The Tree Planting Day in Hong Kong has attracted the participating of over 2,000 Hong Kong citizens as well as guests from Central Government's offices in Hong Kong and those from consulate generals here.

They planted over 10,000 trees of over a dozen of varieties on a Lantau Island mountain where was hit by a mountain fire at the end of last year.

Over 1,000 officers and soldiers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison Troops in Hong Kong also took part in the tree planting activity.

The PLA soldiers said they are pleased to plant trees with Hong Kong citizens and they feel like planting trees in their own home places.

Yang Wenchang, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong, Wang Jitang and Liu Liangkai, commander and political commissar of the PLA Garrison Troops in Hong Kong, Li Gang, deputy director of the Liaison office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, as well as Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung and some otherofficials participated in the tree planting.

The annual Tree Planting Day started in 1998 with an aim to beautify Hong Kong. So far, over 100,000 trees have been planted in various parts of Hong Kong during the tree planting days.

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2005)