It took from two days to two weeks to shoot a single tree. "Sometimes I had to wait for suitable weather. Sometimes I had to wait for the right kind of light. You had to be patient," Peng said.
For all the hardship, Peng saw his work on the book as a valuable chance to get in contact with "the wisdom of nature."
"The more I see of old trees, the more I understand Lao Tze's philosophy. The old trees survived by being humble, unassertive and accommodating," Peng said.
Peng used wide-angle lenses and shot from where people usually sit around the trees "to create a kind of closeness."
However, it's also evident from the photos that some of the old trees are not faring well. Several have their roots covered in concrete.
"People dealing with the trees had the idea that trees only need a small circle of soil around its base to survive. When the trees get in the way of new constructions, people pour concrete all around the tree, thinking that they are protecting it."
The fact is that they cannot absorb sufficient nutrition this way. "When residents see that the tree looks ill, they just cut off branches. It's sad," Chang said.
The most fascinating part of doing the book for both Chang and Peng was the discovery of traditional ways of life in Taiwan that centered on these trees.
Photos in the book show some trees tied with a red ribbon to signify their divinity. For every big tree, Taiwanese folk belief goes, there's a spirit living within.
Many old trees serve as a center of worship and people have built temples around them. Red cedars in Pingtung county, residents claimed, give children to couples and camphors in Kaohsiung are believed to protect families. Old tree worship remains remarkably strong.
During the lottery rage 10 years ago, a series of incidents were reported in which worshippers burned or poured acid on trees because they believed the trees had led them to bet on the wrong lottery number.
Chang thought these disfigured trees too terrible to look at and did not include them in the book. "It's such a shame," she said.
Stories like these show that old trees still have an important place in people's lives. "Old trees have been seen from only one perspective -- the ecological perspective. Their cultural significance has not been recognized. Cultural historians should try combining natural science and the human aspects of old trees to provide a broader perspective," Chang said.
Since the book's release, readers have posted messages with the publisher detailing information about old trees not mentioned in the book. The feedback, Chang said, proves that her book has raised people's awareness of old trees around them.
"It will take a long time to upgrade our preservation of old trees, but at least we have made a start," Chang said.
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