life and vitality, since it has been there for centuries, and they have erected a monument to protect it.

It is also unique for having a big hole in its trunk, as if it were an eye looking up at the sky, and the other side has a hollow part that can hold five or six people. Every April, when the tree's white flowers fall down in the breeze, it looks like flying snowflakes.

The county is famous for being dense with horse chestnut trees which produce a substance that has medicinal uses for cardiovascular diseases. The forestry department has been encouraging villagers to develop a horse chestnut industry that will help environmental protection and economic development.