Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dark blue van pulls up to Cheung Sung Lam's office in a wealthy Hong Kong neighborhood, and four men with a rope jump out in the dark.

They swarm around their 80-year-old target on the sidewalk and try to lasso it into the van. Yet the intended victim -- a 6- ton ``good luck'' tree worth about HK$1 million ($128,203) -- won't budge.

``I've had that tree for more than 10 years, it brings me serenity and luck,'' says Cheung, 61, who watched the failed caper on his security cameras. ``All my sorrows are gone whenever I see my pine. I never thought I might lose it this way.''

Buddhist Pine trees are considered harbingers of fortune in feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice exploring the relationship between nature and people. The rare trees are uprooted from plazas, gardens and public parks in Hong Kong and sold across the border in southern China for up to HK$600,000 each, police say.

At least 1,000 mature pines -- or about a quarter of the territory's total -- were stolen in the past five years, Marine Police Superintendent Wong Chun-chin says.

The crime spree is spurred by China's rising wealth. The number of U.S.-dollar millionaires increased 20 percent to 415,000 last year from 2006, said a June 24 report by Merrill Lynch & Co. and Paris-based Cap Gemini SA. China's economy has grown by at least 10 percent annually since 2002.

Flaunting Wealth

``Some mainland Chinese are just so rich that they have to find ways to spend their money,'' says Wong, who's been intercepting drug smugglers, illegal immigrants and tree thieves for 15 years.

``Having a Buddhist Pine in their gardens to show off is one.''

About 30 trees were stolen in the first quarter of this year, police say. Last year, the number jumped 25 percent to 461.

In 2003, the first year authorities started keeping records, seven were stolen.

Ringleaders use advance teams to scout for potential targets and then recruit men in southern China for 50 yuan ($7.31) a day to dig them up and smuggle them back.

``It's quite easy for them because they're used to working in the forest,'' says Terry Fung, a conservation officer at Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Corp. in Hong Kong.

Tree Patrols

The trees are sold through commercial outlets or directly to buyers who may not know they're stolen.

``The stealing is done in an organized way,'' Wong says. ``We will step up our efforts and seek cooperation with mainland counterparts to tackle the crime.''

The agriculture, fisheries and conservation department's 150 park wardens were ``stepping up patrols at black spots'' where trees were vulnerable, director Cheung Siu-hing said in March.

The public security department of Guangdong, the Chinese province bordering Hong Kong, is investigating, public affairs officer Kong Ming says.

A Hong Kong court in January sentenced two illegal immigrants from China to 43 months in prison for stealing 10 Buddhist Pines from the Sai Kung Country Park. Their suspected speedboat was found at a nearby beach.

In January 2007, a police speedboat chased down two mainland Chinese men carrying 26 Buddhist pines in their motorized sampan.

Feng Shui

``Despite the repeated emphasis of the seriousness of illegal exploitation of endangered trees in Hong Kong, very often by illegal immigrants from the Mainland, the offense remains prevalent,'' a Hong Kong judge said in an April 2008 opinion rejecting one man's appeal to lower his 52-month sentence.

Feng shui, which means ``wind and water,'' encourages people to use the energies contained in a particular space to promote their good health and good fortune, consultant Mak Lingling says.

``You won't be poor if you have a Buddhist Pine,'' she says, reciting one tenet. ``In feng shui, wealth and prosperity is ruled by the wood element.''

Buddhist Pines from Hong Kong are particularly auspicious because they're shaped by winds blowing through the prosperous city, Mak says.

The evergreen trees grow to about 50 feet (15 meters) and live for more than 1,000 years, according to Kadoorie Farm. They also are used as indoor bonsai trees.

Buddhist Pines aren't the only booty. Thieves also steal the incense tree Aquilaria Sinensis, which inspired the city's name. Hong Kong means ``fragrant harbor'' in Chinese.

The tree resin is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a pain reliever. Police have seized more than 200 stolen trees from smugglers since 2004.

The 13-foot-tall Buddhist Pine outside Cheung's office is worth more money than the company keeps in its safe plus its computer system. Cheung's name, Sung, means ``pine'' in Chinese and has an implicit meaning of long life.

After the September 2007 theft attempt, he spent HK$100,000 upgrading security systems -- including connecting an alarm to the police station. No one has been arrested in the case.

``I don't want to take the chance, though the treenappers really need a tractor to dig up the pine,'' Cheung says.

Still, he doesn't plan to move the tree inside his private garden.

``I want to share the beauty of the pine with the public.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Theresa Tang in Hong Kong at ttang3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 9, 2008 14:00 EDT