Aculture of protecting ancient trees is deeply rooted among the residents of Chengkou county in Southwest China's Chongqing. Having lived side by side with these majestic ginkgos, Chinese honeylocusts, Lindera megaphylla and camphor trees for generations, the local people treat them with the same love and care as they would a family member.

One such tree, a 30-meter-tall, 1,900-year-old ginkgo, stands resplendent in the county's Mingzhong township. The canopy of the living fossil stretches out to a whopping 1,320 square meters, and it ranked top among the "tree kings" of Chongqing in 2011.

"I have a special emotional connection with the tree and feel a responsibility to protect it," said 52-year-old Xiang Yibing, who has been appointed the "guardian" of the ginkgo tree.

Tree guardians are like caretakers of the ancient trees and are appointed by the local forestry bureau.

"Stewed chicken with its ginkgo nuts was the most delicious meal I had in my childhood," said Xiang, who grew up alongside the tree, as his house is only a five-minute walk from it.

He said the tree is rarely troubled by disease or pests, but he still visits it every one or two days to ensure there are no issues caused by natural disasters or deliberate harm.

The local authorities can use the Forest Law and the Wild Plant Protection Regulations to punish any destructive behavior, but there have been no cases of human-induced damage in the local area, said Weng Xuanjun, an official from the forestry bureau in Chengkou.

On the contrary, local people consider the ancient trees sacred and they are a subject of worship.

Chengkou has 240,000 hectares of forests, with more than 1,100 certified wild ancient trees, including 14 national first-class, 28 second-class and 243 third-class ancient trees, and over 800 county-level ancient trees, according to government figures.

To protect the trees, local authorities have taken a range of protection and rejuvenation measures such as creating tree profiles, assigning tree guardians, engaging private tree doctors and installing monitoring systems.