Guxin Ancient Locust Tree Park

Guxin Ancient Locust Tree Park

In Guxin Village, She County, Hebei Province, there stands an ancient locust tree known as the "No. 1 Locust Tree in the World." This old tree stands 29 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 1.7 meters, a crown diameter of 19 meters, and an estimated age of around 2,000 years. A stone tablet next to the tree bears the striking inscription "No. 1 Locust Tree in the World." Due to its long history, most of the trunk and main branches have largely dried up and decayed. Only about one-fifth of the upper part of the tree, located in the southeast direction, still retains a main branch and some lateral branches that continue to grow, forming a new canopy covering over half an acre. Despite repeated attacks from nature and the ravages of war, this ancient tree has endured a thousand years of vicissitudes and continues to thrive with vigorous vitality — a truly rare and precious living cultural relic.

According to the "She County Annals" from the fourth year of the Jiaqing era (1799 AD), "There are three ancient locust trees in the county, all planted during the Tang and Song dynasties. One is in Guxian Town, with a trunk ten people can hug, lush foliage resembling a coiling dragon." Additionally, the "Ancient Locust Tree Stele Inscription" in Guxin Village states: "The noble locust of this central land traces its lineage back to the Sha Hou Kingdom (i.e., She County), towering into the clouds, a rare sight for mortals. It is the essence of China’s beauty and pride of the nation. Its exact age remains uncertain, but local legends abound: one says that in the early Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (1506–1521), when the village was first established, the thousand-year-old locust tree was already present; another claims that during the Warring States period, when Qin troops advanced eastward into Zhao and passed through here, they rested and ate beneath it; yet another tells of a Tang Dynasty elder who cultivated Taoism here, a virtuous man fond of playing Go, who said, 'The ancient locust came first, the later immortals came after.' Based on these tales, the locust tree is believed to be over two thousand years old."

The ancient locust tree is revered as a "divine tree." Legend has it: "During the Guangxu era, when a great famine struck, the villagers had no grain left, but the ancient locust tree ‘opened its granary.’ During the day, the hungry gathered all its green leaves, yet by night, new leaves grew back, even more abundant than the day before, saving the lives of the entire village. The main trunk of the locust tree is only slightly more than ten feet tall, its northwest branch having long since broken off, leaving a hollow where it fractured. Much of the bark on the trunk has also disappeared. Eroded by wind and rain, nibbled by sun and moon, the exposed wood has cracked into irregular, massive panels. But in the transition between spring and summer, the treetop regains its lush green, and locals suffering from illness still seek healing from the tree. Hanging on its branches are plaques inscribed with sayings like ‘Responsive to All Prayers’ and ‘Blessings from the Divine Locust,’ and incense offerings never cease. The villagers take pride in it and even lock their underage children under the tree, entrusting them to the care of the locust spirit to ensure their safety. With the development of tourism, villagers have voluntarily raised funds to protect the ancient tree. It stands as a witness to the civilization along the Qingzhang River. The old street, stone-paved paths, ancestral halls, ancient houses, and ancient water channels, together with the millennia-old locust tree as the theme, have formed a small-scale tourist area."

Transportation Guide

Location: Guxin Village, Guxin Town, She County, Handan City, Hebei Province

Getting There: Buses heading to Guxin Town from She County can take you there.