More than 50 years after taking root in the Hangzhou Botanical Garden, a towering North American redwood gifted during Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China continues to stand as a living symbol of China-US friendship.

Planted in Hangzhou under the instruction of Former Premier Zhou Enlai, the redwood was part of a group of trees presented as a national gift during Nixon's landmark trip, which paved the way for the normalization of China-US relations.

Despite struggling at first with Hangzhou's humid subtropical climate, the tree survived thanks to decades of careful protection and scientific cultivation by garden staff, including misting systems, shade structures and real-time monitoring technology.

Today, the original redwood and its descendants have spread to more than 20 provinces and cities across China, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Kunming.

Kevin Nohe, an American PhD student at Zhejiang University, visited the tree last year for the first time. "Maintaining friendship means taking care of each other," he said, calling the redwood a symbol of enduring people-to-people ties.

The redwood has since become known as a "diplomatic veteran" in Hangzhou — a living witness to more than half a century of cultural exchange and friendship between China and the United States.

A plate which introducing the towering North American redwood gifted by then US President Richard Nixon. [Photo/WeChat account: HangzhouFAO]

The North American redwood still stands at Hangzhou Botanical Garden. [Photo/WeChat account: zhelihangzhou]