Golden wood was once used to make dragon robes, but now it has been almost dug to extinction. If you come across it, you have struck it rich.

When it comes to precious woods, the first ones most people think of are probably well-known woods such as golden silk nanmu, red sandalwood, yellow rosewood, and chicken-wing wood. Since ancient times, these have been highly sought-after precious woods. They are difficult to grow to usable size and expensive, so ordinary people rarely get to see them. However, in most mountainous areas of our country, there is a very common tree whose wood can rival sandalwood. It is commonly known as "southern sandalwood, northern zhe wood." Its wood is hard, sinks in water, has beautiful grain, and is rot-resistant and wear-resistant. Many farmers have seen it, but do not know its true value.

This tree is called "zhe wood" (Chinese mulberry, Maclura tricuspidata). It is covered in thorns and grows very slowly; even after decades of growth, it is difficult to grow to usable size, and people who do not know it may mistake it for a shrub. In rural areas of the south, people call it "wild lychee" because its fruit looks somewhat like a lychee, though because its branches have many thorns, no one eats its fruit. In the south, the main use of zhe wood is to feed silkworms with its leaves. It is a tree in the mulberry family, and silkworms love to eat its leaves. In fact, the most valuable part of zhe wood is its heartwood.

The heartwood of zhe wood is different from that of other trees; inside it is yellow. In ancient China, zhe wood heartwood was a high-grade dye, usually used to make dragon robes. The first person to wear a dragon robe made with zhe wood was Emperor Wen of Sui. After that, people began to use "zhe robe" to refer generally to the emperor. The Song Dynasty writer Su Dongpo once wrote: "Year after year it was trimmed and brushed for the emperor's leisure, zhe robes by the pond attended by three thousand." In the poem, "zhe robe" is used to refer to the emperor.

In addition to being used to make dragon robes, zhe wood was also an excellent material in ancient times for making slingshots and bows and arrows. The Han Dynasty text Fengsu Tong records: "Zhe wood is made into a bow, and when shot it releases swiftly." Today, zhe wood is mainly used to make precious crafts and collectible items.

A good piece of zhe wood is something you can only chance upon, not seek. Because zhe wood is easily hollowed out by insects during growth, it often happens that you see a very thick zhe tree, but after sawing it open you find the inside is hollow. "Nine out of ten zhe trees are hollow," and its value drops greatly. Therefore, much zhe wood is processed into brush pots or turned into beads, and zhe wood furniture is rarely seen on the market. The grain of zhe wood heartwood is very beautiful, golden yellow in color, and you can see ring after ring of white growth rings. Among the people, it has long been known as "golden wood."

In recent years, as the value of zhe wood has become known, many zhe trees over a hundred years old have been dug up and sold by lawbreakers, causing zhe wood to be nearly dug to extinction. Nowadays, if you see a tall zhe tree, you have struck it rich, but you must not cut it down at will! Zhe wood is now a nationally protected plant. Please do not cut or fell it indiscriminately!