Paintbrushes have turned tree hollows into works of art in Zhabei Park.

Pandas, peacocks, squirrels, raccoons, parrots and other animals appear to come to life in hollows in the park’s trees, 51 in total, creating new photo-friendly sites and giving a playful atmosphere to the 75-year-old park, the oldest in Jing’an District.

Traditionally, cement, lime and other materials are used to fill in the tree hollows. To the eye it appears as though a patch has been applied to the trees, which doesn’t mesh well with the natural environment. Therefore, the park decided to paint over the tree hollow patches.

First, decayed matter was removed from the tree hollows and fire-retardant materials were applied. Then, the surfaces of the tree hollows were sanded and sealed off with waterproof paint. Finally, environmentally friendly pigments were used to paint over the tree hollows.

According to the park, the hollow-filling method doesn’t hurt the trees, but instead it repairs and covers the holes and prevents tree water loss. Additionally, each filling will last for at least two years.