A man of art and nature

Early the next day, he passed by the banyan tree again. This time, he was caught by an impressive flock of birds flying around the tree, flittering in and out of their nests on the branches.

Later, in Birds' Paradise, a prose about his encounter with the tree, Ba Jin wrote: "The previous night, my eyes deceived me. The 'Birds' Paradise' is indeed a paradise of birds!"

Decades later, the same vibrant nature scene captured the interest of Zhu Danian (1916-95) so intensely that the noted artist and designer depicted the Birds' Paradise in a commissioned painting.

For the ceramic painting, Ode to the Forest, Zhu reenacted the tree's lush leaves, expansive roots, and dense branches to create a canopy above the river, populated by a dozen egrets flying between the spread branches.