96-year-old Jia Fulian in Beidu Village, north China’s Hebei Province, has been living with an ancient tree for the past four decades. /China News Service Photo

The Chinese pagoda tree is about 300 years old, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. /China News Service Photo

Jia built his house around the tree to protect it, with the trunk growing through the wall. /China News Service Photo

The tree is so big that its branches stretch out to the neighborhood and cast shadow down to the alley. /China News Service Photo