An 87-year-old man from Laiyang, Shandong province has planted more than 100,000 trees over the course of 25 years, turning a barren hill into green forest. The man, named Li Shifu, knows every tree that he ever planted. Hailed as the "soul of the mountain," the man compared himself to the son of nature.

Born in 1929, Li was the secretary of his village's Communist Party branch. In hopes of beautifying the barren hills, he came to Cuo Mountain, where the only foliage at the time was a few acacia trees. Li used to manually carry dozens of buckets of water to the mountain for irrigation. Later, he simply moved into a bomb shelter near the mountain after the shack he was living in collapsed. Then, in the winter of 2003, a total of 200 trees were stolen.

"I cried when I found out," Li recalled. Sometimes saplings were also eaten by sheep, and Li had no choice but to grow the seedlings again. Now, more than 100,000 trees have been planted, turning the once-bleak hill into a thriving forest. Trees cover almost the entire mountain, which remains green even during winter.

Currently, Li still lives near the mountain, guarding his forest. Though his health is getting worse, he has never lost the will to protect the trees.

"We should not be selfish. I'm growing the trees for future generations," said Li. His actions have won him a great deal of respect; many people visit the elderly man, presenting him with plants and greenery. He rewards these visitors with vegetables and herbs that he grows himself.

"Now I'm too old to plant more trees. All I can do now is guard them for another few years," Li said.