Forbes Street Tree Wall in Hong Kong

Banyan trees precariously grasping onto whatever surfaces they can with their splayed roots, are a relatively common sight around Hong Kong. Nowhere are these trees more impressive or numerous than on Forbes Street in Kennedy Town.

Originally built to reinforce the hillside from landslides, the 200 meter long wall that runs the length of Forbes Street is home to 26 individual Chinese Banyan trees. Clinging dramatically to the brickwork, sections of the wall are completely covered from top to bottom with banyan roots, making the tree wall one of the area's most recognizable landmarks.

The community's love for the Forbes Street Banyan trees was made evident in 2005, during the planning and construction of the Kennedy Town MTR subway station. Originally intended to be located under Forbes Street Playground, public concerns about the potentially negative effects of the construction work on the banyans, led to the MTR corporation moving the station to a different site nearby.

With the station relocated, the Forbes Street Tree Wall continues to thrive, providing shade for pedestrians beneath its leafy canopy, and offering Kennedy Town residents a rare bit of greenery in a district dominated by residential high rise buildings.