Road construction makes way for a camphor tree cluster in Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Lishui Daily]

In some Chinese cities trees are removed to make way for urban construction, but Lishui in Zhejiang province chooses totally different options.

In Yanquan subdistrict in downtown Lishui, to protect an established cluster of camphor trees, builders modified their plans for a road with a total length of less than 2 kilometers.

At the beginning of 2019, Xiang Yansheng led a group of tree-loving people on a visit the reconstruction project sites of each village in the city, patiently looking for old and ancient trees that may not have been known to local officials.

In the process, he discovered the old cluster of camphor trees. Knowing that the trees were about to be transplanted, Xiang made every effort to protect them. His efforts finally paid off, with the municipal government deciding to change the road construction plan to bypass the camphor trees.

To this end, the construction cost will increase by more than 20 million yuan ($2.82 million) and the work will take longer to complete.

"We can overcome the difficulties, but once the camphor trees are removed, they no longer exist," said Sun Guozhi, director of the early stage of construction.

According to the latest news, the municipal government also plans to build a camphor park around the camphor trees.