Ginkgo Tree

Ginkgo Tree

Located at Xiguchengzi in the county town. The Ginkgo Tree, Xiguchengzi, and Laoqiudui are known as the three major historic sites of Linquan. The tree stands over 30 meters tall with a girth of 8 meters. It has nine trunks, eighteen branches, and seventy-two offshoots, and is over two thousand years old. To this day, it remains lush and vigorous, with silver fruits hanging abundantly. Its exposed roots form various natural shapes, such as majestic lions and giant dragons, leaping tigers and galloping horses—countless forms limited only by the imagination. Among them, a clear horse hoof print can be seen on one root, and nearby, a human footprint is visible on another. Legend has it that these were left by Li Zicheng, leader of the peasant uprising army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, when he rested against the tree while marching toward Beijing.

According to forestry experts, this is the largest, oldest, and closest to a city center ginkgo tree in the country. The tree has been listed as a key cultural relic protection tree in our province.