Wisdom tree

Just got back from China where i fell in love with the cypress trees. This is a close up of the bark of one of the trees in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City in Beijing. I don't know how old this particular tree is, but most were hundreds of years old. And I saw one in Qufu, where Confucius lived, that was 1800 years old.

It looks photoshopped, but I swear it's simple work on a raw file in Lightroom - no color enhancements, no special effects. Just adjustments to contrast and exposure and a little crop.

Tomorrow - the truly Great Wall....