Page:Frank Owen - Rare Earth, 1931.djvu/226

 also made at Tientsin but Peking offers far more variety. The finest are made from the wool of Mongolian sheep. The strands are not dyed, nor can they be imitated with any degree of exactitude. Loo Zoo was one of the most renowned of all living rug merchants. In his vast shops and warehouses could be found rose, lavender, all shades of blue and yellow rugs. Of course in the majority of them the dragon and phoenix motive predominated. Though the gingko tree was prominent in a large number for this tree is the oldest living thing on earth. It goes back beyond the known existence of any other tree or plant. It was ancient at man's advent on earth. Once it grew wild in many sections of the globe but now it is only known as a cultivated tree. Sometimes it has a girth of twenty or thirty feet and its spread is enormous. Of all trees it is the only one that never has a dead branch. Although so old, it is ever young. Years mean nothing to it for it never dies perhaps that is why it is associated with holiness and enchantment and is usually found near temples.