Jingchai King

Jingchai King

The Jingchai King is a cultural heritage site protected by Luxi County.

【Millennium Jingchai King】

Located on the rocky outcrop of Xiaoshan in Luxi Town, Pingxiang, Jiangxi (next to the county hospital), it is said to have grown since the Tang Dynasty. The tree stands 18 meters tall, with a crown diameter of 13.2 meters and a trunk circumference of 2.1 meters, and is estimated to be over 1,500 years old.

Historical records state that Zhou Dunyi (1017?–1073), a Northern Song Dynasty philosopher, writer, and founder of Neo-Confucianism, once managed salt affairs in Luxi. Upon seeing this tree, he highly praised it and composed a poem titled “Ode to the Yellow Vitex Tree of Xiaoshan Rock” (the yellow vitex tree is also known as the mountain vitex): “The Jingchai King on Xiaoshan Rock, unparalleled in this world; enduring the vicissitudes of time yet retaining its noble spirit, standing majestically against wind and frost.” The poem refers to the tree as the “Jingchai King,” emphasizing its peerless status and its resilient character, unyielding to wind and frost.

This tree is truly remarkable. First, it grows on rock yet remains lush and leafy, enduring over a thousand years of wind, rain, and snow while standing proudly through the ages. Second, it bears two types of leaves and, unusually for a deciduous tree, does not shed them. Third, its branches, leaves, and fruits are said to cure various ailments, which is why people have been breaking off branches and picking its fruit since ancient times.

The millennium-old “Jingchai King” can be considered a national treasure. Rescuing and preserving this national-level tree cultural heritage site is a worthy cause for the present and a blessing for generations to come.

Luxi Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Luxi County and the county seat. Established as Luxi Commune in 1958 and upgraded to a town in 1968. Located in the northwest of the county, with the town government stationed in Luxi. It covers an area of 104.8 square kilometers and has a population of 58,000. The Yuan River flows from west to east through the central part. The Luxi–Nankeng Highway, Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway, and National Highway 320 pass through the town. It administers eight neighborhood committees: Zhengdajie, Maiyuanjie, Huaguangjie, Tianxinge, Shiziyang, Weiqianjie, Huashengling, and Dongqiaojie, as well as 13 villages: Luxing, Xintian, Songyou, Xiaohong, Wenbu, Gucheng, Tantian, Shanxia, Xinglong, Shuimei, Gaofeng, Banshan, Renli, and Ruiquanshan... More detailed information about Luxi Town++