On Tree-Planting Day, March 12, residents will be given the opportunity to name trees after themselves.

Two parks in Nanshan District published a notice in a community newspaper Sunday inviting people to register for tree-planting activities, which will allow those planting trees to have their names hung on the trees, on the condition that they pay for the saplings.

"We have received scores of inquiries days ago though the registration is supposed to begin today as disclosed in the notice," a lady surnamed Liang with Zhongshan Park, one of the participating parks, said.

The park offers some 2,000 saplings at prices ranging from 175 (US$22) to 300 yuan. These saplings have a diameter of between five and six centimeters. The other park, Lingxiang Park, offers some 400 larger saplings priced from 200 to 800 yuan.

Planting a tree with or for family members is getting popular in Shenzhen. In the last two years, some 10 million trees were planted in town.

The city's afforestation commission has published its plan for this year's Tree-Planting Day. Local top leaders will go to Fengyi Hill in Luohu District to add some new trees to the city as an annual event to mark the day. The commission will also organize planting activities for some government departments and units.

Those interested in planting trees can register at the two parks between today and Sunday, and the trees will be reserved on a "first come, first served" basis. The numbers for Zhongshan Park are 2661-1719 and 2661-0595, while Lixiang Park can be reached at 2666-7514.

March 12 was selected for the Tree-Planting Day in 1979 to commemorate Sun Yat-sen, who died on that day in 1925.

China launched the national voluntary tree-planting campaign in the early 1980s, requiring every Chinese above 11 to plant three to five trees each year, or pay 20 yuan for each tree to the afforestation commission if they cannot plant trees by themselves.

Editor: Yan