Tree expresses wish for a rest from granting wishes.

The NYT reports:

People from across Hong Kong and nearby mainland China, as well as tourists from around the world, have long come to light incense and make wishes beneath the spreading limbs of a huge Chinese banyan here in Lam Tsuen, a bustling village near the mainland border. Respect for the banyan, which is hundreds of years old, is based partly on feng shui, a Chinese system of philosophy that emphasizes harmony with nature, and partly on centuries-old local beliefs about the mystical value of trees. The tree is so popular that it shows up on highway signs and has its own expressway exit.

But the tree's main limb suddenly broke over the weekend with a loud crack during Chinese New Year festivities.

The entire limb fell to the ground, breaking the left leg of a 62-year-old man. Some branches also scratched the head of an unrelated 4-year-old boy, who was treated at a local hospital and released.

The incident has prompted considerable debate here over what if anything it foretells for Hong Kong's fortunes this year. To prevent further injuries, the tree is now ringed with a wide circle of chest-high, crowd-control fences. A Taoist temple nestled against the base of the tree, just below the angry brown scar where the limb broke loose, has been padlocked.

"It makes for a loneliness between tree and people to have this distance, but it's good for the tree to let it rest," said Edith Yu, a 41-year-old businesswoman, after lighting a thick handful of incense sticks and bowing several times to the tree, believed to be the residence of earth gods.