Botanical Garden receives rock extracted from Mount Tai, a sacred site in China

On Saturday (September 27), the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden received a gift from China. It is a 700kg rock extracted from Mount Tai (Taishan), a sacred place of pilgrimage for Taoists. It was donated by State Grid Brazil Holding (SGBH), a Brazilian electricity transmission group, and will be permanently displayed outdoors in front of Casa Pacheco Leão.

The delivery was part of the celebrations of 51 years of Sino-Brazilian diplomatic relations and took place during SGBH's 15th anniversary celebrations. It also coincides with the eve of Mandarin Day (September 28), established by the Rio de Janeiro City Council in 2022.

The donation was made at a ceremony attended by JBRJ President Sergio Besserman Vianna and directors of the institution, executives from SGBH and BOCOM BBM bank, China's acting consul general in Rio de Janeiro, Wang Haitao, and federal deputy Reimont, one of the authors of the Mandarin Day project.

The rock has a plaque with the inscription: “May our friendship endure and, although separated by a thousand leagues, may we share the same bright moon.” Around it, three tea seedlings from China were planted. The trio completes a total of four plants imported and donated by SGBH to the Garden. A fourth was planted next to an older one already existing in the Botanical Garden's arboretum.

In his speech, President Sergio Besserman expressed his gratitude on behalf of the JBRJ and emphasized that the rock from Mount Tai signifies steadfastness, permanence, and solidity. “We hope that this friendship will develop deep and lasting roots and that it will bear flowers and fruits in the minds and hearts of our peoples and in our forests and nature,” he concluded.

Mount Tai (Taishan) is 1,545 meters high and is located in Shandong province. It is considered a symbol of the connection between heaven, earth, and humanity. Emperors climbed to its summit to bring offerings and perform rituals. Today, visitors go there to pray for health, longevity, and peace. In 1987, UNESCO inscribed it as a Mixed World Heritage Site in recognition of its natural landscape and historical and cultural value.

Saturday's event was one of several SGBH activities held at the Botanical Garden. In 2024, in partnership with Banco Bocom BBM, the company sponsored the renovation and reopening of Casa Pacheco Leão. The venue is hosting the exhibition “Tea Route – Botany, Culture, and Tradition,” open Thursday through Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until the end of the year.