Thousands flock to sacred 'weeping' trees

Thousands of people are gathering at a small Buddhist temple in southeastern China to witness a group of trees that locals say are spouting water.

Residents and pilgrims alike have collected at the Cihang Temple, located in between Tongshan county, Hubei province and Wuning county, Jiangxi province, where four pine trees have been shedding water drops since June 8.

Many have rushed to collect the water with basins to drink, which they believe is a manifestation of Buddha's power and will grant them blessings.

Those who drank the water claimed it tasted slightly sweet.

Ruan Jianjun, a deputy director at Tongshan's Forest Bureau who inspected the site, suggested the pine trees are shedding excess water drawn from the ground during the summer.

However, the behavior more closely resembles foliar water uptake, a well-documented method of water acquisition in which leaves and pine needles extract moisture from the air during droughts.