Mulberry Orchard

Mulberry Orchard

The Mulberry Orchard scenic area currently spans over 1,000 acres, primarily featuring ancient mulberry trees. Mulberry trees are one of the distinctive forest resources in the Yellow River Old Course Forest Park. There are more than 3,000 ancient mulberry trees over a hundred years old throughout the park. Despite having stood for hundreds or even thousands of years, they remain lush with foliage and heavy with fruit.

The ancient trees in the Mulberry Orchard scenic area come in a variety of unique and diverse shapes. How did these ancient trees come to be? In the year 11 AD, the Yellow River changed its course, leaving behind 315,000 acres of sandy riverbed land in this area, creating a desolate landscape. In the 13th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty, Zhu Guoxiang, who had been demoted from the imperial court, was appointed as the magistrate of Xiajin County. After carefully surveying the local terrain, he discovered the resource of ancient trees. He then followed the example of predecessors and encouraged the local people to plant large numbers of these ancient tree species. This initiative not only protected the people from the ravages of floods but also increased their economic income. After a century of sand-fixation afforestation efforts, by the mid-Qing Dynasty, this ancient tree resource had taken shape. Today, the trees in the scenic area boast full crowns and dense foliage. Trees like the "Reclining Dragon Tree" and the "Soaring Dragon Tree" stand majestically and impressively, leaving visitors in awe of their beauty and uniqueness. The park also features sculptures themed around longevity and filial piety, such as that of Cai Shun picking mulberries and Yan Wenjiang.